When someone gets on a bus without paying a fare, we call it ‘free-riding’. But it's not only a term that means illegally travelling on public transportation. Social free-riding is becoming a serious problem in many societies, and is something with which we must grapple in order to improve those societies.

What is the “Social Free-Riding"?

  Some people or groups are irresponsible and conduct themselves poorly, evading their duties and living off social welfare like parasites on their communities. This is, in a very general sense, free-riding, and has become a serious problem in many societies. The following presents some free-riding examples in detail, and then considers some effective solutions for each case.

Global Indifference

  Though it's true that the interest in international community is growing, apathy all over the world is still a big hurdle, in deed. For example, in September 2015, the body of a three-year-old Syrian refugee was found on a beach in Turkey. People all over the world mourned his death. Lots of Koreans also expressed regret and suggested that Europe should take the initiative to accommodate Syrian refugees. In light of this, however, it is worth considering whether the Republic of Korea is welcoming to refugees. According to a report from the Center for Refugee Rights in Korea, the number of refugees seeking asylum reached 5,711 in 2015, but only 105 of these were accepted. This is a mere a 1.8% of those who sought asylum in Korea. Considering that the whole number of displaced people around the world exceeds 60 million, it's a global issue that should not be ignored. However, the Korean government doesn't take its fair share of responsibility for displaced people, and this is, absolutely, a kind of free-riding in the international community.

We Used To Be Refugees

  Syrian refugee problem is not somebody else’s business. This is a serious problem. In fact, during the Korean War, Syria was one of the countries that delivered relief supplies to Korea. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has spoken of how he was a refugee during the war. In his statement, he implies that we must not say that the increasing number of refugees in the world are nothing to do with us. We, rather, have to actively join the international community in trying to accommodate them. Though the Refugee Act of Korea has been promulgated and enforced since March 2014, it still doesn’t quite add up that so few of the asylum seekers have been accepted and legally protected by the Korean government. Admitting that this is a worldwide problem and that we are equally responsible for this issue, we need to reform the legal system further in order to prevent the disregard for refugees.

Evasion of Military Service

  All Korean men have a military duty when they become adults, as ruled by the military service law. ‘Draft dodging’ is an obvious example of avoiding one’s social responsibility in Korea. From April 2012 to July 2015, 123 ‘draft dodgers’ were busted for evading their military service. Moreover, according to the Military Manpower Administration, more than 16,000 people over the last five years have renounced their citizenship to avoid conscription. And current high-ranking officials are one of the main problem groups in evading military service, with 2,568 (10.6%) of them being exempted from military service. There are also plenty of examples where politicians and celebrities have dodged their military obligations. This situation where these people enjoy welfare benefit provided by the government but fail to fulfill their national duty is a kind of social free-riding.

The Steve Yoo Law

  The Military Manpower Administration has moved to introduce the ‘Steve Yoo Law’ in an attempt to to stop this trend of dodging military service. The law was named after the former Korean singer Yoo Seung-joon, whose English name is Steve Yoo. In 2002, he was as the centre of a great controversy when he gave up his Korean citizenship to evade conscription. With the laws that existed at that time, a person could choose foreign citizenship and give up Korean nationality. But with the new act, the Administration would only allow dual citizenship, with all dual citizens being required to fulfill their military obligation. However, it’s an obvious fact that the biggest portion of conscription evaders is made up of high-ranking officials and their descendants, and only 3.8% of them gave up their citizenship to dodge their draft. To settle this buck-passing situation, members of the public should feel a greater sense of social responsibility and perform their required roles with individual dedication.

Severance of Administration

  In public institutions, communication between departments is essential for them to work efficiently. But it is no exaggeration to say that some departments take an indifferent attitude, saying that “This is not under our jurisdiction.” We call this situation ‘severance of administration’. Recently, people experienced the unexpected inconvenience of ultrafine-dust particulates in the air. This was unexpected because it was unannounced, as the the Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection were completely divided regarding whose responsibility this issue was. These kinds of severance in public institutions are quite common in Korea, with various departments losing sight of their social duties. As a result, Korea is now suffering from another free-riding issue.

Breaking Barriers between Departments

  The city of Incheon announced that a new system will be introduced which encourages cooperation among departments, granting points to the exemplary ones who share their knowledge and equipment spontaneously. Meanwhile, the city of Seoul is going to implement a ‘versatile worker system’, which employs all-round workers who can promote active communication among departments.

  Free-riding problems arise when we behave irresponsibly in society. These actions stem from the misconception that “it can be tolerated if I alone violate social order.” Social free-riding issues occur in every area of society. We, as students, are no exception. As members of society, it’s essential that we have a sense of responsibility towards our duties. 

이준  junei95@naver.com

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