[Opinion] Food Chain

A CEO of a medium sized enterprise had a hard time making a reservation for a weekend golf course in order to treat a delegate of the local constituencies. He made a call to his close friend, a high-ranking judge, and asked for a favor to book a golf course. In response to his friend’s favor, the judge made a request to his close friend, a reporter, and the reporter complied with the judge’s request by asking one of the delegates of the local constituencies who had a sincere relationship with the reporter. However, the funny truth was that the delegate of the local constituencies was the person whom the CEO was planning to treat for the golf reception. This episode is a lively example of the “food chain” in our society. It is just one of those common things. Another popular episode related to such a social “food chain” is about the public services personnel’s dining. A police officer, a prosecutor, and a tax-office clerk had a meal together, but guess who treated the meal? The “restaurant owner” did.

There is a current situation of a mouse-cat-dog food chain in a solitary island called Daegijeom Island, two hours away by ship from Mokpo, Cheon-Nam. Because the island, with only 50 residents in 23 households, engages mainly in farming and with fishing on the increase because of crop damages by rats, the residents brought in cats from the mainland in the early 1970s. Although the crop damage by rats has significantly decreased since then, new damages have occurred caused by about 400 domestic and wild cats which had escaped from the households. These cats often devoured not only the fish that were being dried and the shrimp in the culture pond, but also meat needed for the ritual and sacrificial services kept in the refrigerator.

The residents of the island decided with difficulty to bring in dogs which were expelled previously for the protection of cats which they watched over sincerely for several months. However, a provisional agreement followed the permission of dog breeding; dogs were only allowed to be tied and would be driven away from the island if they harmed the cats. Since then, six dogs have been brought to the island and the uneasy living situation between the dogs and cats under the same roof has been ongoing for several months. Dogs expelled because of the cats returned to the island to hold the cats in check. What an odd situation that these dogs and cats face!

This is not only for dogs and cats. Humans in our society are involved in such a cruel food chain: retired officers’ reemployment as high officers in the affiliated organization or affiliated enterprises belonging to their former position by high-handed personnel administration, being granted the privilege of their former post, formulating one and the same group of a justice, a prosecutor, and a lawyer in the process of investigating bribery, and inefficient administration system of requiring 780 seals for the purpose of building a golf course. The most ugly and foul food chain is the relationship between the political authority oppressing the business world “in courteous words” and financial cliques offering astronomical money by mobilizing conceited methods such as “stocking in the car” and “a bond book” during the presidential election.

Myung Chul Oh, an editorial writer oscar@donga.com