Evolving 'Deunggol Breaker'... "1 Million Won Is Easy to Spend, But What Can We Do?"

'Deunggol Breaker' Padding That Cost 600,000 Won 10 Years Ago
Now Basic Price Is 1 to 2 Million Won
"Will My Child Feel Inferior?" Parents Also Worried
Desire for Luxury Goods Sometimes Leads to Crime

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Kwon Jun-hyun (49, pseudonym), who lives in Incheon, was recently shocked while looking for winter clothes to buy for his child. When he asked his son, a high school sophomore, to pick out a coat he liked, the son showed a photo of a product from the overseas brand M, which easily exceeded 1 million won. When scolded, saying no student wears such things, the son retorted, "These days, there are hardly any friends who don't have at least one outfit like this."

The neologism "dunggul breaker" (meaning clothing so expensive it breaks parents' backs) has been around for quite some time. Although the brands labeled as dunggul breakers change with trends, they remain a burden for parents. Especially as the "flex" culture captivates teenagers, today's dunggul breakers do more than just break backs.

About ten years ago, the outdoor brand N's down jacket, known as the "captain padding" and the origin of the term dunggul breaker, was priced in the 600,000 won range. At that time, this product was a coveted item among students, but now it cannot even compare. Nowadays, down jackets from popular overseas luxury brands typically start at 800,000 won and can go up to 2 million won. M's hooded zip-up jacket with a fur lining is so common among teenagers that despite its price range of 300,000 to 400,000 won, it is even called a gym uniform.

Social networking services (SNS) are flooded with "proof shots" of teenagers wearing such high-priced clothing. Since SNS is a major communication channel for teenagers, those without luxury clothing sometimes feel relative deprivation when they see these posts. Many parents also worry about whether they should buy expensive clothes for their children for this reason, as seen in online communities. Most fear their children might feel intimidated among friends if they don't have such clothes. Sometimes, the desire to own luxury goods leads to crime. There are cases where teenagers steal money from peers or raise funds for luxury purchases through gambling.

As the term "dunggul breaker" suggests, social views on this phenomenon remain unfavorable. On the other hand, some see it as an unavoidable choice to fit in with peer culture. Professor Choi Soon-jong of Kyonggi University's Department of Youth Studies said, "There are many views that teenagers are indulging in luxury and irrational consumption, but ultimately, it is a survival strategy to avoid exclusion from their peers. The problem arises when teenagers without purchasing power resort to wrongdoing such as crime. It is most important for parents to instill proper economic values from an early age."