Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dev]

I think Koreans must be invinsible. Why? Because they seem to sense no danger. Helmetless motorcycle drivers go speeding on the roads. Mothers run down steep subway stairs with babies in thir arms. 6 year old kids speed along uneven sidewalks on in-line skates - no helmets of course. Man, I cringe thinking about what can happen to these people if there's a minor slip-up. I actually worry about them.

Now I am in this smoke-filled PC Bang and I'm thinking "How can non-smokers sit here for hours breathing clouds of second-hand smoke?"

I don't know the answer. It must be in the kimchi.

[okokok]

In my first year, on my walk to work each morning I walked by a windshield replacement shop. The thing was they had no 'shop' really and changed the windshields on the corner of the intersection. There was always a huge pile of broken glass that you had to walk through on the sidewalk and in the crosswalk.
Each day kids would scamper over these shards of glass with their little slippers on and nobody thought anything of it.

Another thing I find dangerous is the use of barbed wire in so many places. I mean where I come from barbed wire is meant to keep cows in, not to impede humans.

[casey's moon]

My number one concern about raising a child in this country....

[Homer]

The answer to these reactions is about where we come from and where we were raised!

We have reactions that locals would not have or would not even consider because to them it is not an issue.

I used to ride my bike down a hill in my hometown, no helmet, no nothing. The goal: go as fast as humanly possible without holding the handle bars....

No one batted an eyelash.

Today, a kid needs a full body armor and a liscence to ride his bike to the corner (yes this is an exageration). People react differently now.

Sometimes this is good (helmets) sometimes it is a bit of the safety nutbar syndrome.

Look at smoking! When I was a kid, my parents smoked in the car and let us sleep on the back seat with no seat belts....today this is no longer in practice. Seat belts and car seats happened over time not overnight.


I am raising my son here and watching my nieces grow. I use a car seat for my son as does my wifes family...sometimes we ride cabs so no car seat...at first I felt horrible for doing so...now I am a bit more rational about it.

I like certain aspects of the way kids are allowed to roam here. I think that this is a good thing. I like that my son is completely safe in the neighborhood and that all the ajumas at the market know him.

My oldest niece (she is 6) runs around like a little devil and has had a few bumps and bruises...thats normal and I see no issue there.

I tend to take it in stride.

[okokok]

[Homer]

[Real Reality]

21 Killed a Day in Traffic Accidents
Bad Driving Habits Cited as Major Cause of High Casualties
"Compared with other OECD member countries, South Korean drivers pay less attention to traffic rules and pedestrians. That means South Korean drivers are less aware that their driving can kill not only themselves, but other people," an RTSA official said.
by Na Jeong-ju, Korea Times (November 12, 2004)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200411/kt2004111215170610160.htm

Car seat requirement in Korea is short-lived
More children in Korea are killed by vehicles -- in traffic accidents or on the street -- than in any other of the 29 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development....
Korea's "high child traffic fatality can be explained with many different reasons, including insufficient protection for children walking on streets near schools or while they are getting into and out of cars," Mr. Hong said.
Experts say that younger children are more likely to be killed in cars than on streets. Data from the Safe Kids Korea said among the 216 children under 4 years old killed in traffic accidents in 2001, 97 percent died in cars. In contrast, more than 60 percent of children above the age of 5 were killed on the streets.
by Kim Soe-jung, JoongAng Daily (August 7, 2006)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200608/06/200608062231105209900090409041.html

After rash of deadly accidents, product safety board is created
Alarmed by the sale of unsafe products, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said yesterday that it has formed a group to monitor the safety of consumer goods. The group will look into a wide range of products, from electric fans to life jackets and children's toys starting next month.
by Kim Joon-sool, JoongAng Daily (July 14, 2006)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200607/13/200607132203362409900090509051.html
(In 2006, finally protecting consumers? How long have unsafe products been produced?)

[Hyalucent]

If I remember correctly, it was only three or four years ago that they made it possible for consumers to sue manufacturers for defective products.

[mindmetoo]

When a subway is about to leave and the doors are closing, the best way to stop the doors from closing is jam your baby stroller (with baby) into the doors...

Because waiting 5 minutes for the next train is unthinkable.

My GF tends to run like a mad chicken for a subway. I'm always "honey, running for public transit is undignified."

It's a mystery to me how Koreans can look out their windows, see their children playing on the sidewalk or even playgrounds, see motorcycles zipping around their children, and not get on the blower to all levels of government.

Is there really some unbreakable social compact that says "getting your ja jjang myun order 5 minutes earlier is worth the lives of our children"?

[Cage Kennylz]

A story on safety.... I went skating at COEX mall in Seoul once... very funny. I rented my skates, all rusted and dull as sh$$. Put them on and entered the ice with my buddies.

Almost immediately we heard whistled blowing and Adjushees yelling "SAFETY! SAFETY!" They pulled us off the ice because we didn't have gloves on. And no, I don�t mean "hockey gloves" I mean those 99 cent thin gloves you buy at the dollar store. They sold them at vending machines before you got on the ice... we went back and all bough them so we could be "SAFE".

All I could think of was of all the times Koreans want to be safe and it's now??? With these gloves that you could cut with a plastic knife?!? We had a good laugh about it for days. Good times.

[ajgeddes]

[Jeju Rocks]

I need to buy a new mop. (If you read a previous post of mine, you will recall how I have had some mops stolen over the years.)
Now, suppose as I am walking home with my brand new mop, I see a scooter speeding towards me on the sidewalk. And suppose the driver's head gets in the way of my mop and the poor bugger gets clothes-lined. Who would be at fault?
I think everyone should go out and buy a new mop, TODAY!

[manlyboy]

I've seen so many near misses here, I've come to the conclusion that it is statistically impossible for so many people to narrowly escape serious injury on such a frequent basis. I'm putting it down to divine intervention. Yep, God must really love Koreans. Best to get in tight with 'em folks. Bullets just whiz around these people.

[Jamin]

The North Americans here must keep in mind that our culture is now obsessed with the notion of "Safety". Much of our energy is spent insuring that the worst case scenerio does not come to pass even if the odds of it our happening are extremely low.
I have two children in Korea. My first concern about my children is thier outlook on life. Because it is this outlook on life that we foster in them that will impact thier professional and social life. I don't want my children to grow up scared and worried about what could happen and what might possibly occur. This is why I try to stay rational when it comes to safety. I think that Koreans, as a whole, share my philisophy. Most children in Korea grow us and survive not using car seats and not wearing bike helmets.
I think that people in NA are not psychologically impacted quite negatively by thier obsession regarding safety.

[RACETRAITOR]

You know what else is horrible? I saw some kids playing tag the other day! What a horrible game! It only singles out the one poor kid who inevitably ends up being "it." Can't we change society so that people will never know pain?