Never Left Home

Yes, it’s hard to imagine, but there are indeed hyenas in Korea. However, they’re the four-wheeled kind, not the four-legged kind.

In a recent post, we mentioned how efficient the Koreans are. Well, this efficiency extends to their emergency vehicle services. During every heavy traffic period on the main freeway (Hwy 1) running south from Seoul you’ll find tow trucks parked along the shoulder at roughly 1/2 mile intervals, just waiting for the next crash. Some Koreans call these tow trucks hyenas and their drivers can often be seen leaning out their windows, scanning the packed highway, just licking their chops, ready to pounce on their next prey. And sure enough, within minutes of every fender-bender or collision, they’re at the scene, ready to tow the damaged vehicle out of the way. They’re often ready to hook up even before the offending parties have even gotten out of their cars to exchange information. Amazing….and, efficient.

This country continues to amaze us. It’s just so easy living here and most aspects of life are just so darned, well, efficient.

For example, Jay had his first dental appointment here this week. The dentist’s office is in our building so all he had to do was take the elevator down to the lobby and hang a left.

After filling out a very short form the receptionist asked for his national health insurance card. She entered its information in her computer and within five minutes he was in for his exam and cleaning. Naturally, in this high-tech country there was a flat-screen monitor in front of me as I sat in the chair. His dentist, who spoke excellent English, then used this small hand-held wand with a TV camera on the end of it to show him on the monitor, in vivid color detail, what was going on in his mouth. Then the hygienist did her thing, and he was on my way out and ready to pay his bill. The charge: $60. No billing, no calling to verify insurance, no hassle. So simple.

The dentist reports her cases daily to the national health insurance system, who then transfers money directly into her account. By the way, we don’t use checks in Korea. Everything is by electronic transfer. Oh, and for my next cleaning appointment, the dentist will send Jay an automatic text message on his cell phone.

Think about how much more efficient our own system would be with this kind of set-up. Dentists could eliminate at least one or possibly two front office people. There’s no billing since you either pay in cash or with your credit card. There’s no mailing cost, no calls back and forth to insurance companies and dentists are paid practically immediately for services. Makes sense to us.

One of the first trips we took outside Seoul after settling in last summer was a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the border between North and South Korea. It was an experience that helped clarify the reality of the country we are gradually starting to call home and gave us a new perspective, although not in ways you might expect.

First a little background. When the Korean War ended in 1953, the dividing line between North and South Korea was re-established roughly along the 38th parallel. The war never officially ended but rather resulted in a cease-fire with a Military Demarcation Line (MDL) running the 155 mile width of the Korean Peninsula, effectively separating it into the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north. The DMZ is a buffer zone along the border and is about 2.5 miles wide. Of course, it’s not demilitarized at all but instead is the most heavily armed border in the world.

Looking into North Korea across the Line

Inside the conference building on the North Korean side. Out that door: North Korea

So, what were our impressions? Well, definitely this is a serious place. Just getting into the DMZ with its guard posts, fences, fortifications and security tell you this is not Disneyland. And yes, the potential for a military altercation does exist. But there’s a certain level of theatre and posturing that goes on here. The South Korean soldiers with their sunglasses and taikwondo stances, the North Korean soldier peering at us through binoculars from the steps of their building, the cameras, all are designed to convey non-verbal messages of defiance. The very fact that regular visits to the DMZ are scheduled is meant to send a message to those on the north side of the line. There are no such tours for North Korean residents to gaze southward. But, did we get the impression that a renewal of hostilities between the two sides is imminent or at least, inevitable. No.

Finally, the natural question is if and when will the two Koreas reunite? When will the North finally give up its self-imposed isolation and poverty to join its prosperous brothers in the South? That’s a much tougher question to answer because, in a sense, both sides need each other to maintain the status quo. The North Korean leadership and its huge military need to maintain the fiction that the South and the US are ready to invade them at any time in order to keep themselves in power. The South may want reunification from an emotional and historical standpoint, but not on a practical economic level. South Koreans have worked very hard to achieve their material wealth and their place in the world and are not excited about taking on a massive charity case should the North’s system collapse. So, every year the South sends humanitarian aid and assistance northward and officials exchange visits. But, for the foreseeable future, the two sides need everything to stay pretty much the way it is.

Just in case you thought all our days in Korea are spent touring temples, eating kimchi and drinking green tea, we wanted to introduce you to a weekend shopping experience we thought you could all relate to.

The other morning I woke up with an urge to, once again, enjoy the taste of Belgian beer. In my half-asleep status I anticipated driving over to John’s Market in Multnomah to pick up a case of one of my favorites, Leffe. Within the next 15 seconds, as the clouds of sleep dissipated from my brain, I quickly remembered that 1) I’m not in Portland, 2) I don’t have a car and 3) I’m not sure where I can get some of that Belgian nectar of the gods. Being the resourceful Samsung man I am, once at my office I called a Belgian colleague who works for another Samsung division to ask where he gets his brew from home. While confessing that he now is into Beck’s Dark, he suggested that old standby, Costco. So, on Sunday morning off we went to that temple of warehouse merchandising to once again surround ourselves with packages of Kirkland this and Kirkland that, ultimately finding success in my quest for Belgian beer but not finding the pesto Tanya was looking for. Oh well.

Costco stores in Korea are practically identical to those in the US, with a couple of notable exceptions. First, they are multilevel. Grocery items are on the basement level, all other merchandise is on the ground level and the upper three levels are for parking. It’s very efficient, actually, with the floors accessed by escalator. Shopping carts have grooved wheels that correspond to the escalator grates so carts don’t go crashing into the other shoppers in front of, or behind you.

The other difference, of course, is the selection of items. The marketing geniuses at Costco seemed to have figured out just the right mix of domestic and imported products to satisfy Korean shoppers. You can find Budweiser beer, Tillamook cheese, and Atlantic salmon, as well as bargain quantities and prices on Korean goods. Of course, you can also get the industrial sized packages of toilet paper, cleaning products and other items that Costco is famous for. Oh, you might wonder how we get our treasures home, with no car. Easy. We take a 15 minute bus ride, then a short 10 minute walk to Costco, use our “Costco Bags” (see the one Tanya is holding above) and then take a taxi home. Voila! It’s actually easier than when we shopped at the Tigard Costco, loaded stuff into the car and then had to haul everything up the stairs from our garage.

Here are photos of today’s shopping excursion for your enjoyment: