South Korea: Seoul vs. The Seoul-less

One of the World's Greatest Development Successes Still Faces a Stark Regionalism (and NO, not the one you are thinking of!)

City of Seoul from the Mountains

Traveling halfway across the world for a 2 hour wedding was well worth the interruption to my fall semester of college in 2017. My time in Seoul introduced me to Korea, the developed East, and really all of Asia; its innovation and promise, resilient traditionalism, convenience and cleanliness. I found much a similar vibe eight years later, but it was my time in the country's second city, Busan, which further cemented my understanding of the county and, in particular, its capital obsession.

Differences between Korea and its on-and-off again colonizer to the northeast are readily apparent. Vehicles are larger, despite lower ownership. Children, in presence and statistics, are a smaller priority, despite a recent (tiny) uptick in the birth rate. But its overall focus on youth has become much louder, as K-Dramas and K-Pop surpass similar Japanese media in local and global presence. One of its common themes, especially if you pay attention to Squid Game, is economic inequity. The country's swift rise from poor colony to wealth rivaling, if not slightly exceeding, Japan, has resulted in developing world poverty alongside untold wealth. So while Japanese youth may resent their stagnant living standards, it is still a quality of life which is both familiar and more equitable across the population centers, a contrast to Koreans watching rising standards matriculate swiftly to certain populations while being wholly out of reach for those who would benefit from them the most. This is not exactly reflected in the country's GINI coefficient, but I soon found how mute this metric was on my trip (more on that in Thailand).

Perhaps a reflection of its entertainment culture, the look of an average Korean is a lot less standard than Japan, with body sizes more diverse and differentiating. Unfortunately this is another instigator of inequality, with the country notorious for its obsession with unrealistic beauty standards. In terms of Japan's Convenience Culture, Korea still offers much of it, albeit less widespread and more selective, a la inequality.

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Much of my initial analysis relies on differentiating Japan from Korea, but the greatest differences may have been in Korea itself, between its capital and everything else. in When half of the population lies in the capital city's metropolitan area, you can bet that Seoul's trends tend to define the nation, while its more negative fundamentals tend to be amplified outside of it (call it Korea's Rust Belt).

Serving as the makeshift capital during the Korean War and its south easternmost tip, Busan's history details frequent invasion and exploitation by foreign powers. True to form, the city hosts UN Memorials and a Japanese Occupation Museum whose searing - and powerful - indictments on the Land of the Rising Sun rivals Baltic resentment towards Russia.

Busan: Spread out...well, by Korean Standards

In Busan, the dirtier parts were dirtier, the poorer parts poorer (likely a reflection in the rise of tourism and decline in port economics), and the angry people angrier. In regards to the latter, this is a known Korean cultural feature, but I was still startled by the degree of people who would just start yelling at each other over who knows what. Still, Busan's beaches and tourist amenities were grandeur, even if its traditional urban core bore the brunt of the region's economic transition via trash, abandoned lots, and an overall abundance of once-needed-but-no-longer infrastructure.

The US obviously had a large role to play in the whole country's revitalization writ-large but the specific population spread in Busan (8 million in the metropolitan compared to Seoul's 25 million) make its semi-suburban sprawl feel almost North American. Light rail is sporadic and even the busses leave much to be desired, a reflection of infrastructural disinterest outside of the capital, and certain to be more irksome in the rural quarters and old villages. As frustratingly neglected as the city felt, I made peace with it when walking along its many archipelagos. The views of the metropolitan area were beautiful and highlighted the potential for growth in the tourist sector domestically and internationally, even if further inequality could come hand-in-hand.

Beaches of Busan: In the era of anti-globalization, the region again must look for a replacement to its port-city identity

It only takes about four hours on bus to arrive at the nation's capital. Seoul is incredibly close to the North Korean border and, therefore, a country it is still technically at war with. Yet the North Conundrum, other than spurring occasionally diplomatic clashes, remains largely an afterthought. The city is much cleaner and younger, with youthful Gangnam and Hongdae boasting a vibrant international nightlife that is (mildly) less drunkard than Japan. Convenience culture is certainly wider spread, and although its transit and walk-ability cannot live up to Japanese Engineering excellence, it balances car needs better than many European counterparts. Some of its newest attraction include a redesigned river trail, an absolutely gorgeous space to relax. Even since I visited eight years ago, the city has further evolved, grown, and modernized.

Yeouido: Seoul's Manhattan and Site of National Legislature

Of course, there was also an intensity inherent to any large city, extra agitated by upcoming emergency presidential elections, announced after the last president was pushed out over an attempted coup (more on that). There were a lot of signage and campaign events, despite common knowledge that the last election's runner up, and candidate of the left, Lee Jae Myung, would win. A day after I left, he did. That didn't mean I wasn't nervous for the country and its institutions -the amount of right wing protests on the floor, with Trump style hats and 'stop the steal' banners, felt too familiar.

Sure, Korea, much like Japan, see its more organized protests overwhelmingly funded, supported, and attended by older and angrier retirees rather than their youthful, energetic protesters in the West (in East Asia's insanely rigorous work culture, its college-aged youth are too busy enjoying themselves to be out marching). And the election occurred largely problem-free. Still, I cannot help but worry about the deteriorating partisanship in the country and its resemblance to my own. While the right indignantly claims victimhood, the left pursues vengeance with an equal indignity and superiority that makes me fearful for prolonged national unity. And the track record of Korean Presidents since independence should not give much hope in strong leadership to man the ship (see graphic below) At least on an international stage thus far, Lee has tempered these concerns, but the domestic scene still remains questionable.

Status Update on SK's Presidents: It's not great

All in all, Seoul boasts a connected-ness akin to any of the Japanese cities I visited. But it is again that differentiator that I find most startling: Tokyo is Tokyo, but its city culture, development, and standards seem similar across major metropolitan areas. Of course, I don't dismiss historical differences in rural Japan or its islands. But Busan is Korea's second city and still worlds away from Seoul. This mantra of capital vs. everything else country is something I have written of in the past. As in other cases like France, Malaysia, and El Salvador, this dichotomy furthers agitation with inequality, beauty, and cultural resentment (hell, it could even explain the arguing). In many countries, it has fueled reactionary populism and right wing political gains. Those forces have been dismissed in Korea for now, but watch for the right's support going forward...

Korea's Capital Metro is a resounding testament to hard work, cultural congruity, strategic economic development policy, and the possibility for wealth accumulation within a single lifetime. What about the other half? It still has wealth, cultural commentary, and development, but worlds away nonetheless. While Seoul struggles with declining economic competitiveness and a population plateau, everywhere else struggles the same but on steroids. And in an era of protectionism, don't expect a sudden trade resurgence to bask Busan or any other eastern beach town. This country has grown to Western standards in remarkably quick time, but if it cannot better manage a more equitable growth strategy, the North-South Korean divide could cleave to another East-West one...

Seoul's Cranes Still Grow: Let's hope the same for the rest of Korea