December 24, 2007 07:31
The Professors' Times on Sunday reported it has chosen the four-letter Chinese phrase "jagigiin (自欺欺人)" to describe the nation's economic, political and social situation in 2007. It means "deceiving yourself and others."
Prof. Ahn Dae-hoe of Sungkyunkwan University, who nominated the phrase, said it “can be used to refer to actions resulting from ruthless desire. All the scandals that shook the social foundation of the country this year resulted from reckless greed." His comments aimed at scandals surrounding the disgraced curator Shin Jeong-ah's faking of her degrees, former Korea University president Lee Pil-sang's plagiarism, and corporate scandals like that surrounding the Samsung Group.
The word emerged the winner in a survey conducted by the publication of 340 professors, including leaders of the national and private university professor councils, from Dec. 15 to 20.
Prof. Ahn Dae-hoe of Sungkyunkwan University, who nominated the phrase, said it “can be used to refer to actions resulting from ruthless desire. All the scandals that shook the social foundation of the country this year resulted from reckless greed." His comments aimed at scandals surrounding the disgraced curator Shin Jeong-ah's faking of her degrees, former Korea University president Lee Pil-sang's plagiarism, and corporate scandals like that surrounding the Samsung Group.
The word emerged the winner in a survey conducted by the publication of 340 professors, including leaders of the national and private university professor councils, from Dec. 15 to 20.
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