Last night I was driving down the road back home. After taking a right split lane, I came across a zebra line and saw people on the crossing. I stopped and waited until people completed their crossing. The problem was the cars behind me. They honked and high beamed to tell me to move forward. I got a little annoyed because it was obvious that there were pedestrians on the crossing.
It was not a one-off, isolated incidence, unfortunately. I have experienced many times the same or similar things happening at that pedestrian crossing. However, Korean road and traffic law clearly stipulates that all cars must stop and give way to people who are on the pedestrian crossing.
At university I go to the men’s room to attend nature’s call occasionally or to wash my hands, particularly after a lecture. Usually I see a group of students standing by the window and puffing cigarettes. Is smoking allowed in the men’s room at this university? It is not! I see a prohibitive poster of “no smoking” at the front door, and there is a warning notice by the faculty office on the inside of the door in all men’s rooms. Can’t those students see them at all? Of course they can! Then, why don’t they abide by what the signs say?
Living in Korea is fantastic. Almost everything such as food, people, culture, natural environment, etc. enchants me, and above all it is my home country. But with those law-keeping matters that I have mentioned above, I feel troubled and sometimes get annoyed.
One question naturally pops into my mind: “Will they behave in the same way as they do in Korea if they travel to or reside in such foreign countries as the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the countries of the European Union?” I have observed very few cases during my residence over the last 20 years in Australia where Koreans did not comply with the rules and laws there, at least as far as my personal experience was concerned. My colleagues told me that Koreans in other foreign countries including themselves mostly abided by what they were to do, and they did as locals did in those countries. However, after returning to Korea, over time they started acting as other Koreans do here.
What causes those behavioural differences amongst Koreans here and there? I do not think it is due to the difference in the formal rules and laws that apply to citizens and residents in respective countries because those formal institutions in any country are the same, in essence to guide people’s living. I am not implying that all Koreans are not abiding by laws, rules, and regulations here. Most of them are law-abiding good citizens. But when it comes down to such matters as those I have mentioned, I get disturbed.
You may say: “It is a not a big deal. You do as Romans do when in Rome.” But this old saying is inapplicable to the aforementioned concerns because they are undesirable in any sense. On the contrary, you will try to avoid these uneasy, uncomfortable, and life-threatening situations should you put yourselves in the position of those who suffer. Or you may not realise that this is a concern at all as you are already so accustomed to it.
The aforementioned concerns can damage Korea’s image, I believe. One friend of mine who is a high government official from Australia and posted to Seoul told me recently that he always felt a life-threatening moment whenever he walked on pedestrian crossings in Seoul. He said, “I am not the only one who felt that way. There were many people I know from the US or Europe who felt the same way as I did when walking on pedestrian crossings.” He might have exaggerated it a bit, but I do not think he did.
Economic prosperity, splendid sculptures, and high rise buildings alone do not necessarily make Korea an advanced nation with global standards. What matters is people’s mentality. Koreans should realise the importance of those seemingly minor concerns by complying with related rules and laws. Even for some silly and seemingly unacceptable laws, you should not break them but you should comply with them as sincerely as possible while trying to improve the laws and rules.
How can you become law-abiding good citizens? I think it is fairly easy: You put other people’s interests and safety ahead of yours. You need to be a little altruistic and show your courtesy towards your fellow Koreans. It does not require your huge efforts but only changing your mind set and acting accordingly. So, let’s get it started on this campus.
