Opinion - The Korea Times

Fabulous (not) in Seoul

By Jason LimI always found the hundredth monkey phenomenon interesting. It's this theory that there is a critical tipping point (i.e. 100th monkey) that would trigger a new behavior or idea that would spread almost instantaneously throughout the population. It also reminds me of the popular saying that Korea has a “Pot Characteristic.” No, I don't mean the green stuff that you smoke. It means that the Korean public opinion heats up quickly, just like a cooking pot does, only to cool down just as quickly. In other words, it speaks to the tendency of Korea to collectively jump on a trend or issue really quickly and then move on en masse to the next hot thing without lingering too long.Why should that be? Well, it's actually not that difficult to see why when you live in Seoul for a while: everyone lives on top of one another and is largely visible to everyone else. The combination of post-Korean War demographics, rapid industrialization, geography and historical trends all conspired to create an incredible concentration of people, power, wealth and everything else in Seoul.

Mar 21, 2021By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Bend it toward justice

By Jason LimIn his “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” speech given at the National Cathedral on March 31, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King uttered the famous words, “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I wonder whether he would think the same today. In fact, I would love to be able to ask him a follow-up question in light of the fake news phenomenon that we have been suffering through the last decade. Can the moral arc truly bend towards justice when the underlying arc of truth bends every which way depending on the whims of the tribal beliefs that you happen to belong to? If we can't agree on the truth, or even the facts on the ground, then how do we really know which way justice lies? Or what justice even is? I would further pose that Gandhi, one of Dr. King's heroes, said, “It is because we have at the present moment everybody claiming the right of conscience without going through any discipline whatsoever that there is so much untruth being delivered to a bewildered world.”The fak

Mar 7, 2021By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

The resentment trap

By Jason LimIn his talk, “Inequality and hierarchy give life its purpose,” Jordan Peterson asserts that hierarchy is a state that allows people to set goals so that they can climb up to the next rung in the system. Further, hierarchy is necessarily unequal since you can't have an upper-trajectory achievement journey unless there is inherent inequality between one achievement milestone and another. As an analogy, ladders can only exist if there are gaps in between the rungs. Peterson goes on to define the “resentment trap” as a state where you compare what you've accomplished in life against someone who has achieved more. Resentment arises as a result of the perception of that achievement difference, regardless of how each one of you arrived at your respective places. What's intriguing about Peterson's resentment trap is that it sounds awfully similar to the “duhkha” that Buddha described as the normal state of our being. Usually translated as “suffering,” I actually prefer the term “dissatisfaction” as being a more accurate

Feb 21, 2021By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

GameStop populism

By Jason LimRemember when everyone invested in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies a few years back as bitcoin was rising rapidly towards $10K and above? If it was an investment craze for the rest of the world, it was a veritable social phenomenon in Korea driven by tech savvy young people subscribing to a popular narrative of sudden wealth and prosperity they could call their own. Get a little money together, invest in cryptocurrency, and watch it go through the roof. The cryptocurrency story was younger Koreans' own Miracle on the Han and the legend of ever-rising apartment prices all rolled into one. If the older generation had steady jobs and real estate, then what do the young have to get ahead? How else do you make money in Korea where inheritance is de facto destiny and there is a gaping gap between the haves and have not's. A never-ending series of part-time jobs only go so far, and getting into entry positions in chaebol is probably more difficult than a camel getting through the eye of a needle. You can almost make the narrative connection between the Candlelight Revolution

Feb 7, 2021By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Freedom of 'anonymous' expression?

By Jason LimFreedom of expression is enshrined in the constitutions of all democratic nations, but does that mean that there is also a freedom to express oneself anonymously? This is not a new question, but has taken on an enhanced salience due to the recent attack on the Capitol by Americans who were motivated by disinformation and radicalized by QAnon conspiracy theories. Some of the disinformation were propagated by known and verifiable personalities, but much has been fanned by anonymous voices. Exhibit 1 is the “Q” of the QAnon, who is still unknown. Korea actually tried to legislate this problem away back in 2007 when there was a dawning appreciation that cyberbullying hidden behind the cloak of anonymity was becoming a serious social problem. The National Assembly passed a law that mandated that people's real identities be validated through their social registration number and actual names used in any posting or other online activities. The driving rationale behind the law was that online anonymity afforded a lack of transparency and accountability that gave rise t

Jan 24, 2021By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

So Kim's not Korean anymore?

By Jason LimAfter the recent mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol, Andy Kim, the just reelected Representative from New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, helped federal law enforcement and local police officers clean up the rotunda of the Capitol. His actions were captured by the media and quickly went viral, representing a ray of serenity and quiet decency in midst of all the chaos and vitriol that had roiled over the nation since the presidential election and culminated with the attack. The story also made it over to the Korean media. It seemed natural since Kim is a second-generation Korean immigrant with a feel-good American dream story. You couldn't find a better, more idealized story of a Korean immigrant family done good than Kim's. I mean, the guy was a Rhodes Scholar and served on the Nation Security Council in the Obama Whitehouse. What I found interesting, however, were the portal site comments below the story. I had expected the typical, positive comments of ethnic pride about local boy done good and outshining the Americans in America. And some of the comments were exactl

Jan 10, 2021By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Things you only see when you fall from grace

By Jason LimIt feels ironic to write about a Buddhist monk at the time of a major Christian festival, but perhaps it's only appropriate since Ven. Haemin is truly a fallen angel of 2020. I would like to make a full disclosure before I start. I personally know the subject, although he probably won't recall me. My parents have been regular attendees of Bulgwang Zen Center in upstate New York for many decades now. This is the temple where the monk got his start and was supported through his schooling. I believe that he also held an official position in the temple in recent years, although he might not be formally associated with it any longer.Even before he became a best-selling author, he always presented a very gentle, likable persona. During my infrequent attendance of Sunday services at the temple, usually via parental coercion, I heard him speak once or twice. I don't quite recall the substance of his sermons, but they were gentle, harmless and soothing. Exactly like his books. I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of his books, although I actually have signed copies of both his Kore

Dec 27, 2020By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Snappy and sloppy slogans

By Jason LimThis day and age of social media clickbait masquerading as news almost makes you long for the days of the “MTV Generation,” who were accused of having an attention span of less than a minute. Well, a minute today would be a lifetime as we now have to measure attention spans by counting how many micro-doses of dopamine our brains ring up at every ping of our wearables. Former U.S. President Barack Obama might have inadvertently coined the 2020s version of the “MTV Generation” when he warned against the danger of “snappy slogans” when trying to push complex and nuanced policy positions in the public sphere. According to reports, Obama said “political candidates lose support when using snappy slogans like defund the police.” It could actually work against you by turning off a big chunk of the audience that you would need to push through the changes that are represented by the slogan. In fact, analysts have said the “Defund the police” slogan drove many to vote for Republican candidates for fear of literally losing t

Dec 13, 2020By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Thanksgiving in thankless year

By Jason LimAs I write this, the international media is reporting that Diego Maradona has died. The outpouring of grief and condolences has been universal, with perhaps the exception of English soccer fans with a long memory and equally long-lasting grudge for the “Hand of God” incident. Several weeks earlier, we also lost Sean Connery, the quintessential James Bond, who defined a manly cool that survived even today's BTS-like metrosexual culture. 2020 also marked the passing of RBG, Alex Trebek, and Kobe Bryant, just to name an additional, notable few. Of course, people die all the time, even famous ones. But 2020 was truly unique in its misery quotient. Definitely one for the history books. The 100-year pandemic that experts have been warning about finally came and found many of us wanting. Even after more than a century since the Spanish Flu and the greatest advances in medicine and science that humanity has ever seen, we just didn't show up too well as a global village. Unfortunately, America has especially been a huge disappointment, with 13 million infected and 260

Nov 29, 2020By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Social justice without fairness

By Jason LimOver 56 percent of California voters rejected Prop. 16 in a state that voted overwhelmingly (65 percent) for Joe Biden. This was a resounding defeat for a supposedly “progressive” ballot box initiative that would “allow diversity as a factor in public employment, education, and contracting decisions.” According to California's voter guide webpage, “A YES vote on this measure means: State and local entities could consider race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin in public education, public employment, and public contracting to the extent allowed under federal and state law.” To support, the argument states that Prop. 16 “expands equal opportunity to all Californians, increasing access to fair wages, good jobs and quality schools for everyone. Prop. 16 fights wage discrimination and systemic racism, opening up opportunities for women and people of color.”A little history helps us to understand the context better. Back in 1996, California became the first state to pass Proposition 209 that banned the consideration of ra

Nov 15, 2020By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Read more

Fabulous (not) in Seoul

Bend it toward justice

The resentment trap

GameStop populism

Freedom of 'anonymous' expression?

So Kim's not Korean anymore?

Things you only see when you fall from grace

Snappy and sloppy slogans

Thanksgiving in thankless year

Social justice without fairness

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