Of six elementary school years in Korea, I remember white envelopes.  White envelopes given to teachers by mothers.  Sometimes they were delivered in person, other times kids were told by their mother to give to teacher.  I remember doing that once or twice.

I think every kid eventually figured out, as they got older, what those white envelopes were for: greasing the palms of our teachers for good grades, special care, and protection.  Some of the teachers were noticeably embarassed about receiving those envelopes, others were greedy enough to ask for more by inviting mothers to discuss 'problems' their son or daughter was having at school.

My wife, seven years younger than me, remembers the same.  According to messages posted by an online community of Korean women, of which my wife is a member of, white envelopes are still going around in Korea.  All grown up and mothers to Korean kids, they now recall giving white envelopes.  They all say they did it for their kids' education.

Its more than peer pressure.  Isolation, verbal and physical abuses by teachers and fellow students have been experienced by those who refused to give those white envelopes.  If I do bad things for the sake of my kids, I am not likely to admire those who refuses to do the same.  How dare they shame me.

In Korea, mothers and teachers have been and are continuing to plant the seeds of corruption, wrapped in white envelopes, into their young.  Kids are not stupid and they will remember.  As adults, they will find it easier to accept corruption than to accept their mothers and teachers being corrupt.

I am not saying Korean mothers and teachers are bad, I am saying that they do not know what they are doing and what effects their seemingly benign actions are having on their children.  Knowing and saying what is right does not make doing right.  Lastly, an advice to Korean mothers: get the fathers involved because they know how to start trouble, trouble worth having.