Gapjil

Gapjil (갑질) derives from the Korean legal convention of designating the parties to a contract as gap (갑, the superior or first party) and eul (을, the subordinate or second party). The suffix jil (질) indicates behavior or conduct, often carrying a pejorative implication. The compound became widely used in the 2010s to describe the arrogant or abusive exercise of power by someone in a position of structural advantage over a subordinate, whether in an employer-employee relationship, a client-vendor interaction, or any other context where one party holds contractual or social authority.

The term gained national prominence in South Korea through a series of highly publicized incidents. In December 2014, Cho Hyun-ah, the daughter of Korean Air's chairman, ordered a flight to return to the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport because a flight attendant had served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than on a plate. The incident, known as the "nut rage" scandal, became a defining example of gapjil in Korean public discourse and resulted in Cho's arrest and conviction for violating aviation safety law.

Subsequent cases reinforced the concept's prominence. Incidents involving corporate executives berating employees, franchise owners exploiting contract workers, and chaebol family members treating service staff with contempt were all catalogued under the gapjil label. The Korean government responded with legislative measures, including amendments to labor law aimed at strengthening protections for the subordinate party in contractual relationships. Public polling in South Korea has consistently shown gapjil among the most disliked workplace behaviors.