Against K-Grief merchants

Courtesy of cferdophotography

By David A. Tizzard

Social media platforms and journalists love a Korean horror story. Sad Koreans, dead Koreans, and single Koreans are of particular interest. Nothing is more valued than a Korean slighted, assaulted, or sacrificed. In such stories, Seoul is a dystopian nightmare characterized by violence and terror. The gyrations of plastic K-pop idols merely provide the opium of distraction while the oppa-driven dramas act as sirens, luring countless visitors to these shores only to crush them against the oppressive unbending conservative Confucian rocks of Hell Joseon.

Korea is a simulacrum. A facade designed by corporate behemoths. An Asian Disney Land without safety bars on the rides. Selling soju-laced candy floss and home to smiling masks hiding depressed lives. All of this is further evidence of the emphasis the country places on aesthetics, beauty, and outward appearance to the detriment of depth. It is shallow. Devoid of depth and, more importantly, normality. Happy people, with families, jobs, partners, and friends, don't make the news.

Effectiveness

There are many reasons why these narratives about Korea resonate so effectively. Those that make and share them feel a sense of superiority for believing themselves in having seen further than other people. They are the enlightened chosen few who truly understand that the emperor has no clothes and the grand wizard is just a little dude on a chair. It's a compelling drug.

The moral high ground has always been an attraction to the ordinary. Academia also encourages such views (and I struggle with that personally). There is an unspoken understanding that to be smart you have to be cynical. The intelligentsia are those who reject, criticize, and (gulp) deconstruct. This perspective does not stand up to much scrutiny, however. In reality, competent individuals are contingent by nature and only endorse cynicism when it is warranted by the sociocultural environment. Less competent individuals, conversely, embrace cynicism unconditionally.

Beyond the feelings of intellectual superiority, these negative dystopian projections of Korea are also incredibly popular on social media. They drive traffic. They generate data. This phenomenon is a form of "negativity bias" ― the tendency to give more attention to negative details than positive ones. The tech giants know this. The algorithms they gave birth to know this. They advertisers that pay money for your eye time also know this. There's profit in pessimism, personal or otherwise.

Gamification of narratives

I once asked a popular blogger why he only shared horror stories about Korea and focused on all the negative aspects of society. I continued by questioning whether he felt he was contributing to broader anxiety among the community in his frequent posts of woe, weirdness and extremity. His response was as simple as it was revealing: the positive stories didn't get any engagement. Few were interested in them. What mattered was the little blue ticks, the red hearts, the likes and followers building up. The gamification of news playing on dopamine centers and controlling people. If you want to make a mark, you are looking for the most outrageous, the most offended, the most shocking story. A dialectical relationship between social media and negativity creates a whirlwind of destructive narratives.

It might be easy to brush aside such behavior and concerns by pointing to the difference between social media and real life. News headlines and tweets narrate parts of the world but they do not dictate daily life, some will persuasively argue. We must also agree that some focus is required on society's oppressed if we are to improve our current standing. But we should not be blind to the impact such behavior can have, particularly as it seems to increase in intensity while being negatively correlated with reality.

Korea as 'Not Bad'

The Korea I experience is a place where you can take a clean modern subway, get cheap affordable healthcare, leave your phone and wallet on the coffee shop table, and have countless interactions with friendly and polite people. It's certainly not perfect but it's a country that gets a lot right. A country that has achieved so much, despite the odds being stacked against it. A people that have reclaimed and written their history, shared their culture, and expressed their pride on the world's biggest stages.

Moreover, it's a country that is getting better. Its citizens live longer than before, its women fare better than ever, its sexual minorities experience more representation, and those with mental or physical disabilities receive greater access and treatment. Even the animals have better lives than the past. Living conditions have improved and social values have progressed. Again, it can be better. But show me a society that couldn't. I also believe that Korea will be better.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke teleologically when he proclaimed that "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." I would like to believe him but I'm not sure that justice is inevitable. There are other societies that, unlike Korea, are going backwards rather than forwards. And that makes Korean people's pursuit of justice ever more impressive.

Beyond orientalism

Yet despite the improvements, the number of "Korea Hell" stories has increased over the past decade or so. Is it simply because people have become more pessimistic because of the COVID pandemic and various economic breakdowns? Or is it more systemic? Metrics and data demonstrate how negative, emotionally-arousing headlines attract more clicks and attention than positive or neutral headlines. So these are pushed on us ever more. Creating a stress-inducing, outrage-producing, fear-laden existence and image of Korea.

I can only hope people understand that they are not seeing the real Korea. They are seeing a Korea. One of many. They are also seeing a projection. A projection of algorithms, social media influencers, and journalists looking for validation. Playing on negativity bias. Descending deeper into desperate details. Writing a narrative that sells, that makes them feel better, but that amplifies a small section of society while purposefully avoiding that which is real and experienced by everyone else, from the happily-married dentist to the satisfied student.

Of course, the above is simply my experience of Korea. It will be shaped by my own identity, qualifications, occupation and language skills. Others can, will, and should see the country and its people differently. But the point is not to create or dictate an idea of what Korea should be. It's to rally against the extremes. To challenge the orientalist views and negatively fantastical depictions.

Korea doesn't have to be heaven or hell. It can just be Korea. And, despite what some might say, I think that's a pretty good thing to be at the moment.

Dr. David A. Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) has a Ph.D. in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He is a social/cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He is also the host of the Korea Deconstructed podcast, which can be found online. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.