Ever since I entered KMLA, all I could hear from people around me was the importance of bowing to the elders. As a freshmen, I was somewhat forced to bow 90 degrees to the juniors, seniors, and teachers, even at times I did not want to. But the weird thing is that no one opposed to the idea of bowing. Everyone took it as the important Korean tradition that our school is trying to preserve.
But yes, I do not like to bow. It hurts my back and it is really hard to bow to every single person you encounter on the road. Besides, I do not even know the person I am bowing to. Why should we, why should I show courtesy to people that I do not know, just because that person is older than me? Is this "Korean moral" so important for us to preserve? Doesn't it just serve as a barrier that exists between generations?
Even as a person living in 21 century, I feel uncomfortable showing my own opinion to people who are older than me. Even at times when I am definitely sure that they are wrong and that I am right, I am afraid to show my thoughts in case I might seem rude. The case of Korean Air was the same. The barrier existing in the name of Korean moral has restricted us from hearing voices of all people. The Korean moral should stay as a tradition. It is not worth to preserve, risking more important values such as active participation of all people.
Good post. I'm not Korean so I can't fully comment on the respect hierarchy. If Korea has it too much, America has it too little. A balance is needed. I often think Korea's corporate climate would prosper more if older people weren't automatically given more power. Start ups like Google, Facebook, and even Apple couldn't grow well if generation gaps existed among staff.
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