Who Stands Up for the Little Guys in Korea?

In the ouster of President Park Geun-hye in late 2016, the South Korean public rose up against one of the most powerful members of society and successfully held her to account for taking advantage of her privileged position. Now, after seeing the fruits of their labor in the political arena, Koreans are confronting more cases of abuse of power across different parts of society.

Korean has a term for such issues – “gapjil,” which roughly translates to “abuse of power.” The term derives in part from contract discussions. In business, the “gap” is the first party to the contract, who holds the upper hand in negotiations. And the “eul” is the second party, who may have to accept the terms given to them, regardless of favorability. Koreans have combined the term for the powerful “gap” with “jil,” which refers to negative or vicious behavior, to describe a wide variety of abusive actions that have largely gone unchecked.

Until, that is, Korean citizens actively brought down the posterchild for gapjil – former President Park. As the daughter of former Korean President Park Chung-hee and as a member of the Korean National Assembly and leader of the now-defunct Saenuri Party in her own right, Park embodied the most powerful “gap” in Korean society. Park, along with her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, used this power to secure funding for pet projects, to solicit bribes for personal gain, and even to secure admission for Choi’s daughter into the elite Ewha University. But while those with power would normally be able to get away with such things, the Korean public was successfully able to leverage weeks of enormous public protests and sustained outrage, eventually securing Park’s impeachment. She has since been sentenced to 24 years in prison at her trial this spring for charges of abuse of power, bribery, coercion, and leaking government secrets.

In the year since Park’s impeachment, charges of gapjil have reverberated throughout the country, particularly in the business sector. In fact, in a survey of 898 Korean workers conducted in April this year, 97 percent said they had witnessed gapjil in their workplace.

In one of the most well-known cases, Korean Air heiresses Cho Hyun-ah and Cho Hyun-min were recently removed from their executive posts at the airline after accusations of abusive or violent behavior toward their employees. The elder Cho became famous for throwing a fit on a 2014 flight when she was served macadamia nuts in a package instead of on a plate. In early 2018, her younger sister was accused of throwing a glass of water in the face of an employee during a meeting. The Korean media have taken to calling the duo “the Gapjil Sisters.”

This most recent incident sparked broad protests by Korean Air employees, who have since accused their parent company’s chairman and his wife of similar abuses. In May, 350 current and former Korean Air employees held a protest calling for an investigation of the family and their conduct toward employees. According to South Korea’s Hankyoreh newspaper, protestors chanted messages such as “We won’t put up with the Cho family’s abusive language” and “Out with Cho Yang-ho, prince of abuse; lock up Lee Myeong-hui [the wife of Cho Yang-ho] for her abuse and assaults.”

A month later, Korean Air’s competitor, Asiana Airlines, went through its own gapjil scandal, after a contract issue caused 110 flights to take off without any in-flight meals on board. In mid-June, the two groups joined forces and held a joint Korean Air-Asiana protest. The workers, normally rivals in the air, were now seeking a similar goal – the removal of leaders who they feel have not put the well-being of employees first.

Besides these two major airlines, charges of gapjil have also emerged prominently among franchise chains. Franchisees who operate well-known pizza places, fried chicken restaurants, and even makeup shops have called for more regulation to control what franchise headquarters can do to local stores. Facing South Korea’s oversaturated restaurant and retail market, local owners have been forced to accept unfavorable contracts, untenable price increases, and whatever headquarters throws at them. Simultaneously, franchisees who choose to stake out their own path can face problems – the owner of well-known pizza chain Mr. Pizza has been accused of opening new stores near former franchisees with lower prices, and ordering ingredient suppliers not to do business with the “rogue” independent owners.

Amid this wave of pushback against impunity for the most powerful segments of society, the Korean government has stepped up to try to address some of the underlying causes that have allowed gapjil to thrive. In the case of franchises, the head of Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Kim Sang-jo, has made regulation and transparency measures a top priority. In his inauguration address, Kim promised to “wipe away the tears of the weak.” The FTC is currently working on a survey of 50 food and beverage franchises to determine how best to proceed.

Meanwhile, the central government has also announced its own anti-gapjil measures to root out abuse culture within the civil service. In July, they began a crackdown on gapjil, including a revamp of the code of conduct for civil servants and increased criminal punishments for those who seriously violate those rules. The government also plans to discontinue giving government contracts to companies who are themselves accused of internal gapjil issues.

But while these measures and the increase in public protests against major corporate figures signal a significant shift in attitudes about Korea’s powerful “gap,” it will likely take time and more concerted effort to fully root out power abuse. And while many employees feel more inspired to speak out against their bosses, they are still not entirely comfortable taking a stand – in the Korean Air protest, the employees wore Guy Fawkes masks like those in the movie V for Vendetta, in part as a statement of resistance but also in part to hide their identities out of fear of professional retaliation.