Seoul Searching

Battling to keep my eyes open after a sleepless 14-hour flight from New York and a further hour’s drive on the Gyeongin freeway connecting Incheon to Seoul, I arrived at the Sofitel in the land of the Morning Calm in dire need of nothing more than some sleep. Drab taxis and cars jostled for space on the highways as pedestrians were all bundled up to brace the chilly air. Seoul is quite a large city, almost a quarter of Korea’s population lives in the capital, which spills far over the ring of hills. To be honest, Seoul is not a pretty city. There’s nothing special that sets it apart, but yet, it is beautiful in a warped sort of way. For me at least, just the feeling of being in Asia once again – with its cuisines, odors and people made it exhilarating right from the start.

The Han River divides Seoul in two, with the 640-year old Northern part of Kangbuk on one side and the 40-year old modern section of Kangnam on the Southern side. When Seoul residents speak of the North-South divide, there’s a serious chance they aren’t referring to the conflict between North and South Korea but rather, to the economic disparity between the older and less developed North and the affluent Southern part of the city. Quite a few streets and areas in Kangbuk evoked memories of Chennai in my mind. It’s pretty obvious when strolling around this part of the city that it was quite poor at one point, and all the economic development was somehow superimposed. Perhaps we can expect Chennai or Bangalore to look something similar in a decade or two. Kangnam on the other hand, is rather void of any culture. The upscale area of Apoo-jong in Southern Seoul, for example, is filled with glitzy apartment buildings and shopping malls, chic restaurants and plenty of BMWs – a sight that made me feel as though I was in Dubai.

The Koreans are among the most polite and helpful people you’ll ever meet. All this despite the fact that almost no one in Seoul speaks English. Unlike many other countries where the people appreciate a tourist’s accomplishment with their language as opposed with mere effort, you can get a long way in Korea with a few well-rehearsed phrases in Korean. Hence, an Annyeong-Haseyo will probably do you more good than a simple Good Morning! Korean has a lot of Chinese sounding words in it and they also make it a point to bow when greeting you like the Japanese. Whilst the Japanese are known for their perpendicular bows, the Koreans prefer a less painful 45-degree bow to show courtesy.

Having ushered in turbulent economic prosperity without much ado, South Koreans are conscious of the fact that they are held out as an example to the developing nations. It is interesting to note that until the early-sixties, India and South Korea were sailing on the same boat and some might argue that India even showed a lot more potential. The South Korean trajectory from then on, however, has been unmatched. A similar anecdote can be used for the Pakistanis. South Korea and Pakistan became independent around the same time, and it was supposedly the Pakistanis who helped the South Koreans present their very first budget according to a Pakistani gentleman I happened to meet who has been settled in Seoul for many years. In the late 40’s, the Korean and Pakistani budget allocations were allegedly quite similar. Cut to today and the Koreans are eons ahead.

The American influence on South Korea is unmistakable. American companies have made huge inroads into the market. You tend to realise how strong the effect of marketing is when you pick up a bottle of dark liquid with a red and white wrapper and Korean lettering and instantly know it’s a Coca-Cola. Same goes for all the other American products on sale here. In Korea, restaurants such as McDonald’s or Pizza Hut that are considered value for money fast food joints by most and junk food joints by many, are accorded a greater respect by the Korean populace. Hence, a TGI Friday’s in Korea would be considered somewhat posh and sophisticated, drawing large numbers of fashionable Korean youngsters. The expatriate population too, albeit small, has heavy American representation although mostly due to the US troops placed in Korea to ward off any potential invasion threat from the North Koreans.

The fear of invasion is quite palpable in South Korea, as a visit to the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, will teach you. Despite quelling the fighting after the excesses of the Korean War in 1950-1953 that saw wanton bloodshed and the separation of 10 million families, the North Koreans have surreptitiously dug tunnels penetrating South Korea perilously close to Seoul. Although only four tunnels have been discovered so far, the last one being found as late as 1990, it is rumored that there are several others that haven’t surfaced as yet. Today more than over, the people of both countries are yearning for unification and the cultural exchanges between both countries are going full swing. Almost everyone I spoke to in Seoul, from cab drivers and waiters to professors and executives, all see benefit in unification. After all, one out of every four people in South Korea has relatives in the North.