South Korea is going through dee

South Korea is going through deep social, economic change

But the transformation is still fragile, and covid-19 is not helping, says Lena Schipper

1 The tension between traditional top-down economic and social decision-making and a more individualistic, bottom-up approach has been apparent in South Korea since it democratised more than three decades ago. In the past two months, however, two things have happened that have highlighted this tension.

 apparent   /əˈpærənt/   =obvious
easy to see or understand

democratise   /dɪˈmɒkrətaɪz/
democratize something to make a country or an institution more democratic

highlight  /ˈhaɪlaɪt/
highlight something to emphasize something, especially so that people give it more attention 
高亮；荧光笔标注

 tension  /ˈtenʃn/
  [uncountable, countable, usually plural] a situation in which people do not trust each other, or feel unfriendly towards each other, and that may cause them to attack each other

2 On February 10th, in what feels now like a different era, the world looked on in amazement as “Parasite”, a rip-roaring, iconoclastic South Korean film, won the Oscar for best picture. It was the first non-English-language movie ever to capture that honour. The director, Bong Joon-ho, won best director, too. The success of “Parasite” is a sign of a flourishing arts scene in South Korea, and a potent symbol more broadly of the loosening of social and economic norms there. It is a brutal and darkly comic farce about class war. Daggers and dingy basements feature prominently. Asked after the ceremony how he was able to make such a film, Mr Bong replied, in English: “Because I’m a fucking weirdo.”

 era  /ˈɪərə/
a period of time, usually in history, that is different from other periods because of particular characteristics or events

look on  旁观
​to watch something without becoming involved in it yourself

Parasite   /ˈpærəsaɪt/
1> ​a small animal or plant that lives on or inside another animal or plant and gets its food from it
2> ​(disapproving) a person who always relies on or benefits from other people and gives nothing back

rip-roaring  [ˈrɪp rɔːrɪŋ]  喧闹的; 兴奋的; 狂欢的

iconoclastic  /aɪˌkɒnəˈklæstɪk/  
criticizing popular beliefs or established customs and ideas  批评传统信仰(或习俗思想)的
[] 类似的词语

奉俊昊

flourishing  繁荣昌盛

potent   ˈpəʊtnt
有强效的; 有力的; 烈性的; 影响身心的; 强大的

farce   [fɑːs]
 n.闹剧; 荒唐的事情; 闹剧;

feature prominently  最突出的特点/场景

3 Yet even as Mr Bong, the weirdo who was until recently on a government blacklist, was being invited to the presidential palace to celebrate, the novel coronavirus was working its way through South Korea. Suddenly, the country’s impassioned debate about the clash between individual freedom and social obligation was put on hold. The pandemic clearly demanded a strong, competent state response. It also required individuals to sacrifice for the common good. Both Koreans and their government responded well to the crisis. Testing was widespread. The contacts of infected people were aggressively traced. Official recommendations to wash hands and practise social distancing were followed. Governments around the world now seek to learn from the South Korean approach to curbing covid-19.

presidential   [ˌprezɪˈdenʃl]   韩国总统府--青瓦台

novel [ˈnɒvl]  

impassioned  [ɪmˈpæʃnd]
adj.充满激情的; 热烈的;

clash  [klæʃ]   冲突; 争论

put on hold暂停; 搁置

competent    [ˈkɒmpɪtənt]
adj.足以胜任的; 有能力的; 称职的;

 responded well to  相应

widespread  分布广的; 

blacklist

aggressively traced  积极地追踪

扩大社交距离; 

curb   [kɜːb]    v.控制，抑制，

4 On the face of it these two episodes tell two very different stories about the country. The remarkable response to the virus looks like a lesson in the benefits of the old Korea—a strong, bossy state combined with individual willingness to compromise and show self-discipline for the benefit of society as a whole. When the government suggested that people stay at home, there was widespread compliance from the start and little grumbling—unlike in America and in many European countries. Though the government never mandated social isolation, it made use of expansive powers in tracing infections, sifting through people’s mobile-phone data and credit-card records without a warrant, something it was allowed to do following legal changes prompted by the outbreak of mers, another coronavirus, that killed 38 people in 2015.

episodes 插曲

bossy   /ˈbɒsi/   ​always telling people what to do

grumble  /ˈɡrʌmbl/
​[intransitive, transitive] to complain about

mandate /ˈmændeɪt/  强制执行
the authority to do something, given to a government or other organization by the people who vote for it in an election

sifting through 筛选；审查

without a warrant  未经许可的情况下

prompt by 被……激起

outbreak of mers 禽流感

5 But even here, it feels like something has changed. People were happy to follow the government’s plan to beat the pandemic partly because of the transparency with which it was communicated. That marks a sharp contrast even with 2014, when a ferry full of schoolchildren sank and a bungled official response infuriated the public. The government then sought to muzzle those who complained. The protests that followed, now known as the “candlelight movement”, prompted South Koreans to question their relationship with authority and forced officials to become more responsive. The president at the time, Park Geun-hye, was impeached in 2016 and imprisoned for corruption in 2018. When Moon Jae-in took over from Ms Park, he promised to create a “fair” and “just” society, to make government more accountable and to end the corrupt practices which had contributed to her downfall.

 bungle  /ˈbʌŋɡl/   =botch /bɒtʃ/
​bungle (something) to do something badly or without skill; to fail at something

infuriate   /ɪnˈfjʊərieɪt/  =enrage
to make somebody extremely angry

muzzle  /ˈmʌzl/
1> ​[usually passive] to put a muzzle over the head of an animal, especially a dog, to prevent it from biting people
2> to prevent somebody from expressing their opinions in public as they want to

impeach  /ɪmˈpiːtʃ/   弹劾
 (of a court or other official body, especially in the US) to charge an important public figure with a serious crime

6 Parliamentary elections on April 15th, in which 300 seats in the National Assembly are up for grabs, will show if South Koreans think that Mr Moon has lived up to his promises, in fighting the pandemic and in other areas. His administration has had its own share of scandals and he has come under fire for initially downplaying the virus. Responding to a poll early in the outbreak, South Koreans professed much more faith in the centre for disease control than in the president’s office.

up for grabs  坐满
​(informal) available for anyone who is interested

live up to    遵守（诺言）; 符合
to do as well as or be as good as other people expect you to

administration  政府管理层
Trump administration

come under fire受到严厉批评

 downplaying   /ˌdaʊnˈpleɪ/   轻视   =play down
to try to make something seem less important than it really is

profess faith 
profess
/prəˈfes/
1>to claim that something is true or correct, especially when it is not
2>to state openly that you have a particular belief, feeling, etc.
3> to belong to a particular religion

7 Yet South Korea’s social transformation cuts deeper than politics, and covid-19 is unlikely to halt it. The country’s arts scene and pop culture are just the most visible examples of the new model Koreans are devising for themselves. In 2018 the country exported more “cultural products” (which include music, television dramas and films) than home appliances (such as televisions) for the first time (see chart). The nature of those cultural exports is changing, too. bts, the country’s—and the world’s—biggest boy band, are much more interesting than many of their equally pretty peers. One recent album is based on the psychoanalysis of Carl Jung. “Parasite” itself is no cheesy k-drama; its plot cuts to the heart of social divisions and inequality in South Korea and beyond.

halt  /hɔːlt/
to stop; to make somebody/something stop

art scene

devise for

防弹少年团（BTS）

psychoanalysis  /ˌsaɪkəʊəˈnæləsɪs/
a method of treating somebody with mental problems by asking them to talk about past experiences and feelings in order to try to find explanations for their present problems

Carl Jung  荣格

k-drama——> Korean Drama 标准韩国言情剧
K-Drama Star Awards是于韩国大田广域市举办的一个电视节 。其首届颁奖典礼名称为“K-Drama Star Awards”，自第2届起更名为“大田电视剧节”

cheesy   /ˈtʃiːzi/   粗制滥造
​(informal) not very good or original, and without style, in a way that is embarrassing but funny

social divisions   社会分化

8 When covid-19 has receded, South Koreans will go back to challenging old structures and rigid expectations. Women are leading the way. They have plenty to complain about. Among rich countries, South Korea is arguably the worst place to be a working woman. Women still earn less than two-thirds of what men do. Their participation rate in the paid workforce lags that of men by 20 points. And they shoulder the vast bulk of unpaid labour in the home—not only cooking but also tirelessly coaxing their children to study for exams. Sexism is a huge problem. In 2018 two-fifths of young women surveyed by the city of Seoul said they had suffered violence from a partner. In another survey, 70% of the women polled said they had been sexually harassed at work. The gulf between what Korean men and women want from a marriage is so great that many women refuse to get hitched or have children. South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rate: the average number of children a woman can expect to have in her lifetime is 0.92. That probably will not change until men do.

recede   /rɪˈsiːd/
1> to move gradually away from somebody or away from a previous position
2> (especially of a problem, feeling or quality) to become gradually weaker or smaller

arguably   /ˈɑːɡjuəbli/    ad   可论证地，按理;
​used (often before a comparative or superlative adjective) when you are stating an opinion that you believe you could give reasons to support

Women are leading the way.  首当其冲

coax    /kəʊks/   V    哄劝; 劝诱
to persuade somebody to do something by talking to them in a kind and gentle way

harass    /ˈhærəs/   v
​[often passive] to annoy or worry somebody by putting pressure on them or saying or doing unpleasant things to them

 gulf   n    /ɡʌlf/
1> ​[countable] a large area of sea that is partly surrounded by land

2> ​[countable, usually singular] gulf (between A and B) a large difference between two people or groups in the way that they think, live or feel  
eg:  The gulf between rich and poor is enormous.

fertility rate  出生率/生育率

9 Social transformation is not easy. When it happens fast, conflicts erupt, says Kim Joong-baeck of Kyung-hee University. “My father still believes in patriarchy and Confucianism and remembers poverty. I barely do, and my teenage son doesn’t at all. How are we supposed to understand each other?” He believes that the country is going through a stage of what sociologists call “anomie”, a mismatch between individual expectations and the guidance they receive from society. “We’re living through this process of transformation, and nobody quite knows where it will lead.”

patriarchy    /ˈpeɪtriɑːki/
​a society, system or country that is ruled or controlled by men 

matriarchy     /ˈmeɪtriɑːki/
a social system that gives power and authority to women rather than men

Confucianism    /kənˈfjuːʃənɪzəm/ 
​a religion based on the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius

poverty     /ˈpɒvəti/   the state of being poor

anomie    /ˈænəmi/     a lack of social or moral standards

10 Economic change can be wrenching, too. Even before covid-19 hit, the export-led model that powered South Korea’s economic rise had come under scrutiny. Growth has slowed markedly: in 2019 the economy grew at a rate of just 2%, the lowest in a decade. Competition from China and the stalling of globalisation have hurt the chaebol, South Korea’s big conglomerates, which have long been the engines of its economy.

wrench    /rentʃ/   V
​[transitive, intransitive] to pull or twist something/somebody/yourself suddenly and violently

scrutiny    /ˈskruːtəni/    n
careful and complete examination
scrutinize     ˈskruːtənaɪz/   v
to look at or examine somebody/something carefully

markedly   /ˈmɑːkɪdli/   v
in a way that is easy to notice

stall   /stɔːl/  
 stall (something) to stop something from happening until a later date; to stop making progress

chaebol   / ˈje-ˌbəl /
 a family-controlled industrial conglomerate in South Korea

conglomerate   /kənˈɡlɒmərət/ 
​[countable] (business) a large company formed by joining together different firms
eg: He turned the business into a huge media conglomerate.

11 The pandemic has already pummelled South Korea’s open economy. In the short term, it will be crucial to try to minimise the damage from the inevitable recession. But once South Korea emerges from the virus-induced slump, it needs to get back to looking for new sources of growth. One place to look is its burgeoning startup scene.

pummel    /ˈpʌml/   v
to keep hitting somebody/something hard, especially with your fists (= tightly closed hands)

emerge  /ɪˈmɜːdʒ/
[intransitive] to move out of or away from something and become possible to see

slump   /slʌmp/  v
[intransitive] to fall in price, value, number, etc., suddenly and by a large amountSYNONYM drop

burgeoning    /ˈbɜːdʒənɪŋ/
beginning to grow or develop rapidly