Observations of a 외국인 about Korea after 14-plus Years

Pleasing: Incheon International Airport. This huge facility, which opened in 2001, is among the best airports in the world in terms of cleanliness, security, low baggage mishandling rate, speed of customs processing, quality of duty-free shopping and other factors. More than 71 million passengers fly in or out every year.

Displeasing: Smokers. Korea has long been part of the developed world, but most developed countries are seeing decreases in the rate of smoking. Korea, from what I can tell, is chockablock with people puffing on Esse, This, Arirang, Raison and other home-grown cigarette brands (along with foreign stalwarts like Dunhill [UK] and Marlboro [USA]). And don’t forget the vapers! The government is doing its best to curtail smoking with scare tactics, incentives and taxes on tobacco, with meager results. The total economic costs attributed to smoking are about 1% of Korea’s gross domestic product.

Perplexing: Young women who go out in public with curlers in their hair. They are obviously trying to make a statement, but what is it? I look, smile and shake my head.

Pleasing: The evolution of Korean pro baseball. When the KBO started in 1982, most of the players were skinny, weak, slow and unskilled. The ballparks in which they played also left much to be desired. But now, 40 years later, things are quite different. The players are far more athletic, and they put on a far better show. Twenty-six Korean guys (most notably Park Chan-ho, Kim Byung-hyun, Choo Shin-soo and Ryu Hyun-jin) have played in the major leagues. The stadiums, too, are now much more closely aligned to their American counterparts.

Displeasing: The country’s demographics. We need more babies in Korea, and quick!

Perplexing: Littering. This is something I just will not do. If I have a piece of trash in my hand, no matter how small, I will hold onto it until a waste receptacle can be found. My fellow citizens in Gangnam have a different view. Wherever they are, they just drop it and leave it for those green-clad street sweepers who will be coming through at 6 a.m. You should see Yeoksam Magpie Park around the corner every morning—empty beer bottles, cigarette packages (see above), remains of cheap dinners purchased at the 7-11 across the street and other forms of junk.

Pleasing: The sound of the Korean language, especially when spoken by young women. Not to criticize Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or other Asian languages, but they are grating on the ear. Korean, by contrast, is beautiful and euphonious. I am accustomed to overhearing young Korean women (who often walk arm in arm) talking and laughing, and it is the sweetest melody.

Displeasing: How people in the subway are focused on their smart phones. Hey, I do it sometimes too—when necessary. There is little eye contact or interaction, other than among friends/family members. This tendency toward social atomization is not good.

Perplexing: The de-emphasis of history in the country’s schools. I recognize the value of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, but I insist on advocating the value of history. I have often found myself talking to Koreans and realizing that I knew their history better than they did. And please do not misconstrue that statement because my understanding of Korean history and culture is shallow and skewed since I am a 외국인 (foreigner).

Pleasing: The health care system. It has been consistently rated among the best in the world by Bloomberg and other such entities. If you must suffer ischemic stroke, cervical cancer, a heart attack or some other medical catastrophe, Korea is a good place to be. I have visited a variety of doctors (including one who performed knee surgery in 2012) since I moved here and know I am always in good hands. The costs, furthermore, are low.

Displeasing: The growing number of stores where purchases are made by punching buttons on an electronic kiosk rather than face-to-face with an employee. This may be cost-efficient, but it is also impersonal.

Perplexing: K-pop. I cannot grasp why this musical genre has so many fans here, much less in Japan, the USA, Europe, Brazil, the Middle East, North Africa, China, India and virtually everywhere else in the world. BTS, Blackpink and other groups are leading it to ever-rising levels of success. Try though I might, I discern nothing remotely appealing in K-pop.

Pleasing: Korean female golfers. For a multiplicity of reasons, they are always at or near the top of the leaderboard. Pak Se-ri, Inbee Park, Shin Ji-yai, Ko Jin-young and Kim Sei-young comprise a short list of distaff golfers who have won tournaments representing the Taegukgi.

Displeasing: Constant political clashes. Conservatives and liberals go at each others’ throats all the time, eschewing any middle ground. On the other hand, we live in a democracy in which people have the right to state their views. You can call the president a dunce whose mother wears army boots, and the cops will not beat or jail you. It’s different up north, you know.

Perplexing: People who take dogs into stores and even restaurants. This is entirely improper and unsanitary. The most guilty, it seems to me, are women without boyfriends/husbands or children. They satisfy their emotional needs by snuggling with their dogs and bringing them everywhere. Fido should stay outside.

Pleasing: The domestic delivery system. You are hungry but don’t want to leave home? Hit that app on your smart phone, tell them what you want, and it will be at your door faster than you can say, “hand me the grub.” Korea has world-class logistics, and nobody has implemented it better than Coupang. Founded in 2010 by Kim Beom-seok, it has 37,000 employees and does $12 billion in business per year; rightly or not, Coupang is known as the Amazon of Korea.

Displeasing: The shameful treatment of elderly Koreans. Seniors (defined as those 65 and older) make up 16.5% of the country’s population, and far too many are poor and sick. Abandoned by sons, daughters and grandchildren, they are lonely and have nowhere to go and nothing to do. The suicide rate among old people in Korea—62.6 per 100,000—is enough to make you weep.

Perplexing: The blasé attitude of Korean drivers when ambulances are trying to maneuver through traffic. Many times, I have seen emergency vehicles with blaring sirens and lights stuck behind cars whose drivers are not inclined to move. A life might be at stake, and still these people refuse (or at least are reluctant) to cooperate. Where I come from, in Texas, if you look in the rearview mirror and see or hear one of those vehicles coming you pull to the right or left. Everybody understands and does his or her civic duty.

Pleasing: The low crime rate. By almost any measure, Korea is an absurdly safe place to live. Worried about your home being broken into and your stuff ripped off? Or being mugged or robbed? Or having your car stolen? Or dealing with a drug-addled person on the sidewalk? Or vandalism? No need to worry if you live in Korea. Now think of the USA, where there are no-go zones in big cities, in medium-sized cities and even in small towns.

Displeasing: Skyrocketing housing prices in Seoul and Busan. Real estate speculation, as New York Times writer Choe Sang-hun says, is something of a national sport. It is compounded by insider trading and other corrupt activities. The average price of a Seoul apartment rose 58% during the tenure of President Moon Jae-in, making it hard for young couples to start families (see above). He introduced numerous regulatory steps to curb housing prices, such as raising capital-gains taxes on house flipping and property taxes on multiple-home owners; nothing has worked. The Korean economy has several major structural problems, and this is surely one.

Perplexing: Men who wear high-water pants and no socks. Where in the world did this fashion trend come from? It looks awful.