Korea 2013, long way to go

By Kim Ji-soo

“You have free wi-fi here everywhere,” a first-time visitor from Hong Kong whom I recently met on a business occasion commented with enthusiasm. Her expressive comment reminded me of how hard it was for me to access free wi-fi on a recent visit to Japan. And I relished how mobile life was so easy and comfortable for those living in Korea. This aspect of life in Korea should no doubt be feted and championed.

It has turned Korea into a dynamic society and also Korean products into sleek and sophisticated products that global consumers want to have. Along with that, Korean cultural content conveyed via the conduits of information technology are red-hot (remember Psy?) elsewhere in the world. If ardent people power democratized Korea in the 20th century, the prospect that the ubiquitous information technology Koreans enjoy may democratize the quality of life hangs tantalizingly over our heads.

Korea 2013 is a sleek new place. It’s different from the country I used to love (okay in the late 1980s and 1990s) because of the raw and fresh energy of its citizens from morning to evening, the camaraderie formed over sizzling pork and soju during the night and the remnants of the night seeping out of its sewers the next morning. Back then, the highest apartment building was probably around 12 floors; now apartments shoot to over 50 floors. One had to rub one’s eyes to find anyone who earned 100 million won or more a year. These days? Not a problem. No problemo.

But the fresh energy is replaced by low growth, an estimated 2.8 percent laggard economic growth is forecast for the year. Look carefully on the subways or the bus, and you may well see men in their late 50s and 60s, wearing a copied version of the expensive and popular mountain wear pants and walking leisurely with a lost look in their eyes. They may well be searching for work or an engagement to pass the time. The raw passion that Koreans are well known for has been replaced by anger and hate. Just yesterday morning, I was in a cab whose driver was slow to turn off the red “vacant” sign and passed by a middle-aged man who looked like he was late for work. Suddenly he yells at the top of his lungs, “Ya” or a nasty “yo” thinking that the cab driver dismissed him. One has to wonder if the misunderstanding warranted such outburst.

Seoul is no longer necessarily a dynamic city with its rapidly ageing society. According to a United Nations’ population survey, Korea became an ageing society, where 7 percent of its population was 65-years or older, in 2000, and the figure is expected to reach 14 percent by 2017 and 20 percent in 2026. The long-held filial piety for the elderly hardly exists. According to news reports, arguments occur frequently between the older and the younger generations on subways because of seats reserved for the elderly, the sick and pregnant ladies. It’s a reflection of the young generation’s sentiment, to whose ears the concept of filial piety sounds like a line from the Stone Age. Because the young tend to monopolize cultural venues in the city, the elderly seek cultural and entertainment experiences at cafes targeting the “silver generation.” These venues have largely a positive side as they offer discounts on prices and create a comfortable ambience but, at the same time, they show the divide between the age groups in our society.

Sadly, the growing affluence and connectedness of Korea are deepening the divide in our society, as is happening in other societies of the world. President Park Geun-hye seems set on increasing the divide with her plans to expand the coverage of national pension and medical insurance.