Why Koreans didn't get richer
I'm always surprised why the Koreans didn't get richer
I studied there, I lived there and I don't really have a real strong reason why
They work really hard
I guess one thing that could be a barrier is that in public life nobody can be direct and everything is ruled by unwritten rules of behavior (a lot like Japan) that they can only escape in private settings or when they get drunk
Not being direct slows things down a lot especially in innovation
In Korean startups I remember they'd use English names to avoid the hierarchy that came with Korean names (like you add words to the name for people older or younger than you etc. which would mean you can't rly go against ppl older than you)
In China everyone I meet is hyper direct, pragmatic and very open (kinda like how I try to be on here and IRL)
Maybe that's part of it?
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