Comments on: For Once, Seoul City Is Right http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/ Korea... in Blog Format Sat, 5 Jul 2008 03:55:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: The Marmot’s Hole » Good News For Park Lovers? — Maybe http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-78909 The Marmot’s Hole » Good News For Park Lovers? — Maybe Fri, 20 Apr 2007 04:08:15 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-78909 [...] this entry is not dedicated to anyone named “Park” but rather to those who were alarmed by the idea of developing the Yongsan area, i.e., underground mall, etc.  The National Assembly has voted to turn control of this area [...] [...] this entry is not dedicated to anyone named “Park” but rather to those who were alarmed by the idea of developing the Yongsan area, i.e., underground mall, etc.  The National Assembly has voted to turn control of this area [...]

]]> By: dinkus maximus http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-65015 dinkus maximus Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:06:54 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-65015 Korea really has to look next door and see what China is doing with rapid city planning and development. Cities like Shenzhen, Qingdao, and Xiamen blow Korea away. The Korean goverment needs to get tough, the people need to demand progress, and the chaebols need to stop building those ugly lego-land apartment complexes. There are 80,000 plus Koreans in Qingdao, and new Korean schools being built. Ask them why they are there, and look at the apartments they live in that are 1/6 the price and 6 times as nice. Korea really has to look next door and see what China is doing with rapid city planning and development. Cities like Shenzhen, Qingdao, and Xiamen blow Korea away. The Korean goverment needs to get tough, the people need to demand progress, and the chaebols need to stop building those ugly lego-land apartment complexes. There are 80,000 plus Koreans in Qingdao, and new Korean schools being built. Ask them why they are there, and look at the apartments they live in that are 1/6 the price and 6 times as nice.

]]> By: The Marmot’s Hole » It’s Time for Some Honest Seoul-searching http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-64840 The Marmot’s Hole » It’s Time for Some Honest Seoul-searching Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:53:37 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-64840 [...] As per an earlier rant on the real problems that affect Seoul, (no Yongsan Park?!) it seems that a formal survey now confirms that Seoul residents scored the lowest “in a happiness index, the lowest among 10 cities, including New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Tokyo, Beijing and Stockholm.” Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...] [...] As per an earlier rant on the real problems that affect Seoul, (no Yongsan Park?!) it seems that a formal survey now confirms that Seoul residents scored the lowest “in a happiness index, the lowest among 10 cities, including New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Tokyo, Beijing and Stockholm.” Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]

]]> By: R. Elgin http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61036 R. Elgin Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:55:17 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61036 If more draconian laws were enforced regarding trash, shops whose business illegally occupies the sidewalks, excessive signage and illegal advertising (banners, stickers, sidewalk trash, etc.), then Seoul would begin to look like a good place to live, where people have pride in their city and society. The failure on the part of successive administrations to regulate such has had a degrading effect upon the subconscious of Koreans and many people who live in Seoul, robbing them of any real collective pride or sense of well-being. As it is, it seems I have come nine thousand miles to lend a hand to help keep trash from around my apartment building -- trash from excessive advertising, which should be banned. Though my neighbors appreciate my efforts, why does the government not take pride in their country and get serious with making it a better place to live?  Is there really a sense of pride, on the part of Koreans, other than the false pride of yelling "Dokdo is ours" and sacking anyone that questions such noise? Some political agitators love to disparage the Japanese but what can be more pleasant than going for an evening bike ride, in western parts of Tokyo, where there are places for bikes and open greenspace combined with sidewalks? It is very difficult to criticize something that works well when one has little of equal merit. To Roh and his cronies -- give the people their park! If more draconian laws were enforced regarding trash, shops whose business illegally occupies the sidewalks, excessive signage and illegal advertising (banners, stickers, sidewalk trash, etc.), then Seoul would begin to look like a good place to live, where people have pride in their city and society. The failure on the part of successive administrations to regulate such has had a degrading effect upon the subconscious of Koreans and many people who live in Seoul, robbing them of any real collective pride or sense of well-being.
As it is, it seems I have come nine thousand miles to lend a hand to help keep trash from around my apartment building — trash from excessive advertising, which should be banned. Though my neighbors appreciate my efforts, why does the government not take pride in their country and get serious with making it a better place to live?  Is there really a sense of pride, on the part of Koreans, other than the false pride of yelling “Dokdo is ours” and sacking anyone that questions such noise?

Some political agitators love to disparage the Japanese but what can be more pleasant than going for an evening bike ride, in western parts of Tokyo, where there are places for bikes and open greenspace combined with sidewalks? It is very difficult to criticize something that works well when one has little of equal merit.

To Roh and his cronies — give the people their park!

]]> By: slim http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61031 slim Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:34:53 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61031 I lived in Tokyo for 6 years and find it superior as a place to live and enjoy life, but not really visually pleasing because of the endless sprawl, wires and neon. Beijing, where I lived for 4 years, is adopting a lot of the uglifying practices of Seoul -- and then there's the tiling of buildings. Perhaps it's the fengshui alignment and the mountains that contribute to Seoul's better figure in my eyes. Still, European cities -- maybe even including Belgrade -- are in a different league, thanks to their inheritance of 17-19th century architecture. I lived in Tokyo for 6 years and find it superior as a place to live and enjoy life, but not really visually pleasing because of the endless sprawl, wires and neon. Beijing, where I lived for 4 years, is adopting a lot of the uglifying practices of Seoul — and then there’s the tiling of buildings.

Perhaps it’s the fengshui alignment and the mountains that contribute to Seoul’s better figure in my eyes.

Still, European cities — maybe even including Belgrade — are in a different league, thanks to their inheritance of 17-19th century architecture.

]]> By: michael http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61023 michael Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:16:59 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61023 Well, OK. I just meant, why shouldn't Seoul be compared to all capitals since Korea aspires to be an "advanced nation"? I wish Koreans would learn from the mistakes of the West and focus on a livable environment instead of profit--guess that's just human nature though. Well, OK. I just meant, why shouldn’t Seoul be compared to all capitals since Korea aspires to be an “advanced nation”? I wish Koreans would learn from the mistakes of the West and focus on a livable environment instead of profit–guess that’s just human nature though.

]]> By: Sonagi http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61017 Sonagi Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:44:55 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61017 Slim and Michael, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I wouldn't say that Slim has "lowered the bar" by comparing Seoul, the capital of a non-European country, with the capitals of other non-European countries. I do agree with you, Michael, that certainly Tokyo and arguably Beijing outshine Seoul. Tokyo streets are tidier, and scattered around the city are numerous lovely gardens. Beijing's air is dirtier and there is more "unsightly" poverty, but there are no neighborhoods in Seoul that can really compare with the hutongs, although they are under threat from developers. An ethnic Korean Chinese colleague commented to me on her return from a maiden voyage to Seoul, "In twenty years, Qingdao will look better than Seoul." This economic refugee from the roughneck bordertown of Tumen was not impressed. Slim and Michael,

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I wouldn’t say that Slim has “lowered the bar” by comparing Seoul, the capital of a non-European country, with the capitals of other non-European countries. I do agree with you, Michael, that certainly Tokyo and arguably Beijing outshine Seoul. Tokyo streets are tidier, and scattered around the city are numerous lovely gardens. Beijing’s air is dirtier and there is more “unsightly” poverty, but there are no neighborhoods in Seoul that can really compare with the hutongs, although they are under threat from developers.

An ethnic Korean Chinese colleague commented to me on her return from a maiden voyage to Seoul, “In twenty years, Qingdao will look better than Seoul.” This economic refugee from the roughneck bordertown of Tumen was not impressed.

]]> By: michael http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61015 michael Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:36:18 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61015 Apartments in Korea...I think it takes a chaebol that knows how to squeeze money out of a gullible populace to put up the ghetto fabulous tombstones. I realize Korea is a small country but they've seriously overbuilt Seoul--there's a half-dozen new, mostly vacant buildings just in my hood. It's all going on speculation now, Korea's dutch tulip moment. Apartments in Korea…I think it takes a chaebol that knows how to squeeze money out of a gullible populace to put up the ghetto fabulous tombstones. I realize Korea is a small country but they’ve seriously overbuilt Seoul–there’s a half-dozen new, mostly vacant buildings just in my hood. It’s all going on speculation now, Korea’s dutch tulip moment.

]]> By: R. Elgin http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61013 R. Elgin Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:22:43 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61013 If one central architect were given ultimate control of Seoul for forty years (like in Berlin), we might see some unique and wonderful architecture but such a thing can not happen in this place, thus Koreans are cursed with looking to the past for Korean culture and its purity of expression since there is very little of any stylistic merit to look at in this day and age. Perhaps the Korean spirit is best exemplified by the tombstone-style apartment building (?) Maybe not but it requires vision and dedication and not bureaucratic regularity to create and sustain a better culture. If one central architect were given ultimate control of Seoul for forty years (like in Berlin), we might see some unique and wonderful architecture but such a thing can not happen in this place, thus Koreans are cursed with looking to the past for Korean culture and its purity of expression since there is very little of any stylistic merit to look at in this day and age.

Perhaps the Korean spirit is best exemplified by the tombstone-style apartment building (?) Maybe not but it requires vision and dedication and not bureaucratic regularity to create and sustain a better culture.

]]> By: Kunsanpcv http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61012 Kunsanpcv Tue, 02 Jan 2007 23:17:49 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/31/for-once-seoul-city-is-right/#comment-61012 Brendan has hit the nail on the head and I doubt that it will matter who is running the government when the deal goes down. ALL South Korean politicians are on the take to a greater or lesser degree, they have to be to pay off their own parliamentary 'supporters.' or those folks defect to someone who will pay them off. Real estate speculation is THE financial gold mine of the Korean economy and folks have been jockeying for position on Yongsan for decades. Seoulites will be lucky if they get a miniature golf course out of all that land. Brendan has hit the nail on the head and I doubt that it will matter who is running the government when the deal goes down. ALL South Korean politicians are on the take to a greater or lesser degree, they have to be to pay off their own parliamentary ’supporters.’ or those folks defect to someone who will pay them off. Real estate speculation is THE financial gold mine of the Korean economy and folks have been jockeying for position on Yongsan for decades. Seoulites will be lucky if they get a miniature golf course out of all that land.

]]>