Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Scorpion]

I was terribly saddened by the Sewol ferry incident. I think it’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard about. And being a teacher in Korea, the loss of so many young people hit hard. I think everyone in Korea was devastated by this…but will it change anything? I fear it won’t. And this bothers me terribly.

In the ten days since the accident I’ve watched so much stupidity, ass-hattery and selfish disregard for the safety of others that it boggles the mind. Cars still flying through red lights, infants sitting on their mother’s laps, children without seatbelts, motorists failing to indicate, dangerous left turns while texting, failing to stop for people using the crosswalk, taxi drivers watching their televisions…and so on. Have they learned nothing? Can’t they see that their behavior is part and parcel of the “safety last” culture that contributed to the ferry disaster? Has there been no introspection at all?

Even in the first days of this tragedy, when people were desperately hoping and praying for survivors, their behavior was bewildering. I take the bus to work each morning. The bus stop is near a high school and a middle school. As the ferry was sinking I watched in disbelief at the disregard of motorists for these students trying to cross the road. How can they be so saddened by the loss of those young people while themselves endangering the lives of other students? How can they still fail to put their infants in safety seats, and fail to acknowledge that a red light means ‘stop’?

As for ferry safety, I’m sure there will be improvements – at least in the short term. But I wouldn’t be surprised if, after a year or two, things start to deteriorate again. Corruption, cutting corners, and the balli balli thing are strongly entrenched here. But the government needs to confront these factors head on. Building codes need to be enforced to ensure that structures are safe. The police need to enforce laws, and emergency services need to up their game. Schools need to instruct students how to cross roads safely. Crossing guards should be hired to make sure cars stop for students – and report violators to the police. The fire department needs to crack down on apartment buildings where stairwells are blocked by bicycles, boxes and countless other obstacles.

Korea should honor the poor souls who died in the ferry accident, and their suffering families, by taking a collective cultural leap forward. President Park has an opportunity here to make her mark in history. If she can revolutionize Korea’s attitude towards safety she will not only help Korea become an actual first world country, but will save the lives of countless people. She needs to act on this, not just in regard to the shipping industry, but right across the board.

Let's hope she does. Peoples' lives - most importantly, children's lives - depend on it.

[atwood]

The president, and others, have promised changes, but we'll see. I'm hopeful that things will change a little.

But as your observations confirm (and I've had similar ones lately), until individuals are willing to take personal responsibility for the their actions, a little is all we can hope for.

[coralreefer_1]

While I can understand most of what you mention, I will say that no matter how safety-conscious people are/become, no matter how many new regulations are passed, and no matter how much training people may undergo...bad stuff happens sometimes.

I imagine some things will change, but at some point there will be another accident. The same is true for every country in the world.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

Until people care about their fellow man nothing will change. I don't see much hope of that happening.

You're right on the enforcement. The lack of enforcement is the macro-problem. But if people don't care about their fellow man, they'd rather have lower taxes than pay for enforcement.

==
This accident has reinforced my decision to leave this country and raise my son in Canada.

[Okie from Muskogee]

A little for now, but will soon be back to normal (abnormal that is).

[radish kimchi]

This was a plot designed by the Korean airline industry, first they staged a missing Malaysian plane to get people scared of other Asian companies. Then, they sank a ferry boat.

Let's see stocks rise now in Korean Air.

[atwood]

[mayorgc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daegu_subway_fire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong


Yes, this incident will generate changes. But, bad stuff will still happen.

[goat]

Soon, SR will come along and respond with the same thing happens in other countries posts.

I was surprised, as I scrolled down, that he hadn't already posted.

Back on topic /// Until the individuals change, there won't be much change in these situations.

Yesterday, I noticed an ambulance trying to maneuver its way through traffic. Cars were greedily trying to get through a traffic intersection on a red light and holding up the ambulance that had a green light, right of way. I saw several cars run up on the zebra stripe crosswalks as people were crossing. I saw several incidents similar to this, most surely had to be intentional and not mistakes.

[cmxc]

Does it take 300 dead kids to wake the world up to just how rotten to the core Korea really is?

Rot in hell Korea apologists – each and every one of you.

All of your foaming at the mouth to blindly defend Korea from its strongest critics shares some culpability for this tragedy. The Korea that you so ardently defend is the same Korea Sparkling that lets 300 kids drown an icy death on a death-trap of a ship so the crew could be the first to escape to drink 2 dollar soju another day.

The same corrupt government officials that got bribed to approve that death trap ship with a little trip to a room salon for a bj and some knock-off whiskey, are the same bumbling idiots that will now be tasked with improving public safety in Korea. Is it any wonder the captain and crew of the Sewol were the first to scurry off the ship when the cultural norm for Korean government officials is to scurry like cock roaches when there is any possibility of being found accountable or culpable for anything?

Ha, just watch Koreans driving through any intersection during any week day rush hour and you will see why safety in Korea is a lost cause. I personally watched to see if Korean drivers near my office would drive more cautiously after the Sewol sinking and if anything, drivers have become even more aggressive and fool-hardy.

Not to mention that the female students on that ship, if they had survived, would likely have a greater chance of ending up working in Korea’s sex industry than in becoming a manager at a Korean chaebol.

For the other students, had they survived, they would have a greater likelihood of committing suicide than of getting accepted at a Korean SKY university.

Until Korea’s ongoing corruption, embezzlement, fraud, prostitution, etc, becomes less systemic, there is no hope for its future. I predict that within a few weeks, all the calls for reform will be long forgotten as Koreans go back to focusing on the next popular drama or Kpop group or trendy luxury brand. At the latest, as soon as the Korean team starts playing in its first World Cup matches, all this Sewol anguish will have been buried.

There will be no change, and the corruption, embezzlement, fraud, prostitution, cronyism, etc, that defines Korea’s culture will continue unabated.

[3DR]

[Scorpion]

[cj1976]

Although the above critique might just be a tiny bit exaggerated, there is a definite truism to be taken from it - which is Korea is unremittingly corrupt. Not that corruption is unique to Korea by any means, but it is so frequent that people seem to regard it as normal. It's just the way business is done here.

[optik404]

Was there corruption involved with the boat? All I've read is that there were illegal modifications and it may have been over capacity.

[cj1976]