"Embarrassed to Go to Korea"... Children Crying Loudly Over Being Teased as 'Attendance Beggars'

Thought it was just an internet story, but experienced it firsthand
New slang reflecting the 'Perfect Attendance Beggar' competitive society as it is

A story has been shared about a father whose elementary school child, unable to go on an overseas trip due to financial constraints, was teased by friends as a 'Gaegun Geoji.' 'Gaegun Geoji' is a newly coined derogatory term for students who attend school regularly without taking experiential learning trips during the semester. The man lamented that he never expected to experience something he had only seen in the news.

The term "Gaegun Geoji" is a slang expression that disparages students who consistently attend school without taking experiential learning trips during the semester. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@]

On the 23rd, a post titled "I thought 'Gaegun Geoji' was just a meme, but my son actually experienced it" was uploaded on an online community. Mr. A, a father of a 4th-grade elementary school son, said, "Yesterday, my son cried and said, 'My friends are calling me Gaegun Geoji,'" and added, "When I asked what Gaegun Geoji meant, it turned out to be 'Gaegun Geoji'."

Mr. A is a single-income earner with a monthly net income of about 3 to 3.5 million KRW. After paying for living expenses and housing, there is no extra money left. He said, "We received information that experiential learning trips during the semester were possible, but I never thought that families who don't go would be so rare." He considered taking a domestic trip, but his child seemed to want to go abroad.

Mr. A said, "I took him to the computer to look up places like Gyeongju, Gangneung, and Yangyang, but he said, 'I don't want to go to Korea' and 'It’s embarrassing when I say I went somewhere.' He also said that other kids go abroad for experiential learning trips to places like Guam, Singapore, and Hawaii." After discussing with his wife, they decided that only his wife and two sons would go abroad, and they are currently looking for affordable airfare.

"It was like this in our time too, but the culture of comparison has reached its peak"

Regarding the newly coined term 'Gaegun Geoji' that his son heard from friends, Mr. A said, "Of course, every generation has its own atmosphere and burdens, but I grew up grateful to my parents for raising me without complaining about not having things, wearing the cheapest brand of school uniforms, and never whining for things." He added, "My child has the latest iPhone and iPad. My phone is a Galaxy S10." He continued, "I think the culture of comparison has really reached its peak these days. The culture of marriage and vanity is also like that. Life is not easy," he lamented.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Netizens who read this post responded with comments such as, "I only heard about this in the news and thought it was just a rumor, but it’s really bitter," "We’ve reached an era where children ask about their parents’ income," "The culture of comparison will get worse," and "It’s unfortunate, but 'Gaegun Geoji' reflects the current social reality."

In fact, childless dual-income couples (DINKs) and other childless households cited the highly competitive atmosphere of Korean society, in addition to time and financial constraints, as reasons for not having children. At the first 'Family Storming' session held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in December last year to gather stories from low birthrate sites and develop policy tasks, various opinions were shared. A citizen who participated in the event emphasized, "If things are so bad that children who attend school regularly are belittled as 'Gaegun Geoji' for not going on trips, then the culture of comparison among children needs to be improved."