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<\/p>\nSymnopsis: Geu-rae and Seok-yool stumble in their presentation speech but still impress in their engagement of ideas. A week later, Geu-rae waits for results.<\/p>\n
The job market seems to be divided into 3 main categories: blue collar or physically labor intensive jobs, white collar or office jobs, and service jobs. In western nations, it seems that if you are making a good income, the job title does not seem to affect people\u2019s self-esteem. However, in South Korea, there are strong societal perceptions on the occupation with people favoring white collar jobs (Kim et al. 2016, 227). A study found that there is an association between occupational classification and depression in Korea; where \u201cblue collar and sales and service worker groups exhibit higher depression scores than their white collar counterparts, implying the importance of addressing these groups\u201d (Kim et al. 2016, 227).White collar jobs seem to gain high status, as these jobs usually require degrees of higher education, and \u201cin many economically advanced western societies, higher education has been transformed from an elite system to a mass system\u201d (Kim and Choi 2015, 436-437). Even though decent jobs are not guaranteed with a higher education, due to the issue of educational inflation, this societal belief of status classification still exists (Kim and Choi 2015, 457).<\/p>\n
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In the drama, Misaeng<\/em>, we can see the character, Seok-yool, struggle growing up under a blue collar supported family. Seok-yool\u2019s father struggled working a low paying, labor intensive job, and as his coworkers threatened to strike, he could not get involved as big companies threaten to fire these men with families to support. Although he loved his father and is seen throughout the episode: preaching blue collar jobs by appreciating hard work and perseverance; there are flashbacks of him growing up, being mocked by his peers around him for having a father who doesn\u2019t work in an office setting. This shows why some people in Korea feel ashamed for not being \u2018accomplished\u2019 in life by working service or blue collar jobs instead of working a white collar job. Seok-yool aims to make his father proud by following Korean society\u2019s expectations of young men like himself, by rising in status by getting a white collar job while still appreciating and representing the blue collar workers.<\/p>\n the argument of which job is more important is found, when Geu-rae tries to sell his product to Seok-yool in the internship test: a slipper. Both ends of the industry are crucial to the other existing. Blue collar workers produce the good for the white collar workers to go sell, providing both a job. The drama sends a message to the audience; that office workers and blue collar workers are both needed to running Korea\u2019s economy, and people must change their perceptions of occupational status stratification.<\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n How can we change Korea’s perceptions around white collar and blue collar jobs?<\/p>\n How can Korea get large companies to provide fair wages and enforce safety in labour intensive, factory jobs without the needs for strike and threats of job cuts?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photos are screenshots from the drama, no copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Works Cited:<\/p>\n Kim et al.\u00a0\u201cThe impact of occupation according to income on depressive symptoms in South Korean individuals: Findings from the Korean Welfare Panel Study.\u201dInternational Journal of Social Psychiatry 62, no. 3 (January 2016): 227-234.<\/p>\n Kim, Doo Hwan and Yool Choi. \u201cThe Irony of the Unchecked Growth of Higher Education in South Korea: Crystallization of Class Cleavages and Intensifying Status Competition.\u201d Development and Society <\/em>44, no. 3 (2015): 435-463.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/misaeng\/files\/2018\/06\/miseng-photo-300x169.jpg\")
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