Are You a “GGONDAE”? (and what is it?) - Trending (ep 4)

In today’s episode of Trending Topics In Korea, we talk in detail about what 꼰대(ggondae) is and a recent incident that occurred involving a certain Korean politician. The term 꼰대 generally refers to someone who is haughty and thinks that they are more important than other people, and they also have a big sense of entitlement. Traditionally, 꼰대 was usually older people, but these days people say that even some young people are like that, making themselves be called 젊은 꼰대 (young ggondae).
GGONDAE SELF-CHECK
You are a GGONDAE if:
- When meeting someone new, checking their age comes first, and using informal language with anyone younger.
- You often tell stories of ”when I was your age…”
- You get offended at lower ranking co-workers who come in later than them.
- You look for the flaws in a lower ranking co-worker who is popular.
- You often talk about ties to high ranking officials, company executives, famous celebrities, etc.
- You are not annoyed by lower-ranking co-workers who don’t give you coffee or cigarettes automatically or don’t grill samgyeopsal at company dinners and eventually make you do things on your own.
- You tell lower ranking co-workers, who do a job in a new way, the “right” way to do the job.
- You tell people to freely express their opinion, but later you find yourself giving your answer first.
- You can call someone out on their clothes and greeting etiquettes, because it’s related to work.
- You can’t understand people who have to miss company outings or picnics because of personal circumstances.