I agree with you on the differences. Frankly, when I am in South Korea I feel it is more prosperous than the U.S. Certainly it feels like the America of the Reagan era, not the economic malaise and debt we are living through now.
That being said, and despite the Confucian ethics that would eschew the flaunting of wealth, it seems a lot of South Koreans do measure their self-worth by how well they dress and what kinds of things they purchase and consume. I know the first time I visited Korea after not having been there for 15 years or more, I felt woefully underdressed. I now take suits with me to wear in Seoul, even as a tourist.
....”a lot of South Koreans do measure their self-worth by how well they dress and what kinds of things they purchase and consume”.....
Oh my gosh yes! Status climbers to the hilt! Especially the women and what they ‘require’ of their men.........it’s an Asian thing pretty much across the Asian cultures.... Also plastic surgery on their faces from the early teens upward is a given. Extremely important the ‘face’ you present is not too oriental. Eye surgery is more common than pulling a bad tooth.