Essay about why korean scientists are silent
http://news.donga.com/Main/3/all/20160602/78472342/1
This is an article provided by Jong. The article is talking about Nature's advice to the South Korea.
Firstly, I want to talk about a bad mind dominating Koreans. It is a habit which calculate and judge the value of a person. When i am wrong or fail on something, I become frustrated. But I do not stop at there. I connect the situation to that the value of me is reduced.. I really think everyone is precious and should be respected, but i cannot behave as i think.
I quess this is because of the bad architecture of society in South Korea. In many organization, there is a rank or grade, which limits a person's behavior. Higher rank can order lower rank. Anyone who experienced the annoying situation made by them become extremely caution because they go fired if they make mistake in front of a senior. Generally, the 'anyone who experienced the annoying situation' is a father and mother of a family. This point is also mentioned in the article as 상면하복. I think 상면하복 is the most significant problem in south korea.
In the article, a head of IBS say that active discussion in the lab is required to generate a creative idea. In my lab, there are 3 foreigners which behave differently from korean students. They easily cut the professor's talking during lab meeting, and say loudly whenever they want. Korean students does not behave like them, including me. The professor behave like foreigners, emphasizing free discussion. However, when i talked my interesting ideas which my friends praised, he always explained how to think and how to make a nice science topic, then go back to his lab. It is not something very bad, but i feel blue because he never encourage me to say more. I think undergraduates have a good point about research idea not binding to the present or trend.
There is a term in korea: 'American Style'. It indicates a person who does not have a mind of 상면하복 or manner. And sometimes koreans say a term 'being adult'. Koreans say a person who is childish to be an adult. In this case, i interpret the term 'adult' as being too much polite and quite without any joke. Koreans will say to an 'american style' person to be an 'adult'. I think this is really a problem because it makes everyone to be same without individual faith and enhances. A korean person who is an 'adult' will not be able to come up with a great research idea, and even cannot say his(her) own idea. He(She) will just follow a professor's interest.
In the lab, everyone should have a same right to say and suggest anything. And everyone should accept others' idea without prejudice or allergy. I think the professors, who are the highest rank in the korean labs, must make an effort to accompany the change. Low rank students should make louder voices and show they have insight in the research.
