'Reckless abuse of power' picked as this year's idiom

The four-character Chinese idiom "doryangbalho" has been selected as a phrase best describing Korean society this year. Courtesy of Kyosu Sinmun

College professors have picked “doryangbalho" (跳梁跋扈), a four-character Chinese idiom meaning “running wild while exercising power at will,” as the expression that best describes Korean society in 2024.

According to the Kyosu Sinmun, a weekly newspaper for scholars, Monday, the result of its annual survey showed that 450 out of 1,086 respondents, or 41.4 percent, voted for the idiom, which was suggested by Jung Tae-yun, a psychology professor at Chung-Ang University.

“Those in power are supposed to use their power to serve the people, but they abuse it for personal gain,” Jung said in his recommendation without mentioning specific names.

Yet his message appears to largely target President Yoon Suk Yeol, who plunged the country into chaos last Tuesday by declaring martial law.

The survey result did not reflect sentiment following the emergency decree given that it was conducted before the announcement. But many of the professors who voted for the idiom said they felt that Yoon and those around him had already seemed to be abusing power for the wrong reasons such as protecting their cronies.

And Yoon's martial law order last Tuesday has certainly intensified concerns among scholars. A professor of humanities told the paper that Yoon should be removed from power after that order and all the turmoil that has ensued since. Another professor who teaches social science also expressed worries, saying that extreme partisanship is prevalent in today’s politics.

Yoon’s martial law decision matches well with the selected idiom, said another professor.

“Despite the fact that his authority was given by the people, he declared martial law without any legal basis,” the scholar said. “This immediately endangered the people’s everyday lives and peace, negatively affecting the country’s sovereign ratings and damaging democracy, an image that can be found in ‘doryangbalho.’”

The second-most-voted phrase was "juanmuchi" (厚顔無恥), which literally means a person with “a thick face” and “no shame.” This idiom received 307 votes, or 28.3 percent, followed by “seokseowiryeo" (碩鼠危旅), which means “a mouth with a big head” disturbs the nation. It received 201 votes.