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Never Felt SaferApr 16 '06 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Seoul, South Korea is a very safe place to visit. I feel safer here than I did in the States. I was wandering around Dondaemoon Market when I realized I was just a bit lost. It was around 11:30 on a Tuesday night. I had gone out shopping on a lark and before I left, my husband had handed me approximately $100 in won to add to the won already in my pocket. In addition to that I had over $200 in American dollars in my wallet that I have never remembered to take out and 2 credit cards, one of which will work in Korea. I could see the towers of the big malls in the distance, but because most streets in Korea don’t go in a straight line getting there wasn’t a matter of finding the right road and following it. My efforts to get unlost got me further lost in the wholesale area. Dongdaemoon is hopping from 7am to 4am the next day 24/7. There are always people around. Unless you happen to be in the wholesale area. Wholesale is where buyers come from around the world to find sources for your local Target-like emporium. Buyers work banker’s hours. Nobody hangs around until 11:30 any night. I spotted an alley that looked like it would get me back to where I wanted to be. This particular alley was pretty narrow and lined with kimbap places (Korean diners). They were all closed and their trash was neatly piled against the wall. It was a pretty long alley that curved so I couldn’t really see the road I was headed for. In the US I would have been too scared to use that alley at the time of night (or any other time.) In Korea, I felt perfectly safe the entire time. With one exception, I have felt safe every where I have gone in Seoul. What makes me feel so safe in this strange country where I only speak a few words of the language, most of them not helpful? (I could call the would-be robber a "monkey." Hey, I teach children. "Monkey" is an important word around here.) The people are so incredibly nice. I’m sure there are scumbags around, but they don’t tend toward mugging or raping. Most of the stories I have heard (and I have only heard 2nd and 3rd hand stories) involve a guy being beaten up in bars by gangs of Korean men who are angry because the guy is getting too cozy with a Korean girl. I did hear a story from a guy who claimed he’d been beaten for being an American, but I think he got beaten up because he’s annoying. And all of these fights happened late and in bars. Every time I have asked for assistance here I have been given it even if it required the person I asked to find someone who spoke English. I am certain that if something untoward happened and I called for help, half a dozen people would respond. Among those who responded would very likely be a police officer. Beat cops are a very common sight in Seoul, generally in 2s or 3s, especially in tourist areas. Police stations are also common. No matter where you are, you are never more than a few minutes away from a cop. And by the way, the emergency number in Seoul is 119. There’s also very little theft here. So little that merchants often leave merchandise on the street covered with a trap overnight. I have seen booths unattended on busy days because the person running it needed to step away. Usually someone is keeping an eye on things from another booth, but they aren’t looking for shoplifters. That said, here are a few things to watch out for. Itaewon is situated right outside the Yongsan Army Base. It sprouted up to fulfill the "needs" of off duty service persons and therefore is packed with bars, restaurants and hookers. Drunken Koreans are not as big a problem as drunken GIs. Itaewon is a great place to visit during the day if you are looking for Mediterranean or Thai food. It’s also the largest concentration of souvenir type stuff. However, after dark you will want to watch out for roving gangs of drunken Americans. Fortunately, this hasn’t been a huge problem lately as the entire armed services in Asia is grounded and has to be on base by midnight. Also, in addition to the police in Itaewon, the military has a courtesy patrol, which is recognized by their fatigues. (This, by the way, is my exception.) Keep to well lit, crowded areas. I don’t do it, but it’s still good advice. "Hajima" means "don’t." "Ahnya" means "no." Sorry, I don’t know help. If I need the Korean word for help, it probably wouldn’t come to me because I’d be too busy screaming my head off. That would gather a crowd. Don’t flash around a lot of money because you don’t want to encourage temptation. This is actually rather difficult because the largest Korean bill is equivalent to $10. If you have much cash on you at all, it becomes a wad very quickly. Don’t talk about how great Japan is. Korea didn’t manage to kick Japan out completely until the 50’s and there’re still some very hard feelings. If you want to know how hard the feelings are, visit Seodaemoon Prison and take a gander at some of the graffiti. Don’t be the first person to cross the street when the walk sign comes on. Korean drivers take lights as suggestions. I have seen buses roar through crosswalks well after the light has changed. If there is no one else waiting at the light with you, look both ways carefully. Beware of motorcycles on the sidewalk. I’m not kidding. Motorcycles are apparently legal on the sidewalk in Korea. All the cyclists I have observed are very aware of everyone on the sidewalk so it’s not like you have to jump aside if you hear a motor coming up behind you, but you should also not make any sudden shifts to the right or left without looking. Korea is an exceptionally safe place to visit. I worried before I came here about living in a big city, but I feel safer here than I ever did in the medium sized Ohio city I left. There I had safe havens mapped out on my usual route home, here it’s all a safe haven.  |
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by artemis8
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