on korea

So I think we western white folk should just give up and accept that we are behind Asia.

The signs are obvious and will become more so. In 1952, the UN declared South Korea to be the poorest country in the world. Today, it is a developed country. It is not just that the country has achieved economically, it has also invested its gains wisely, and in ways that will help it keep growing. its infrastructure is infinitely superior to anything I have seen in the “western world”. It actually makes me rather embarrassed for my comparatively underdeveloped homeland. Korea’s accomplishments are in your face literally from the moment you arrive, and are greeted by efficiency and style. Its new Incheon Airport is routinely cited as one of the world’s best, it is incredibly user friendly and, miraculous, everything works and runs smoothly. Within 30 minutes of getting off the plane, I managed to clear passport control, collect my luggage, clear customs, navigate my way jet lagged through the airport and hop on the train to central Seoul, all with minimal fuss. Less than an hour later, I was in the ultra-modern Seoul Station, where I changed to the equally ultra-modern Seoul Metro and went to my station. The entire process was smooth and cost me less than 5 pounds- a change from my commutes out to Heathrow. Some days later, I found myself back at Seoul station where I took a high speed KTX train to Gyeong Ju in the south of the country. The train went 300 kilometres an hour, arriving at its destination in 2 hours. Again, compared to any European trains (and yes, I am even including French and German), it was a sobering experience. Even the provincial train stations are spectacular. Korea is a country where things work. Meetings run smoothly, supported by technology that is not only advanced, but designed in a user friendly way so that they effortlessly serve their function without fuss, unlike in some European boardrooms, where I have routinely found myself surrounded by technology so complicated no one in the building knows how to use it. Then of course there is the “cool” technology, where again Korea is infinitely ahead of us. On the metro, people get on, sit down, and start watching TV, to which they all have access for free on their mobile phones (which work on the metro, unlike in London). All the houses I visited had ultra-thin massive TVs (60 inches seemed standard). People use their mobile phones to get in and out of the metro. Such technologies are perhaps not strictly necessary, but they are certainly impressive none the less.

When it comes to infrastructure, Koreans have managed to make everything work in such a way as to promote the country’s continual growth and development. Good infrastructure is key to the economic advancement of a country, and in this regard we are falling behind in Europe, and the US remains in the dark ages. But this level of quality requires foresight and investment, which we seem to increasingly lack in the West, and as a result I expect we will see ourselves falling further and further behind.