Welcome to BASE21

Worldwide trends are changing very quickly. Some people say we are facing "The Second Economic Crisis" because of today's economic difficulty. Society can be described as 'the society of 20 vs 80'. '20 vs 80' may sound like a strange term to the general public, however, if you know the essential meaning, they are not strange words to you. To make a long story short, '20 vs 80' refers to 'social inequality': twenty percent of people obtain social profits(wealthy) and are situated in a high position, while the remaining 80 rercent have social disadvantages and are under the control of the elite 20 percent. 'The society of 20 vs 80' is found in nations of capitalism and of democracy.
What is the form of 'the society of 20 vs 80'in Korea? At present, it is not too much to say that most of Korean society is influenced by the '20 vs 80'. Social inequality is more serious now than it was in the past.
Recently, the words dismissal, lay-off, dishonor, salary cut, employment anxiety - have been released in the media and have been subjects if discussion among people. These things have been seriously affecting our lives.
When the economy was in good condition, society was divided into upper class, middle class, and lower class.
But now, the economic gap among people is widening. In other words, the rich are profiting, while the poor are losing jobs and their very livelihood is in danger.
The Korean economy has been controlled by companies called Chaebol(some of the executives in enterprise) Because of their power, small and medium enterprises which were financially unstable have collapsed. This is due to 'The polarity of enterprise'. To expand their assets, a few large enterprises push the small enterprises with competitive power, so small companies begin to collapse like dominoes. This is the result of the '20 vs 80' at work in the Korean economy. The number of lay-offs has increased because of unstable policy of the government. The relationship between labor and management is a target of concern these days, because of downsizing layoffs. If there is a lack of qualified people the age range of workers is larger, but if the educational level of laborers is low, the enterprise lets them go. But a company cannot exist without employees. Companies are in operation because the employees and employers exist together. Therefore, employers should care more about their employees. In the future, employers must concentrate on effective operations as well as on social responsibility.
Second, what are the social ramifications of the '20 vs 80' in Korean society? Nowadays we are told about the 'society of the elite'. It means that the elite is the kernel of power in a society. Representative elites are 'white collar workers' as opposed to 'blue collar workers'. The goal of well-educated, 'white collar workers' make sense to most people in society. According to the general social structure of Korea, the elite possess social honor and control wealth. On the other hand, 'blue collar workers' are recognized as typical laborers who have a lower position in society. Nowadays, society is made up of a small group of 'white collar' while 'blue collar workers' are the large number of the poor. Thus, the laborers, who make up 50% of the whole population in Korea have been neglected by the elite and the organizational structure of Korea. In our society, the class structure of '20 vs 80'has become a reality.
How can the political aspect of '20 vs 80' be changed in Korean society? People who have political power take profits for themselves. How much power have they gotten? Most powerful people in Korean society are those who have power in politics and business. They are a representative example of the accumulation of wealth and various inequalities. However, it is wrong because they take advantage of others by using their position, power and money. It is a serious problem that members in the National Assembly and a small number of politicians are considered to be more import ant than the average people in the nation, because it affects the
national administration system. There is also regional discrimination in Korea. For example, some cities which are located in different provinces are more developed than some countries. The unequal development of two rival regions, Kyung Sang Do and ChollaDo is a direct result of who is in power, politically. People of the East and the West traditionally are opposed to each other. Recently, various policy changes were established to solve this unequality, however there leaves much to be desired. It is necessary to think about resonable management in the future.
A small group of people have the power and the capital to exercise their influence over the large group. This situation is getting more and more serious. Social inequality always exists, but the minority 20percent must consider the larger 80percent to be an equal class. Society does not just consist of the elite, the powerful and the capitalists. The development and peace of society will depend on compromise between the 20 and the 80.