IntroductionPoverty becomes persistent when there is great and growing wealth elsewhere. According to the human rights theory of liberal individualism, the wealthy in any society must have perfect freedom to increase their wealth and continue to increase it, with freedom being "a distinctive feature of the liberal individualist project." On the other hand, the theory of communitarianism requires the rich to respect the human rights of the poor in their quest for greater wealth. The poor are often described as "oppressed" and the rich are usually identified as the perpetrators of oppression. Therefore, the practice of liberal individualism by the rich must be seen as a moral crisis for society, if in fact the rich have become richer at the expense of the poor, as is the case in South Korea. After all, poverty is known to rob affected people of their basic human rights, such as access to clean water, food, shelter, health care and the acquisition of an education. good quality. These people are described as “disadvantaged”. As the following case study on poverty and income inequality shows, even though Asia has a collectivist culture in which communitarianism should be fully implemented, while liberal individualism is considered a theory applicable only in West, the “disadvantaged” abound in South Korea. If collectivism or communitarianism had not been combined with the practice of liberal individualism on the part of the rich and powerful in South Korea, poverty and income inequality would have been non-existent. While it is true that South Korea strives to resolve these problems in a spirit of communitarianism, the fact remains that liberal individualism is practiced by South Korea's wealthy in addition.... .. middle of paper ..... .of Congress. Accessed April 12, 2011, from http://countrystudies.us:80/south-korea/.Social Welfare in East Asia: Low public spending but low income inequality. (July 2008). Center for the Analysis of Social Exclusion. Accessed April 12, 2011, from http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/cb/CASEbrief7.pdf.Widening Inequality: IMF Recognizes Disadvantages of Globalization. (October 19, 2007). The Korea Times. Retrieved April 12, 2011 from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/05/202_12225.html. Wiseman, P. and Nishiwaki, N. (July 23, 2006). Income inequality is shrinking Japan's middle class.USA Today. Retrieved June 7, 2010 from http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2006-07-23-japan-usat_x.htm.Yim, S. Geographic characteristics of social polarization in Seoul, South Korea. Accessed June 7, 2010 from http://www.lit.osaka-cu.ac.jp/geo/pdf/frombelow/0308_frombelow_yim.pdf.