Labor Ethics in the Public Consciousness of the Contemporary South Korean Society

Work ethic is an attitude to work which spread among population, as well as a set of moral attitudes which regulates the behavior in the workplace. In the first part of the paper was made a historical analysis of changes in Korean work ethic. Traditionally Korean perception of labor has been shaped by Confucianism. Modern society perceives labor in more individualistic way. The second part of the paper is the analysis of the content of the current curriculum and the South Korean school textbooks, as well as social surveys and mass culture (on the example of the series "Misaeng"). It was found that in understanding of labor’s purposes in the first place put individual interest. A wide range of professions in school textbooks displays the freedom of professional choice, which also corresponds with the individualistic nature of work. But the frequent mention of the necessity of caring for others, the importance of social responsibility gives the right to conclude that the preservation of the norms of collectivist labor is exist. It was also established that there are serious problems with gender discrimination in the workplace. The main conclusion is that despite some traditional features, labour standards and value in South Korean teaching materials correspond to typical labour ideology of industrial society, but they do not match with those characteristics of work ethic that exists in mass culture. School textbooks’ content acts as the perfect images of labor. The modern work ethic of the South Korean society is a unique fusion of Confucian ethical tradition, the national traits of work ethic and the capitalist culture of work.