[토픽] Topic 1 & 2 on Nov 23

[Benedict]

[Topic 1] Korean-style shopping channel – TV home shopping

Although the TV home shopping concept (i.e., telephone ordering in response to advertisements or marketing programs on the TV) started in the U.S., South Korea has become one of the biggest home shopping markets in the world. Home shopping was introduced into South Korea in 1995 and currently the major players are CJ O Shopping, GS Shop, Lotte Home Shopping, Hyundai Home Shopping and NS Home Shopping.

TV home shopping industry has benefited from the efficient logistics and parcel delivery service and the widespread access to cable TVs and smartphones in South Korea. Furthermore, the Korean home shopping operators have developed a Korean-style TV home shopping model which is different from their western counterparts.

TV home shopping is a popular shopping channel for Koreans. For example, NS Home Shopping had 24 million household views annually and an average of 100,000 transactions each day as of March 2014. NS Home Shopping partnered with Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd. and successfully sold about 1.5 tons of Australian lamb products in just 35 minutes though its channel in 2014.

Home shopping channels in western countries tend to adopt the short infomercial format which focuses on conveying the functions and features of the products. In South Korea, home shopping channels manage to keep viewers watching their shows for a full hour by making them entertaining. They tend to use the entertainment show format in which the hosts try to appear more natural and casual, talking to the audience like friends and may go all lengths to demonstrate the products.

The home shopping channels may even compete fiercely for star hosts to sell their items as there is a strong emotional bond between popular hosts and customers which help attract customers to their channels. In some cases, customers may also take part in the shows through text messages. Sometimes, international celebrities are invited to act as the honorary hosts. For example, Miranda Kerr, the Australian-born supermodel, appeared on GS Shop to promote the Wonderbra lingerie for which she modeled in South Korea. You can watch the video clip of Miranda Kerr’s appearance on GS Shop by clicking the link below:

There is a great variety of products available for sale on Korean home shopping channels, e.g., home appliances, food, baby products, clothing, kitchenware, household appliances and even insurance. The home shopping operators also source items from the other countries. For example, apart from local famous brands like Samsung and LG, GS Shop also provides foreign brands like Canon, Philips, Morgan and Ferrino.

With the widespread usage of smartphones, the Korean home shopping operators have tried to expand their sales conduit from TV to online shopping malls and mobile channels. Mobile shopping has also become popular among Koreans. For example, CJ O Shopping’s mobile shopping sales increased by 79% during the Thanksgiving holiday of 2014 compared to that of 2013 whereas TV home shopping sales increased only 40% during the same period.

On the other hand, consumer complaints related to TV home shopping have also increased – consumer complaints received by the Korea Consumer Agency (“KCA”) increased by 37.5% from 272 in 2011 to 374 in 2013. According to the KCA, the top complaint was related to “poor quality or after-sale service” (44.7%), followed by “refusal to cancel the contract or excessive cancellation fee” (16.8%), “exaggerated or false advertisements” (15.6%) and “safety issues such as side effects” (5.4%). So, be careful when you want to buy things through the TV home shopping channels.

1. Let's talk about pros and cons of TV home-shopping?

2. Shopping hosts talk to the audience like friends and go all lengths to demonstrate the products. How much can you trust?

3. What's the difference among internet shopping, offline shopping and TV home-shopping?

4. Have you ever been irritated by your purchase since someone bought the same thing at a better price by the other purchase channel?

5. What is your secret to get good items with reasonable price on it regardless of online and offline?

6. What kind of items are better to get from TV home-shopping?

[Topic 2] An overworked society

Four-year-old Jung Wu-jin is waiting for his father to return from a business trip. But the little boy’s father is never coming back. Mr. Jung suffered a stroke on Sept. 24 and died from a cerebral hemorrhage on Oct. 17. He was 41 years old, gone much too soon.

The surviving family believes he died from overwork. Mr. Jung was employed at a state research institute focused on history. After he moved departments, he began to receive an excessive workload and routinely worked extra hours. He was frequently tired and wanted a day off but decided to report to work anyway. On Sept. 24, he suffered a stroke at home.

After the funeral on Oct. 19, I talked to his wife over the phone. “He complained about a migraine for several weeks, and one day, he suddenly lost consciousness,” she said. “We couldn’t even say goodbye.”

“He was quiet and extremely diligent,” Mr. Jung’s co-worker said. “He was a young and promising scholar. 

It is heartbreaking to see his son waiting for his father.”

Mr. Jung is not the only victim of a stroke from overwork and stress. According to an OECD report published in August, the average employee in Korea works 2,113 hours a year, the second longest among member countries. Koreans work about 800 more hours than Germans, who have the lowest number of work hours at 1,371. In terms of legal daily work hours, that difference is equivalent to 100 more workdays a year. It is only natural, then, that Koreans are at risk of dying from overwork. Working excessively long hours is considered a sign of diligence, and society encourages workers to work extra hours.

Dying from overwork is a widespread phenomenon in Japan, but even the Japanese work far less than Koreans, an average of 1,719 hours a year. The idea of dying from overwork comes from Japan, and “karoshi,” meaning “death from overwork,” is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. But Japan at least has begun to actively address the problem. Last year, the country passed a law on the prevention of deaths associated with overwork, and earlier this year, the government surveyed 10,000 companies and published a white paper on the phenomenon.

What about Korea? There are no clear standards on death related to overwork, and rulings on such cases have not been consistent. Mr. Jung’s family is anxious as they prepare to fight their case as a work-related death.

But politicians right now are more interested in a controversial memoir by a former foreign affairs minister than this dire issue. Would it be too much to ask of our politicians to prevent sad cases like that of Mr. Jung and his family from happening again?

1. Have you ever been out of condition lately because of overwork?

2. Working excessively long hours is considered a sign of diligence, and society encourages workers to work extra hours. Would you rather choose overwork to succeed regardless of your health?

3. What's your number one priority to get a job, which means a good salary or a good working environment in practice?

4. By what kind of things make you improve the quality of your life?

5. What is the reason why people take overwork for granted in our society?

6. On the contrary, are you supposed to be a successful person with no hard working conditions?

[Linzy]

빠른 토픽 두개 진심 감사 드립니다~

[Benedict]

you're welcome.