it seems like some people don’t understand Yoomin’s response to this. there’s some history in Korea, in part due to the IMF crisis, that has resulted in the current modern social state where people are constantly trying to better their social status. it’s different from hustle culture, and moreso trying to work hard enough and achieve things (scholarships, awards, contests, internships etc) that build specs for your resume. te job market is AWFUL there and unemployment is really high. so you need stellar resumes with as many achievements as possible AND connections if you want to get a decent job.
so when his classmate was spreading rumors it was ofc catty BUT driven by jealousy and a sense of injustice that Yoomin is receiving things he didn’t “deserve”. it implies that he was either disingenuous about poverty before or that he’s being sponsored, which has serious implications. what ML did with the scholarship is also not super legal. netizens and other people feel very strongly about nepotism and fairness in the education system since it has historically been the wealthy ofc who achieve things via connections rather than their own merit. add that onto a cultural nuance where social perception is a HUGE deal. so it’s not just his classmates who are aware of the rumor, the online board posts are visible to the entire school, including professors. so unless a new scandal overshadows this (since he can’t prove it’s untrue) he would have to be willing to tolerate social isolation and rejection until he graduates, or drop out. ML genuinely screwed him over here in more ways than one.
it seems like some people don’t understand Yoomin’s response to this. there’s some history in Korea, in part due to the IMF crisis, that has resulted in the current modern social state where people are constantly trying to better their social status. it’s different from hustle culture, and moreso trying to work hard enough and achieve things (scholarships, awards, contests, internships etc) that build specs for your resume. te job market is AWFUL there and unemployment is really high. so you need stellar resumes with as many achievements as possible AND connections if you want to get a decent job.
so when his classmate was spreading rumors it was ofc catty BUT driven by jealousy and a sense of injustice that Yoomin is receiving things he didn’t “deserve”. it implies that he was either disingenuous about poverty before or that he’s being sponsored, which has serious implications. what ML did with the scholarship is also not super legal. netizens and other people feel very strongly about nepotism and fairness in the education system since it has historically been the wealthy ofc who achieve things via connections rather than their own merit. add that onto a cultural nuance where social perception is a HUGE deal. so it’s not just his classmates who are aware of the rumor, the online board posts are visible to the entire school, including professors. so unless a new scandal overshadows this (since he can’t prove it’s untrue) he would have to be willing to tolerate social isolation and rejection until he graduates, or drop out. ML genuinely screwed him over here in more ways than one.
anyways thanks for coming to my ted talk lol.