Introduction
Hello! This is [Daily Korean], here to upgrade your Korean skills to the next level! 👋
Today, we are moving beyond everyday conversation to tackle a more advanced and serious topic: Social Inequality in Cities.
If you follow Korean pop culture, you might have noticed that recent hit movies and dramas like Parasite, Squid Game, and Concrete Utopia all deal with the gap between the rich and the poor. Nowadays in Korea, discussing urbanization and the resulting social disparity is a very hot topic, especially regarding housing prices in Seoul.
By learning today’s expressions, you will be able to express your opinions on social issues logically and professionally, just like a native speaker discussing the news! Let’s dive in! 🏙️📉
Key Expressions
Here are 3 essential expressions to discuss social inequality at an advanced level.
1. 빈부 격차 (Gap between rich and poor)
- Pronunciation: [Binbu gyeokcha]
- English Meaning: The gap between the rich and the poor / Wealth gap
- Detail: This is a compound word of ‘빈’ (poverty), ‘부’ (wealth), and ‘격차’ (gap). It is a formal term often used in news or debates to describe economic inequality.
- 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
- The standard romanization is ‘Binbu gyeokcha’, but in reality, the second syllable of ‘격차’ is pronounced strongly as [cha] -> [Binbu gyeok-ccha].
- This is due to ‘Tensification’ (Hard Sound Rule). When a stop sound like ‘ㄱ(k)’ precedes ‘ㅊ(ch)’, the following sound becomes tensed. So, make sure to pronounce ‘차’ sharply!
2. 양극화 (Polarization)
- Pronunciation: [Yanggeuka]
- English Meaning: Polarization
- Detail: This refers to a phenomenon where the middle class disappears, and society is divided into two extremes (the very rich and the very poor). You will hear this often in phrases like “소득 양극화” (income polarization).
- 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
- Written as ‘Yang-geuk-hwa’, but pronounced [Yang-geu-ka].
- This is due to ‘Aspiration’. When the batchim ‘ㄱ(k)’ meets the consonant ‘ㅎ(h)’, they merge to form the aspirated sound ‘ㅋ(k)’. So instead of saying ‘hwa’ separately, connect it smoothly as ‘ka’.
3. 상대적 박탈감 (Relative Deprivation)
- Pronunciation: [Sangdaejeok baktalgam]
- English Meaning: Relative deprivation
- Detail: This describes the feeling of lacking something compared to others, rather than actually being poor. It is a very useful phrase to describe the psychological stress people feel in competitive cities when comparing themselves to others on social media.
- 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
- Pay attention to the last word ‘감(gam)’. It is often pronounced as [kkam] -> [baktal-kkam].
- The ‘ㄹ(l)’ sound in ‘탈’ often causes the following consonant to tense up in compound words. Pronouncing it as ‘baktal-kkam‘ sounds much more natural and native-like!
Example Dialogue
Let’s see how these expressions are used in a conversation between two colleagues discussing a recent news report.
A: 어제 뉴스 봤어요? 서울의 빈부 격차가 점점 심해지고 있대요.
(Did you see the news yesterday? They say the wealth gap in Seoul is getting worse and worse.)
B: 맞아요. 특히 부동산 가격 때문에 자산 양극화가 정말 심각한 것 같아요.
(That’s right. Especially because of real estate prices, asset polarization seems really serious.)
A: 남들은 다 집을 사는 것 같은데, 저만 못 사는 것 같아서 상대적 박탈감이 느껴져요.
(It feels like everyone else is buying a house, and since I can’t, I feel a sense of relative deprivation.)
B: 에이, 너무 우울해하지 마세요. 이건 개인의 문제가 아니라 사회 구조적인 문제잖아요.
(Hey, don’t be too depressed. This isn’t a personal problem, it’s a structural problem of society.)
Culture Tip & Trend Analysis: “The Spoon Class Theory”
Have you heard of the “Spoon Class Theory” (수저계급론)? 🥄
To understand the Korean sentiment regarding urban inequality, you must know this concept. Derived from the English idiom “born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth,” Koreans have categorized it further to reflect modern society:
- 금수저 (Gold Spoon): Born into a wealthy family.
- 흙수저 (Dirt/Earth Spoon): Born into a low-income family with no financial support.
Recently, this has evolved into a discussion about whether “effort” can overcome one’s “spoon class.” Many young people living in Seoul use the word ‘상대적 박탈감’ (relative deprivation) when they see ‘Gold Spoons’ on social media flexing their luxury lifestyles. Using these terms shows you deeply understand the current social climate in Korea!
Conclusion & Practice
Today, we tackled a high-level topic: Urban Inequality. You learned words like 빈부 격차 (Wealth gap), 양극화 (Polarization), and 상대적 박탈감 (Relative deprivation). These words will make your Korean sound very sophisticated and intellectual!
📝 Mini Quiz:
Fill in the blank with the correct expression we learned today.
“Looking at my friend’s luxury car on Instagram, I felt a sudden sense of ( ).”
“인스타그램에서 친구의 비싼 차를 보고 갑자기 ( )을/를 느꼈어요.”
Answer: ____________
Please leave your answer in the comments below! If you have any thoughts on urbanization in your own country, try writing a sentence using today’s words.
See you in the next post! Keep up the great work! 🔥
