NewsTracker Answers for week of Oct. 04, 2021

Q: “Squid Game” is a South Korean television drama with poor people competing for a prize and the losers being killed – all for the entertainment of the idle rich. It is the most watched show on Netflix, and it is stirring debate about income inequality in one of Asia’s richest countries. Where is South Korea?

Circle the area on this map

Q: South Korean politicians have tried to capitalize on the “Squid Game” and citizens’ feelings about inequality. Which nation has greater income inequality than South Korea?

A. Albania

B. Mongolia

C. United States

D. All of the above

C. The United States is richer but has more income inequality than South Korea, according to the CIA World Factbook. Albania and Mongolia are poorer than South Korea but have less inequality. South Korea ranks near the middle in equality on a list of 174 counties and territories.

Q: Do richer areas always have more inequality than poorer areas?

A. Yes

B. No

B. Macau, China, has a gross domestic product GDP per person of $123,965 a year, making it the second-richest area in the world on a CIA World Factbook list. That’s nearly 10 times more than the $12,482 in South Africa, which ranked as the most unequal nation in the world. Macau, a former Portuguese colony, ranks a bit better on equality than South Korea, with its per person GDP of $42,765.

Q: South Koreans cite low pay and long work hours in their complaints about inequality. Nearly 40 percent of South Korean workers earn less than $10,000 a year, and the country consistently ranks near the top in average annual work hours per employee. Of the 37 wealthiest nations, which nation tops the list in hours worked?

A. Chile

B. Mexico

C. Russia

D. United States

B. Mexican employees averaged 2,137 hours of work in 2019 compared with 2,060 hours for South Koreans. Many Mexican workers – 28.7 percent - also work more than 50 hours a week. The average U.S. employee worked 1,779 hours in 2019, while Denmark recorded the smallest average of 1,380 hours. And, only 2.3 percent of Danes work more than 50 hours a week.

Q: South Koreans also see corruption adding to their feelings of inequality. All four living former South Korean presidents have been sentenced to prison for various crimes, ranging from abuse of authority to bribery and embezzlement. Which of these nations is perceived as the least corrupt, according to opinion polls?

A. Australia

B. Belgium

C. Canada

D. Denmark

D. Denmark tied with New Zealand to rank as the least corrupt nations in 2020. South Korea ranked 33rd, and Somalia and South Sudan were perceived to be the most corrupt nations.