240409, 잘난 체하는 당신들 한국 사람들 때문이잖아

[윤희영의 News English] “잘난 체하는 당신들 한국 사람들 때문이잖아”

“This is all because of Snobbish Korean People”

 

 
‘과시하기 경쟁: 한국에선 부유함을 뽐내는 게 왜 미덕일까.’
Race to flex: why on earth showing off wealth is a virtue in Korea?
 
 
필리핀 매체 ‘인콰이어러’가 “체면이 전부인 한국에선 부자라고 뻐기거나 부자처럼 보이려고 애쓰는 게 악덕이 아니라 미덕인 듯하다”며 보도한 기사 제목이다. “이미 가졌으면 으스대고, 아니면 가질 때까지 가짜로 꾸민다”고 시작한 내용은 대략 이렇다. “길거리 어디에서나 명품 가방을 볼 수 있다. 명품에 대한 강박이 워낙 만연해 어린 아이들까지 입고 신고 학교에 간다. 엄마들은 학부모 회의에도 온갖 명품으로 치장하고 최고급 승용차를 몰고 가 마치 패션쇼 모델인 양 뽐내며 들어간다.
The Philippine news media ‘Inquirer’ reported “There seems to be the golden rules in Korea, where image is everything and showing off or bragging about being rich – or to at least be seen as rich – is a virtue, not a vice. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Or fake it till you make it.” “The obsession with designer labels is widespread, so that even middle school children wear them to school. Parents go parent-teacher meetings as dolling up with all sorts of luxury items and using their luxurious vehicles. They seemed like a model at a fashion show as strutting into the room.
 
 
미국 투자은행 모건스탠리는 한국이 세계에서 1인당 명품 소비가 가장 많은 국가라고 발표한 바 있다. 2022년 한 해 명품 소비는 전년 대비 24% 증가한 21조8000억원에 달했다. 외모와 물질적 지위로 사람을 단정하는 과시 문화의 부작용을 여실히 보여준다. ‘사촌이 땅을 사면 배가 아프다’라는 속담은 다른 사람 성공은 시샘하며 다른 이로부터 똑같은 반응을 얻어내고 싶어하는 한국인들 속성을 시사한다. 그로 인해 누구에게도 밀리지 않고 따라잡으려고, ‘그들 중 한 명’임을 과시하려고 끝없는 경쟁을 벌인다. 게다가 명품 추종 연령이 갈수록 낮아지고 있다. 경제적 책임감은 덜하고 자기 표현 욕구는 강한 20~30대가 명품 브랜드들의 새로운 공략 대상이 되고 있다. 특히 1990년대 중반~2000년대 초반 사이에 태어난 Z세대는 집·자동차를 사기 위한 저축보다는 즉각적인 만족감을 좇아 명품에 돈을 펑펑 쓰는 경향이 강하다.
Morgan Stanley recently reported that Koreans are the world’s top spenders on per capita consumption of luxury goods, with a total expenditure of 21.8 trillion won – a 24 percent rise from the previous year. It clearly shows side effects of the flexing culture to judge people based on their looks and material status. The old Korean idiom, “when my cousin buys land, I get a stomachache,” shows a tendency of Korean people just how much they go green with envy at someone else’s success, and how much they yearn to elicit the same response from others. What ensues is a never-ending race to flex and flex, so as not to lose out to anyone and keep up with them as showing that you are “one of them”. In addition, the age of blindly following luxury goods is getting younger. South Korean in their 20-30s to be an emerging target group for luxury brands, as they had fewer financial responsibilities and were more eager to express themselves through how they dressed up. Especially the GenZ born between mid-1990 and early 2000 is prone to splurge on luxury goods following instant gratification rather than saving their money for housing and private vehicles.
 
 
심지어 중고생까지 명품을 걸치고 다니는 친구들에게서 또래 집단 압박감을 느낀다. 일종의 ‘밴드왜건 효과’다. 다수의 선택에 휩쓸려 시류에 편승하는 심리적 현상이다. 명품 살 형편이 안 되면 싸구려 모조품을 사서라도 과시 행렬에 끼어든다. 국제결혼을 해 서울에 사는 싱가포르 여성이 명품백을 샀다가 한국인 남편으로부터 핀잔을 듣고는 한마디 쏘아붙였다고 한다. 그러자 아무 대꾸도 못 하고 머쓱해하더란다. ‘이게 모두 당신들 한국 사람들이 잘난 체하면서 명품백 들고 다니지 않으면 업신여기니까 그러는 거잖아요.’”
Even middle and high school students feel the peer pressure because of their luxurious goods. Experts attribute this to the ‘bandwagon effect’, which is referred to as a psychological phenomenon of being swept away by the majority of choices and jumping on the bandwagon. People want to join the splurge by buying cheap knock-offs even though they are not affordable. One Singaporean woman living in Seoul since her marriage was said to be told off and rode him sharply after she bought a luxurious bag. Then, she couldn’t respond and looked embarrassed. “This is all because all the Koreans are snobbish and look down on anyone who doesn’t carry a luxury bag.”

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[Reference]:
https://www.chosun.com/opinion/specialist_column/2024/04/09/24PKT6IF5FAGHIEPUHX7WUZACQ/

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[영문 참조자료 사이트]
☞ https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1746571/a-race-to-flex-why-showing-off-wealth-is-a-virtue-in-south-korea
☞ https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3207657/how-groupist-culture-and-social-media-are-fuelling-south-koreans-craze-luxury-goods
☞ https://asianews.network/koreas-luxury-fever-nurtures-label-loving-kids/
☞ https://www.ft.com/content/33cd871e-9f8c-4a90-8ef8-804288ec8e13

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(race to flex)
(show off wealth)
(brag about being rich)
(be widespread)
(obsession with designer labels)
(doll up with all sorts of luxury items)
(strut into the room)
(per capita consumption of luxury goods)
(judge people based on their looks and material status)
(side effects of the flexing culture)
(go green with envy)
(yearn to elicit the same response from others)
(lose out to anyone)
(keep up with them)
(never-ending race)
(instant gratification)
(be prone to splurge on luxury goods)
(feel the peer pressure)
(jump on the bandwagon)
(psychological phenomenon)
(cheap knock-offs)
(be told off)
(ride him sharply)
(be snobbish)
(look down on)