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Chung (51), who retired last year as an executive with a foreign bank, hires a driver every time he attends a dinner meeting. Bereft of the driver that came as part of his professional perks, Chung¡¯s pride does not permit him to be seen driving himself. Callers to Ahn (56), who in his day was a high-ranking official with the National Police Agency, encounter a female voice saying, "Mr. Ahn has stepped out for a moment. May I take down a message?" The voice comes from a call answering center, not Ahn¡¯s personal assistant.
The services the two men use are just a glimpse of a burgeoning "honor industry" that can help those who want to appear busy, rich or both when they are neither. Besides the secretarial services and drivers, they also include hire of expensive import cars, big-name handbags, and even rent-a-well-wishers for marriage ceremonies to give clients that little bit of extra social kudos.
The car rental industry has already consolidated daily chauffeur services. ¡°For clients who require a driver, we have model chauffeurs with at least 10 years experience, and we are teaching them proper etiquette which includes opening the doors and speaking in a cultured manner," an industry insider says. The service costs between US$100 and $150 per day. The fancy car to go with the driver will set you back $250-300.
As for the call answering services, more than 20 are registered on the Internet alone. One worker at such a service in southern Seoul says, "The majority of our customers used to be venture capitalists or entrepreneurs who couldn't afford their own secretaries, but now retirees use our service a lot as well." The service costs about US$100 a month.
The branch of the honor industry that rents big-name fashion products to clients is also seeing a boom among 20-30 year old women. One 27-year-old says she rents top-of-the-line handbags, shoes and accessories so that she can masquerade as a member of the elite when she goes out on blind dates. ¡°Top-drawer products are an absolute must to give that well brought-up impression, but with my salary I just don't have the means except to rent,¡± she explains.
Already with 1,000 members and growing, the online rental service Pfox offers a membership for around $300 per year that lets clients pick from some 180 kinds of high-quality merchandise to borrow up to nine times a year for a week. The company Acemaker offers products from Chanel and Alberta Ferretti and has seen its membership almost double in just one year.
Since this year is a "twin spring year" and therefore an auspicious time for weddings, groups of rent-a-well-wishers are already completely booked.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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