Both alcohol and prostitution are enormous industries in Korea. These two industries are ingrained in the culture of South Koreans. In fact, many of the business talks involve drinking and prostitution. As seen in episode eight of Misaeng, Sales Team Three were in charge to attain a contract with a business client. In this episode, the business talk took place in an entertainment facility where alcohol was heavily used. Also, the main conflict for the protagonists is that the client expects “second round” services after the drinking finishes. Similarly, in episode nine, Sales Team Three also discusses their work in a restaurant where they are drinking alcohol. From this, viewers can understand that alcohol and prostitution are very crucial to work and business. In this essay, I will analyze the business culture of Korea in terms of their alcohol consumption and the use of prostitution such that these two activities are central to doing business.

A quick summary of episode eight is that Sales Team Three are met with a client that expects “second round” services when doing business. Because of this, Sales Team Three tried very hard to get their contract signed during the “first round,” which is consuming alcohol. They want to finish in the “first round” because of Manager Oh’s ethics regarding using prostitution in business. The ninth episode talks about the arrival of Mr. Park, where he is an employee that does not fit well with Sales Team Three. This leads to a scene where Sales Team Three went to drink and discusses the problems of Mr.Park.

Prostitution in Korea is something that is illegal and yet, is one of the biggest working industry. As seen in the documentary, “Save My Seoul,” prostitution is ingrained in their culture. It is seen as if it is a rite of passage or something casual to do with coworkers after work. It is also a part of the hosting culture in terms of business relationship. (Lee, 2017) One sex industry consultant has spoken that “the business model [Korea] depends on… [is by] hang[ing] out at [prostitutes and hostess clubs.” (Cain, 2014) To attempt to explain this culture, I will argue that prostitution in the business aspect is a reflection of the historical kisaengs and their relationship with the upper class.

“Gisaeng[s] appeared to have originated in the early Goryeo Kingdom… [and] their main identities were as government servants. Their ‘official duties’ [are to] providing entertainment for government officials and their guests.” (Hwang, 2015) This role is very similar to the current hosting culture in Korea, where clients are expected to have the “second round” when being hosted for business. The client represents the guests while the hosts are the government officials. The same culture can be seen in the Joseon dynasty as yangbans often frequent the kisaengs. The reason is that “kisaengs offered romance and flirtation which men could not have with their restrained, Confucian wives.” (Maynes, 2012, 7) This can also be applied to contemporary Korea, where men look for a chance to be satisfied with something new that their significant other may not agree to. In Misaeng, CEO Moon reflects both of these points. He is a man that expects to be hosted with prostitution and his reasoning can be seen that he has a powerful wife behind him. The act of prostitution of CEO Moon can be understood as an escape and excitement from his dominant wife, as the wife is actually the one making all of the business decisions. Hence, the hosting culture in today’s Korea reflects on the traditional role that officials and kisaengs played.

Consumption of alcohol is also vital when doing business. “The question ‘How much alcohol can you handle?’ is often part of a job interview in Korea.” (Cakar and Kim, 2015, 290) This is already a big indication on the importance of alcohol during work. In fact, many of the job applicants are tested in their alcohol tolerance and are asked to entertain during their interview. (Ibid) There are several reasons why alcohol is so important in doing business. First, “[Korea] has a drinking culture that is rooted in ‘one shot’”. (Ibid) This means that when someone is to pour a person a drink, that person must finish the drink at once. Not doing so is a sign of disrespect to the other person. Also, drinking is a way of socializing among colleagues and clients in which case “if an employee cannot drink or does not enjoy drinking, they he may end up [being excluded].” (Ibid, 294) This drinking culture is also widely approved by the corporations of Korea since much of the networking expenses “are paid from the organization’s finances.” (Ibid, 296) This shows that generally, companies accept the fact that alcohol has a place in doing business and connecting with coworkers. In terms of entertaining others, it is a skill that must be well used. Since the final goal of drinking and entertaining with clients is to sign a contract, the role of satisfying the client must be met. Doing so will yield a higher chance of completing a contract between the host and the client.

In conclusion, the role alcohol and prostitution are substantial in the work forest. Prostitution is a part of the hosting culture that has been pass down through generations. This business model cannot be changed easily. Alcohol also represents a social relationship between people. When people drink, they bond and socialize. This drinking culture is critical for trust in business relationship to be achieved. Similarly, the consumption of alcohol is high because of the drinking etiquette. When a person does not “one shot” their alcohol, it is seen as a disrespectful action. Just like the scenes in Misaeng, viewers can see the importance of prostitution and alcohol in the business world.

Bibliography

Cain, Geoffrey. “In South Korea, real business gets done in brothels and karaoke joints.” PRI (2014).

https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-16/south-korea-real-business-gets-done-brothels-and-karaoke-joints.

Cakar, Ulas and Haeeun Kim. “Korea’s Drinking Culture: When an Organizational Socialization Tool Threatens Workplace Well-being.” Turkish Journal of Business Ethics 8, no. 2 (2015): 289-309.

Hwang, Kyung Moon. “Life and role of gisaeng courtesans.” Korea Times (2015).

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/02/633_173034.html.

Kim, Won-seok, dir. Misaeng. Number 3 Pictures, 2014.

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80165296?tctx=0%2C0%2C2ccd12e1-70d7-46d9-8aae-7ac139b241fa-124328052%2C%2C.

Lee, Jason Y, dir. Save My Seoul. Jubilee Production, 2017.

http://www1.ondramanice.io/save-my-seoul/watch-save-my-seoul-episode-1-online.

Maynes, Katrina. “Korean Perception of Chastity, Gender Roles, and Libido; From Kisaengs to the Twenty First Century.” Grand Valley Journal of History 1, no. 1 (2012): 1-19.

Questions:

Why do you think that prostitution and alcohol cannot be removed in the business culture?

What suggestions do you think can protect the workers from excessive drinking in order to obtain a client? How can they be implemented?

Society always have its stereotypes. However, in the Western world, people are encouraged to not discriminate against people with different backgrounds. Although everyone has some sort of ideology of people with different backgrounds, people tend to avoid being open and direct about it. In the drama, Misaeng, discrimination can be blatantly seen as the main character, Jang Geu-rae, suffers at his workplace due to his educational status. This is a reflection of the current office environment in Eastern countries and especially in Korea. This essay will give a deep insight on Korean’s view in the importance of education and status.

In the first episode, Jang Geu-rae is given an internship in one of the largest company in Korea. He got his position through some sort of relationship with the executives which is one of the reason that he is discriminated against. The biggest flaw that leads to him being excluded from his fellow interns is that he did not graduate high school nor received any post secondary education. In fact, he only has a General Equivalency Diploma, GED, which is considered to be the bare minimum for any person. In this episode, his colleagues played pranks on him as well as talked behind his back.

Korea as a society has the idea that success requires a good education. This thought is ingrained in them as they only considered people that graduate from top universities such as “Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University” a success (VanderGast et al. 2015, 4). Because of this philosophy, children in Korea live hellish lives during their education. In fact, due to importance of education, many students “reported high levels of stress in their daily lives” as well as “suicide [being] the leading cause of death among teens” (Hu, 2015). Since education is valued so deeply, the people that graduate from the top universities are given great status and will be respected. In the case of Jang Geu-rae, his lack of education is a valid reason for his coworkers to marginalize him even though he has not been given the opportunity to prove himself. Even when he is given a job that he succeeds in, such as the scene where he keeps his client’s company while his department chief, Mr. Oh, is stuck in traffic, he is still not recognized for his efforts. This prejudice against Jang Geu-rae is a representation of how important education and status is in the Korean society.

The reason why Korea values education and status so highly is a reflection of their history. “It is commonly accepted that the [Joseon] dynasty… permanently Confucianized Korean civilization, in effect rendering Korea’s premodern culture inseparable from Confucianism itself” (Kyung, 2010, 72-73). When Joseon first came into power, Jeong Do-jeon with King Taejo abolished the previous religion of Buddhism that was held by the Goryeo dynasty (Lee et al. 1997, 279). They implanted Confucianism as the new religion which completely changed the structure of politics. This new structure requires scholars to take a standardized exam in order to become officials (T’aejo sillok, 273). This exam is similar to how students in today’s Korea take an exam to see what universities they can get into. When they are able to go to a prestigious university, it is similar to becoming an official in the Joseon era. Hence, it is shown that “educational status and hierarchy [is a] part of the Confucian philosophy” in which Koreans have incorporated in their subconscious minds due to their history (VanderGast et al. 2015, 4).

In conclusion, the discrimination Jang Geu-rae faced in Misaeng can be attributed to the lack of education and status he has. This discrimination is a reflection of the Korean society in that Koreans take status and education to high regards. The reason they value these qualities is because of the Confucius history they have. With the rise of Joseon dynasty, Confucianism became the dominant philosophy which leads to valuing education much more than before. This ideology carried over to the current society. In a way, today’s society is a reflection of the history that Korea has faced.

Question:

What are some other reasons that Koreans value education and status so deeply?

As the current society is slowly deviating from the discrimination due to the increase in multiculturalism in Korea, do you think that Koreans will change their ideology regarding education and status? Why or why not?

Bibliography:

Hu, Elise. “The All-Work, No-Play Culture of South Korean Education.” Parallels. April 15, 2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/04/15/393939759/the-all-work-no-play-culture-of-south-korean-education.

Kim, Won-seok, dir. Misaeng. Number 3 Pictures, 2014. https://www.netflix.com/watch/80165296?tctx=0%2C0%2C2ccd12e1-70d7-46d9-8aae-7ac139b241fa-124328052%2C%2C.

Kyung, Moon Hwang. A History of Korea. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Lee, Peter H., WM. Theodore de Bary, Yongho Ch’oe, and Hugh H. W. Kang. Sources of Korean Tradition Volume One: From Early Times Through The Sixteenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.

Shin, Kyung-soo, dir. Six Flying Dragons. Redwoods, 2015. https://www1.ondramanice.io/drama/six-flying-dragons-detail.

T’aejo sillok. “King T’aejo: Founding Edict 1:43a-45a.” Edited by Lee, Peter H. and WM. Theodore De Bary. Sources of Korean Tradition Volume One: From Early Times Through The Sixteenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. 272-274.

VanderGast, Tim S, Sejal Parikh Foxx and Claudia Flowers, Andrew Thomas Rouse, Karen M. Decker. “A Window Into South Korean Culture: Stress and Coping in Female High School Students.” Journal of School Counseling 13, no. 13 (2015): 1-29.