[Desk Column] Each Man for Himself

Gakjado-saeng (各自圖生). It means "each person seeks their own survival." The origin of this four-character idiom is unclear. Unlike most idioms derived from Chinese or Korean historical anecdotes, there is little trace of it in Chinese historical records. However, it occasionally appears in official Joseon Dynasty records such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

The idiom first appears in the 27th year of King Seonjo's reign (1594) in the Seonjo Annals. In a report from the Uijeongbu (備邊司) regarding Japanese invaders, it was used in the phrase, "There will be a calamity of slaughter in the future, so inform in advance so that each person may seek their own survival." At that time, the Japanese army had landed at Busanpo and the Imjin War had been ongoing for two years and five months. In the 5th year of King Injo's reign (1627), during the Jeongmyo Horan invasion, the phrase was used in a document pardoning royal relatives who abandoned the king, stating, "When the war broke out, abandoning the king and each seeking their own survival is truly no small crime." It can be inferred that this neologism, born from the hardships of the Imjin War and the Horan invasion, was recorded in the Annals. Later, it was cited during King Sunjo's reign to describe the desperate lives of people during famine, and also in relation to the sinking accident of the royal grain transport ships (조창, Jochang) during King Gojong's era.

Recently, this phrase has been heard more frequently. On the 3rd, the government upgraded the COVID-19 quarantine system to the Omicron "response" phase, switching abruptly to home treatment-centered care. Asymptomatic or mild cases are isolated at home, receive non-face-to-face medical consultations, and are given medication as needed. However, complaints from patients undergoing home treatment have exploded. When they call for telemedicine or to inquire at public health centers, waiting for hours is common. Those living alone find it difficult to obtain medicine, and those living with family struggle to separate spaces, causing hardship. They say they are being "left at home" and are "each seeking their own survival."

Research so far shows that the Omicron variant is much more contagious than the previous Delta variant but its toxicity is less than half. The contagiousness is palpable. More than 170,000 confirmed cases per day have already occurred domestically. Although the toxicity is weaker in younger people, it is fatal to the elderly. The severe illness rate for Omicron among those in their 80s is 7.77%, and the fatality rate is 4.9%. If confirmed cases increase to 200,000?300,000 and critically ill patients surge in 1?2 weeks, a tremendous number of deaths will inevitably occur. If the medical system collapses, tragic cases of people dying without proper treatment may happen. In the U.S., Omicron deaths are 1.17 times those of Delta. Omicron is not to be underestimated.

What the government must do is to control the spread of Omicron to a level manageable by the healthcare system. An attitude of "let those who will die die, and those who will live live" renders the existence of the state meaningless. Ahead of the presidential election, there are many criticisms that messages from the president, prime minister, quarantine officials, and politicians are premature. We have seen many verbal missteps from them. The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly a calamity. But we hope it will not end in each person seeking their own survival.