[Korean Culture & Language] The Law of the Jungle

Hello, this is Uptempo!


Because of ‘약육강식’ and ‘상명하복’ culture in Korea, there are many Koreans who show ‘강약약강’ attitude. 

‘약육강식’ is directly translated to ‘Weak Meat Strong Eat,’ which means ‘The strong take the flesh of the weak’ or ‘The law of the jungle’.

‘상명하복’ is an abbreviation for ‘상관이 명령하면 하관은 복종한다,’ which means “When seniors order, juniors must obey”.

‘강약약강’ is an abbreviation for ‘강한 자에게는 약하고 약한 자에게는 강한 모습 (Strong attitude toward the weak and weak attitude toward the strong)’. It refers to the act of flattering and praising a powerful person while acting dishonorably toward someone weak or in a lower position. 


Ex)

A: 예빈이 좀 봐. 선배들 직접 찾아가서 고기 구워주고 있어.
A: Look at Ye-Bin. She is grilling meat for the seniors on the barbecue.

B: 쟤 우리 앞에서는 고기 구워본 적 없다고 우리한테 다 시키지 않았나? 저기서는 잘 굽네.
B: Didn’t she say that she has never grilled meat before and made us do it? She seems good at it.

A: 원래 쟤가 좀 강약약강이잖아.
A: You know, she is a sycophant. 

In the video below, Ye-bin clearly displays a ‘강약약강’ attitude toward the other girls.


Ye-bin bullies Yoon-joo by asking her to prepare all the materials for the team project and then complaining that she isn’t doing a good job. She only apologizes when Ga-yeon got mad and swears at her for her nasty behaviors. Because Ga-yeon acted ‘강하게(strongly)’ toward Ye-bin, she acted ‘weak’ toward Ga-yeon. 

Gayeon asks ‘오늘 학교 생활 어땠어? 재밌었어? (How was your day today? Was it fun (bullying the other girls?)’. Ye-bin becomes speechless and simply says ‘미안해 (sorry)’.


Do you know of a person who is ‘강약약강’? Why do you think they behave that way?


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