NOT ENOUGH RESPECT FOR THE LAW
It’s only natural that most South Koreans want their country to be one of the world’s advanced nations. For years they’ve been comparing themselves to the U.S. and Japan, fantasizing about catching-up someday. How many Koreans today do not secretly wish that it were the“G-8” instead of the “G-7”? Actually, Korea has made a lot of progress towards reaching that goal over the past 10 or 15 years, and in 1995 per capita income in Korea reached the $10,000 mark. Already Korea is one of the world’s richest countries, as it has the 12th largest economy in the world in terms of trade and it is the world’s 6th largest manufacturer and exporter of automobiles. So when is Korea going to be” advanced”? How much per capita income is needed?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Being an advanced nation involves more than just economics or per capita income. People in advanced countries have a respect for the law which doesn’t exist in Korea today. Corruption and a general lack of respect for the law is partly what make Korea still seem like a developing country.
Almost daily, some Korean newspaper prints a column about the general lack of discipline among the people. The lack of order on Korean roads is very revealing of the way Koreans think about laws. Drivers habitually ignore speed limits, drive through red lights, and turn left when signs prohibit left turns. They show almost no respect for traffic laws. Koreans usually do not realize how disorderly their own society is until they take a trip to a country where there is much more order. They are shocked to see how disciplined the people are. In the U.S. and Europe, for example, ordinary citizens usually call the police when they se laws are being broken. Respect for the law is so strong that people cannot bear to see the others breaking the law and “getting away with it”. Koreans could probably never imagine something like that happening here. But things could change, since more and more Koreans are now expressing their anger over the lack of order in the society and demand something to be done. During his presidential campaign, President Kim Young Sam promised to make it a priority to end the corruption and disorder in Korean society, and since becoming President he has tried to install a sense of law and order in the people. Changes cannot occur overnight, but it is a step in the right direction.