Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eaglenovan]

Deleted

[CurlyQ]

It drives me friggin' NUTS ! I know of a teacher in a small town who was killed in a crosswalk. My buddy used to carry an umbrella and stones with him every time he left the apartment to " wake up" some offenders. No one seems to slow down at crosswalks here. I was in a near miss situation myself. In a cab today I had to yell at the guy to slow down in the pouring rain. I got that blank stare. Like friggin' drunk teenagers they are.

[Grotto]

The biggest problem with Korean drivers is that the police do not enforce the laws.

I have been hit by cars on 3 seperate occasions, twice on my motorbike and once at a marked crosswalk with a green light on and the walk signal going.

On all three occasions the police were quite surprised that I wanted the driver charged, fined and taken away and beaten!

The police here are useless twits when it comes to traffic laws....we need some of those hardass mounties to come over here and teach them that the law is the law...equally applied to all.

My brother in law in Canada, speeding to get to the hospital to witness the birth of his son got stopped by the RCMP's he explained the situation to the officer, got a police escort to the hospital came out and there was a ticket for 125$ on his windshield from the cop, and a note saying congratulations.

I would be happy if Koreans learned that if you hit a foriegner they will kick the crap out of you.

I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that they drive around in a fog, one eye on their indash TV the other playing video games on their cel phones. Totally oblivious, I am very surprised that the streets are not littered with bodies with the way they drive and the way they walk.

[JacktheCat]

Was crazy at first, but I've gotten used to driving my motorcycle in this cluster *beep* traffic. Just have assume that they will do the most self-centered thing possible and you'll be fine.

The main thing to watch out for with driving in Korea is that in an accident the foreign is automatically the one at fault.

[mindmetoo]

Different attitude about who has the right of way. In the west it's pedestrians -> cyclists -> cars -> trucks. In Korea it's the exact opposite. If you can do the most damage, you have the right of way.

[wylde]

pedestrians and motorcycles have the right of way in korea.. if you hit one, you are automatically at fault..


in australia for example, people trying to merge from another lane or a side street have a helleva time as no drivers will give way to let them enter... people must wait.

in korea, people don't wait, they just merge without looking, it is the responsibility of the driver going in a straight line to give way and make room for the other driver to enter..

so when somebody pulls out in front of you, remember, it is you that must give way.
just remember to reverse your thinking about road courtesy from back home and you should be fine..

that said, i hate korean drivers.. it totally drives me mad being on the road here. but if i start to think like a self centered moron, i can drive well with koreans.


1 thing that i am really getting pist off with... is these people, when stopped at a traffic light, putting the car in neutral and applying the handbrake.. a small thing i know, but, it is starting to drive me insane. it's not actually the fact that they do it, but, why they do it..


they really have no idea when it comes to cars and they do some stupid things in the name of 'saving' but little do they know, for example the handbrake and the gear thing, it is wearing out their car faster.. they are stretching the handbrake cable and causing undue wear on the bands of the auto tranny, not to mention wear in the entire length of the drive train.. ask a korean and he/she will say it saves the gearbox.. back to school for this country...

another thing.. my friend here is a mechanic.. he bought a new car and we went for a spin.. i asked him what size engine the car has.. he didn't have a clue.. not an important thing but my mum knows what size engine she has in her car.. this is a guy responsible for the maintenence of the cars on the road in korea... i really wonder if he knows any more about engines than how to change oil

last little rant... my friends car was starving high in the rev range (losing power) and we took it in to a mechanic.. i told him to replace the fuel filter (common remedy to this problem) and do you think he wanted to? we were there for an hour while he carried out various useless tests, he told us twice the problem was fixed.. we left and 50 meters down the road the problem was still there... after returning for the second time, he replaced the fuel filter, we drove out and problem was solved..

i just can't understand why these people think the way that they do.

i'm not completely anti-korean, hell, my wife is korean.. but i just can't understand why they dont want to look outsdie their tunnel vision..

flame away

[Swiss James]

the totally selfish driving is something I find hard to get to grips with- when I'm in England trying to merge I'm always thinking
"Have they seen me? Are they letting me in? Can I go now?"
Over here it's just a case of signal [optional], turn and if they don't want me to hit them, they'll break.

There's no way I'd ever drive a car in Korea

[waggo]

For the first time in three years I lost it on a taxi driver last week who cut me two times and actually seemed to be trying to make me crash my bike...this lead me no other option than to kick in his passenger door rather seriously before carrying on my meery way....kudos to his driving skills he actually caught me up in heavy traffic and pulled alongside me shouting and proudly displaying my number plate written in biro on his hand...well thats alright then i said to him...you wont mind if I kick in your drivers door then...which I did ...before again carrying on my way

Like I'm going to register my bike

[itaewonguy]

ohhh dont get me started...

jesus.. koreans just cant drive!!! its like giving a bike to a cave man!!
they past there tests in one day. and given full licenses. how many people I have met , seen driving who cant even drive!!! but have a license..

it also cames down to their lack of education.. koreans might look smart on paper.. but they are @#%$@ clueless!!!!..

[captain kirk]

That's right, he who is largest has the right of way. And it's the responsibility, twistedly, of the guy at speed and going straight to watch out for the guy not looking before he speeds off some sideway into the flow.
Ass right in front of you. That's what I try to remember always, expecting the unexpected.
Parking the bike has been dangerous. A new fork from the front wheel being bumped hard to as far as it'll go sideways, ruining the fork assembly. Seatpost snapped off (aluminum alloy). Drivers bump into things parking their cars.

[PECisDplace2B]

I've been driving in Kwangju for a month now in a 1.3 litre avella. It's tough driving a car with so little power. I used to get infuriated with Koreans recklessness on the road, now I just pity them.

Here's a few stupid things I deal with driving in this madhouse city.

1) Cabbies will stop on a dime in the middle traffic that could be going 60km/h or above to pick up a fare. This is so dangerous. When I see cabbies I keep my distance and have my hand on the horn.
2) If someone in this city has a nice imported car, a BMW, VW, Mercedes, Cadillac etc... they act as if they are the king of the road, and everyone treats them as if they are; especially the police. They always get to the front of the line and can merge where they please, run lights. etc..
3) The no 1 stupid thing the Koreans do is pull into moving traffic(usually from parking) at the most inopprotune occasions, causing close calls. And of course if you hit them it's your fault. I don't understand the logic of this because if your going 60-80, you often won't have enough time to avoid a collision.
4) Not putting on Headlights during twilight. This is just dumb and if they think they're saving big at the pump they're wrong; a couple of cents maybe?
In my Hagwon I frequently come across kids who've been banged up pretty bad in collisions. Some have broken bones, concussions, etc... I'm not exaggerating. Some have nasty scars, and long lasting ailments caused while being passengers. Koreans aren't so big on seat belts. Oh well it's only their childrens lives.. big deal?

[chiaa]

They seem to also think that blocking (parking) my door to my store on Saturday at four is no big deal either.

http://www.whatthebook.com

[phaedrus]

[diver]

You should see them drive a boat

[toomuchtime]

Koreans drive like they walk, and walk like they drive.