- Winners:
1st place: Kwak Ji-won, Division of International Studies ‘12
2nd place: Kim So-young, Dept. of Spanish ‘12
3rd place: Yang Si-young, Dept. of English ‘15

- Topics / Keywords
1) Korea’s stance in the global society
2) Internships of young people
3) Work and life balance
4) University press
5) Dating violence
6) College students’ residence

- Judgement standards: creativity, logic, and fluency

The Argus held The Argus Prize, 2016 Essay Contest. In this contest, undergraduate students of HUFS wrote essays choosing from one of the six topics written above. As announced before, the first and second place essays are published in the following pages.

Recently I became cognizant of the unsettling frequency with which the phrase "Hell Chosun" is used by fellow young Koreans, whether on the internet or in actual conversations. The reasons include low minimum wage, lack of workplace ethics, excessive competition, wealth gap, and rampant political corruption. Many openly express shame and contempt against their homeland, when these problems exist elsewhere as well. Such pessimism is gaining dominance and it exceeds decent self-acknowledgement. I have come to think that a lack of international perspective could partially be blamed for such self-belittlement of a country that deserves due acknowledgement.

The willingness of the people to admit to problems in their own nation is without doubt essential for its progress and development. We should not ignore or gloss over thorny issues. Numerous cases in history warn us of the potential dangers of such negligence of civil responsibility. The German people of the Third Reich, for example, chose to look the other way when the government was engaging in gross violations of human rights. In this sense, remaining self-critical is a virtuous necessity as a citizen.

However, the tendency in South Korea nowadays is leaning too much towards the opposite end. A weakness is pointed out, but a strength is not appreciated. A reasonable person knows that the pros and cons are always to be examined together. Nevertheless many young Koreans tends to overlook any positive achievements. Korea is constantly put in comparisons with other countries and negative sides are exaggerated. Also with economic hardships, from which no country is completely immune, many young Koreans have come to project all problems on to the government and even the country itself.

But no country is without problems. USA, Japan, Germany, Norway? One could list hundreds of social problems that these developed nations face. Ask any foreigner, if his or her country is perfect. However, it is not my intention to seek consolation and comfort from the hardships of others. In contrast, I want to emphasize that South Korea is not especially terrible, nor is it particularly "hellish" compared to other countries. We need to develop a more objective view, or we only end up fouling our own nest for its own sake.

Just to mention a few, the economic and technological advancements Korea has experienced throughout the decades is astonishing, even in international standards. We are a wealthy nation, with our economy ranking 11th in the world. We have forefathers who have fought for our freedom that make us proud. South Korea offers a diverse choice of food at cheap prices and has countless products and commodities available in good quality. We have one of the most intelligent and able workforce in the world. The safety deserves attention as well, which is apparent to those who have visited Europe or the USA. Foreigners are astonished when many Koreans dare to leave their belongings unattended at cafes. Koreans are also one of the friendliest people. While greeting and saying hello to strangers is alien to the Korean culture, Koreans have a tendency to ignore boundaries when it comes to helping those in need.

Being self-critical and strict with one's home country is good, but the failure to recognize its beauty and strength is not. I believe it is partially due to our narrow-sightedness that we fail to see the good sides. Limiting our scope to this country alone would accentuate only the problems, as other sources of comfort and well-being fall in to the background. But looking at the whole world one finds that the existence of problems is rather a natural condition. It's how people deal with them that makes any difference.

So, is Korea hell? When we take a step back and place our homeland in a comprehensive global context, we would be able to give it a fairer evaluation.

We should no longer fool ourselves into thinking that dating violence is a private affair. Dating violence is not a clumsy display of love- it is a display of the social norms that govern the mindset with which people behave in their relationship. Dating violence is just as significant as domestic violence or rape in the way that it is symptomatic of a larger social failing to build mutual respect, accommodate the minority, and build mechanisms for problem resolution and discourse.

Dating violence is any form of aggression or violence committed by one or more people within a romantic relationship that excludes marriage. In other words it means that the term could be applied to both unilateral and mutual violence. However, man- on-woman dating abuse merits a closer inspection, as it composes the majority of abuse cases.

To effectively address this issue, the first thing to take note of is that abuse does not only come in the physical form. It could be inflicted psychologically by humiliating a partner, threatening them, trying to unreasonably restrict their freedom, and fostering dependence. Any behavior that exploits the asymmetry of power within the relationship to project dominance or superiority for the purpose of forcedly retaining control over the partner is in fact, the essence of dating abuse.

Abuse in any form is wrong regardless of the cause. It should not happen when a man thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him. It should not happen when a man wants to know where his girlfriend is every single moment of the day. It should not happen when a man is angry at his girlfriend for leaving him. Resolving tension with violence shows that the man lacks the ability to address relationship problems or personal emotions in a way that is effective and equitable. It degrades his partner to an object for satisfaction.

Dating abuse is a social problem because it is derived from and sustained by society. This includes the norms that permit dating abuse to happen- the opinion of the public and how societal norms affect individual paradigm of thought. Contrary to what seems obvious that victims would always want to escape their aggressors and watch justice prevail, victims of dating abuse often do not come forward. It is a disease that festers in communitarianism- the idea that individuals should work to fit into the preexisting shape of society. One must not upset or cause ripples that would disunite common solidarity and weaken social bonds. Abuse and violence are forced into the private sphere because society refuses to address it. Problems are easier to be silenced than to be addressed.

The powerful patriarchy that permeates this community is a major culprit. The idea that men are more respectable, more powerful, and more valuable for being men is consciously denied but subconsciously authoritative. This demands their counterpart to be submissive and devoted. The idea of women as objects to be owned and exchanged is ever present in our country’s laws, advertisements, employment statistics and more. It follows that those women who are abused in the relationship may already have been abused. And those women looking askance depend on male chivalry. When women occupy a low caste facing scant economic and social opportunities, they tend to depend on male support and protection, which is why women may be the most vicious critics of women. Armed with their own self-righteousness and need for security, men and women alike blame and shame the victim. They stand by the accused in their reluctance to accept the gravity of the accusations and instead, look for ways to discredit the victims based on their socioeconomic status, past experiences, and personal failings. ‘She should’ve kept it quiet and resolved it privately,’ ‘she should’ve broken up with him,’ ‘she should’ve reported it to the police,’ ‘she’s maliciously trying to ruin his reputation as revenge.’ ‘She’ becomes the common enemy. It becomes more comprehensible now, why ‘she’ didn’t go to the police, or broken up with her partner.

This attack is then internalized by the women who are vulnerable from abuse and social pressure to believe a hoard of lies that make it even more difficult for them to report their problems. They may feel that the abuse is not serious enough to end the relationship, or that it happened as a result of their own wrongdoing and that it will stop if they changed. But they cannot stop something they did not cause and it should not be their cross to bear.

Dating violence is not a problem with an organic solution. There must be stricter laws against stalking and violence. Privacy should be strongly protected. Sex education should be comprehensive. Most importantly, dating abuse must gain the recognition of being a serious problem.