The Filthy Riches

Just recently, it was reported that the daughter of the Chief Executive of Korean Air, Cho Hyun-ah had allegedly called for the plane that she was in to be turned around because her Macadamia nuts were served in a packet and not in the expected bowl. Some witnesses even said that she called for the air steward to kneel in front of her afterward pushing him to the cockpit door and jabbing him with a service manual.

Yes, this news report would have been any other news report involving a scuffle that occurred in a plane. But the fact that the person who committed this uncivilized act was South Korea's cream of the top, it definitely called for much media attention. It was no surprise that this nut rage incident led to national uproar, receiving much online vitriol.

This incident has renewed resentment among the masses against the South's most elite and powerful business conglomerates who contribute significantly to South Korea's economy. In fact, South Korea's top business conglomerates or chaebol as it is locally termed accounts for more than 50% of South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP). This incident has more importantly, cast a spotlight on the dramatically superior mindset of children born into families holding lucrative businesses. This not only means that they are born with the silver spoon, it also suggests that many of this young and somewhat inexperienced children will takeover their father's huge businesses when the time is right, or at least when their age is right.

This definitely poses a problem as they may not possess the capability of their father to make final decisions, given that more often than not, their business shrewdness has yet to be confirmed, which irrefutably poses a problem to the nation's economic growth.

Apart from these, those born into the rich family are often able to escape the ordeals largely untouched as their families have the money to warrant that, which definitely presents an unfair disadvantage to the other party. This can be seen from how Cho Hyun Ah still helmed other executive roles of the airline even after she had committed such an inconsiderate act. In fact, Korean Air even sided her saying that it was natural for passengers to fault the crews' inadequate service.

This incident doesn't just revolve around South Korea itself. It is also emblematic of a bigger problem of how sometimes (not all the time), the elite are able to do what they want, even having run ins with the law knowing that given their status in the nation, they can be let off lightly.