[A READER`S VIEW]A closer look in the Korean mirror

I was born and lived in Seoul until the age of 28. Like all Korean males I dutifully performed military service. After graduating from university I lived overseas in various countries doing various jobs. I am now 32, living in Seoul again, and am married with two lovely children. I mention all of this because, with the exception of having spent almost four years overseas, I am exactly like you: an average Korean, who works an average job, is devoted to his family and loves his country.

I said that I love Korea. And because of this I want to shout out and warn all of us to give this country the wake-up call it so desperately needs. Aside from pockets of wealth throughout the city and country, as a whole we are still living in the mid-twentieth century. In comparison to other first world countries - which we like to believe ourselves on par with - we are years, if not decades behind. We have the financial means to keep pace with the planet`s heavy rollers, but that is where the proverbial buck stops.

Why are we sharing sidewalks with motorcycles and scooters? Our Seoul government office has just spent billions revitalizing a river and recently hosted a global mayor`s conference. I was there. And I felt anything but pride. It was embarrassing having mayors (and their representatives) from Rome and Tokyo sidestepping scooters and breathing in their fumes as they walked along city-center sidewalks. This doesn`t happen in other large first world metropolitan centers. A motorcycle zipping along the sidewalks of Chicago? A scooter blowing on its horn for pedestrians to clear the way in London? Never!!

And that is just the beginning. I live next to a traditional style Korean market, and I walk through it daily as I commute to work. I am amazed at how vehicles are allowed to pass freely down these narrow paths. It creates a dirty mesh of chaos amongst those shopping and walking. But more drastically, with the inherent congestion, these vehicles are allowed to idle endlessly, allowing their toxic exhaust to pour over the fresh produce which we feed our children. And this is not even to mention the insects and flies allowed to crawl on the raw meat for sale (shaded by only an umbrella), or the men and women spitting up phlegm next to the onions and cabbages that my four-year-old daughter has to eat. Frankly, it is disgusting. I feel as though I am walking home back to my cave in these instances - not my fancy high-rise apartment.

My favorite, however, and one that makes me wonder who is running things in this city - and brings me to tears every time - is the mosquito repellent pumping out of the back of makeshift three-wheelers. Again our kids breathe these toxins in as parents allow them to chase these toxic fumes on their bicycles.

This is absolutely archaic. No other first-world country in the world allows these things to happen. Aside from an architecturally blase stream of apartment buildings rising from the ground, Seoul at street level more closely resembles Calcutta or Shanghai - and even then a Shanghai of five years past. As Koreans we have been entirely blinded by our quick rise to financial wealth. Sure Koreans can build top-rate mobile phone products and a great flat-screen television. Sure we are connected to the internet at a higher percentage than any other country. But is this really how we want to be seen - as a group of technological nerds that has no concern about the day to day well-being of citizens and neighbors?

You may wonder why I am writing this in English. I have done so in an effort to show foreigners who live or travel here - those that send messages about Korea back to their home countries - that self-awareness is on the horizon. Korea may be starting to wake up to the 21st century in a manner that is not just digitally and financially induced (though sadly there is hardly any evidence pointing to this at present).

As Seoulites, and as Koreans in general, we must recognize and acknowledge the global community that now lives amongst us, and recognize that money and technology are not the only keys that open the door to the international community. Even China is already taking steps in this direction, having recently banned spitting in public and queue jumping. In order to build a better place for everyone to live in, in order to attract foreign investment and make Korea desirable, we not only have to wave the merits of the Korean flag, but we also need to acknowledge our faults and correct them. As a community working together we can build a country that really is up to date in every manner - and not just an archaic throwback to third world levels with fancy mobile phones on our hips and the occasional thick wallet.





Park Kyong-don is a systems engineer living in Seoul. - Ed.



By Park Kyong-don