Exhibition Information

			When did we start using the word "salaryman"? ● The salary of salarymen, which we often hear, originated from the ancient Roman word "salarium." Salarium means "the money to buy salt." At that time, salt was precious. Roman soldiers were said to have received a salarium to buy salt.●In modern times, the word "salaryman" means "a person who receives a fixed monthly salary." It combines "salarium" with "man," which refers to a person. ● This concept of a salaryman, or a person who receives a salary on a designated day, goes a long way back to the time when the relationship between "the person who works" and "the person who pays the price for the labor" began to be formed. It can be presumed that a type of person similar to the current salaryman first appeared in the colonial period. This is because, during this period, the "middle class" was formed by middle- and lower-class officials, professional workers, school personnel, and service workers at various levels of the Japanese Government-General of Korean agencies, who lived in the city after receiving education in secondary school or at a higher level, and pursued an active consumption pattern in department stores and restaurants. ● The idea that a salaryman in the 1930s was more noble than a salaryman today is a mistake. In the August 1931 issue of the current affairs magazine Hyesung, the article "The Philosophy of the Modern Salaried Worker" described a salaryman as "a person who goes to work and works together with others everyday and receives an envelope on the twenty-first day." This was a fundamental condition, and the top salaried worker was said to have been a "mental worker." This shows that there was a wide difference between those who worked with the body and those who used more brains, and that everyone thought, "As long as there is something to eat, I will quit this job today." ● The sorrow of salarymen is that when their salary rises, their expenditures increase accordingly. They cannot escape poverty.

It's dangerous outside the blanket / on the way to work ● Whether it's sunny, rainy, snowy, hot, or cold, a salaryman hates going to work for no reason. This is because the workplace is a battlefield. But is it the only battlefield? No. The moment the salaryman leaves home, war breaks out. A worker armed with the scent of a toner, a shampoo, and a shirt lightly permeated with the smell of iron has to overcome the public transportation battle. ● A genuine salaryman does not believe the horoscope on newspapers or mobile apps -- today, fortune is determined by whether a salaryman boards a vehicle to get to work on time and whether a salaryman has to stop at every traffic light.

Sandwich life / love-hate personal relationship management ● Work life is like a sandwich. People in different positions are above me and below me. ● As bread, meat, and vegetables achieve a good taste and nutrition by being appropriately harmonized, a solid company is achieved through the harmony among its various departments and positions. ● The work life we face after completing the compulsory education provided by the state is filled with people who are like our extended family, as we perform a variety of activities, including cooperation, requests, contracts, notifications, transactions, and meetings, with our co-workers and outer organizations. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that the duty of a salaryman is managing this group that shares a common destiny, in which there are those who we spend one-third of everyday together and those who seem like an enemy and an ally at the same time.

Extension of work / work get-togethers ● There is nothing more efficient than having a meal together to strengthen the solidarity of an organization. However, there can be different moods for these get-togethers. ● A get-together can be an occasion to simply share a delicious meal, but it can also be an occasion for a salaryman to hold a stable position until retirement and to not be isolated in one's workplace. ● In 2021, with the regulation of our get-together culture due to COVID-19, there are fewer ways for workers to end a day or relieve their stress. Before COVID-19, there were times when get-togethers were burdensome because they were regarded as extra activities after work. Today, however, it is a pity that the number of occasions where we can spend time with our like-minded co-workers has decreased.

The first thought that comes to head after waking up / going home after work ● "How good it would be if I were falling asleep after work instead of waking up in the morning," is the first thought of all workers when they wake up in the morning. Under the dim light of evening, the refreshing scent of clean clothes in the morning is gone. Salarymen return to a comfortable place of their own with the dampness of evening air mixed with their sweat, body odor, and dust, and with the smell of oil, smoked meat, of salty and spicy stew, and of alcoholic beverages. ● We don't know each salaryman who is returning home after a fierce battle in society. This is because we only see his or her back. However, people may tell me this while looking at my back: "You did well today."

I am a salaryman ● I am often tempted to throw my letter of resignation at my boss. However, I cannot quit even if my expenditures are greater than my earnings because I am getting paid every month. Who will willingly give me money for doing something? The only recognition that I receive for my hardship is the word "salary" printed on my small bankbook. ● I hope everyday is Friday. This is the mindset of a thief who only wants to spend his or her salary; but why not use the more endearing term, "fan of weekends"? Come on, don't we all have the same thought? "Salary," which has the same sound as "celery," really speaks for us. "Celery" reminds us of a fresh, young, solid, and lively image. It reminds me of myself in the past, filled with vigor and passion, willing to devote myself to my company. However, the reality is that I look forward only to my salary. I become "zombie-tired" to get the price for my work. ● The aim of this exhibition titled "A Salaryman Who Wants to Become a Celery" is not to show our gloomy daily life to all. It is meant to objectively view the present era of COVID-19, which has been going on for more than a year, and to overcome this time by recalling the pre-COVID form of a salaryman. We hope that this exhibition will give comfort to many people. ■ Wi. Areum