This article is wildly off-base and totally misrepresents South Korea, both factually and in tone. There are many ways that South Korea is a great country but this article misses the mark. Source: I've been married to a South Korean for 10 years.
> South Korea was able to make these achievements without a citywide nor a nationwide lockdown.
A large part of the country is literally in Level 4 lockdowns now (no gatherings >5, beaches closed, pubs closed, daycares closed, etc). [1]
South Korea has mandatory military service for all men. They're required be in the military for nearly two years. [2]
Korean society is high patriarchal. Domestic violence is persistent. Families are not complete until they have a son. Multiple daughters are considered a burden. Gender roles are consistently enforced.
Sex crimes are a major issue [3]. Nearly every woman has been assaulted in a serious and unusual way (men outside windows, breaking into their apartment, flashing, etc). By law cellphone manufacturers have to program their phones to produce a shutter sound when a photo is taken. This was an attempt to curb upskirt and other voyeur photos. Female-only train cars are common due to rampant groping on public transit.
People absolutely do not trust their government. In 2016 the president was impeached in one of the most bizarre political scandals of the last decade. [4] There was a dizzying array of conspiracy theories involving the ferry boat that killed 294 people (mostly highschool students) [5].
The country's economy is dominated by a small group of super-corporations (chaebols) like Samsung. A massive percentage of the population is employed with just a few firms and nearly all products are produced by them. The amount of influence these groups have is something out of dystopian sci-fi. [6]
South Koreans frequently believe in superstitions, fortune tellers, urban legends, etc., and generally struggle with critical thinking or questioning established ideas.
> Thus, drivers are employees of a bigger company who manages every other part of the economic relationship.
That's totally incorrect. The vast majority of taxi drivers are also independent contractors. They lease the vehicle+medallion from a taxi corporation.
> South Korea was able to make these achievements without a citywide nor a nationwide lockdown.
A large part of the country is literally in Level 4 lockdowns now (no gatherings >5, beaches closed, pubs closed, daycares closed, etc). [1]
South Korea has mandatory military service for all men. They're required be in the military for nearly two years. [2]
Korean society is high patriarchal. Domestic violence is persistent. Families are not complete until they have a son. Multiple daughters are considered a burden. Gender roles are consistently enforced.
Sex crimes are a major issue [3]. Nearly every woman has been assaulted in a serious and unusual way (men outside windows, breaking into their apartment, flashing, etc). By law cellphone manufacturers have to program their phones to produce a shutter sound when a photo is taken. This was an attempt to curb upskirt and other voyeur photos. Female-only train cars are common due to rampant groping on public transit.
People absolutely do not trust their government. In 2016 the president was impeached in one of the most bizarre political scandals of the last decade. [4] There was a dizzying array of conspiracy theories involving the ferry boat that killed 294 people (mostly highschool students) [5].
The country's economy is dominated by a small group of super-corporations (chaebols) like Samsung. A massive percentage of the population is employed with just a few firms and nearly all products are produced by them. The amount of influence these groups have is something out of dystopian sci-fi. [6]
South Koreans frequently believe in superstitions, fortune tellers, urban legends, etc., and generally struggle with critical thinking or questioning established ideas.
[1] https://www.garda.com/crisis24/news-alerts/505386/south-kore...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_South_Korea
[3] https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/16/my-life-not-your-porn/...
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_South_Korean_political_sc...
[5] https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2014/0723/Why-S...
[6] https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/03/24/chaebol-reforms-are...