4 Ways Korea Has Changed Since the 90s

[@Domichoi_journey]

안녕 하세요. 골목걷기 좋네요. 한국사람보다더 잘알고 계시네요. 엄지척하고 머물다 갑니다.❤️👍

[@MikeFromKorea]

감사합니다!

[@mattc939]

마이크 선생님 한국에 메딕으로 오셨다고 하는데 그때가 아마 1992년 아닌가요 ? 저는 대구에 있는 camp walker 앞에 살아서 어렸을때 부터 미군들을 항상 보고 살았습니다. 그런데 이거 영어로 써야 하는지 한국어로 써야 하는지 아직도 모르겠는데, 어쟀든 한국에 오랫동안 사시면서 여기도 많이 변했다는걸 느끼실 겁니다. 세상은 발전만 하는 것이 아니라 우리도 모르는 사이에 소중한 것들을 잃어가고 있는 것 같습니다. 90년대가 그립습니다. I remember you came to Korea first time as a medic of US armed forces back in 90th, I assume it was 1992. I lived near camp walker in Daegu so it made me feel familiar with americans since I was a little kid. I had some nice freimds there but lost contact many years ago. I like your video because I can enjoy nice scenic view behind you and your story is interesting. Since you have lived here for such a long time, you are one of the few Americans understand how Korea has changed for last 30 years. Many Koreans including me think everything is now easier, faster in the name of development than the past but people are feeling deprived , not just for material but something important and precious we didn't realize in 90th. I miss those days.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you! I arrived in June of 1991. Thank you for your thoughts.

[@SDongil]

Your story of country bus rides struck a chord with me. I remember riding country buses out to visit myun health centers as a Peace Corps vol in the early 70s. There was usually a kid riding along who was a mechanic, and I remember seeing them opening the engine cover, which was in the bus next to the driver, and tinkering with the engine while we're rolling down the road. Buses weren't the only crazy transport back then. My wife worked for KAL as a flight attendant in the late 60s - early 70s. Mostly she flew jets from Gimpo to Jeju, but sometimes she flew to - 강릉 or 속초, not sure which. Those flight went over the mountains, so there was usually turbulence, and the planes were those Fokker Friendships, leased from the Netherlands I think. She was sitting in the back of the cabin, the plane hit some turbulence, and the captain gives her a buzz on the intercom... "Miss Chun, come to the flight deck, please, and bring a kitchen towel." "A kitchen towel, sir? May I ask why?" "Don't worry about it, 아가, but we need it." (older man to young woman back then) So she went forward, and a small piece of metal had come off from the underside of the plane - and there's hole in the floor of the flight deck. So she covered it with the wet kitchen towel, weights it down to stay in place, and they all carry on.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thanks for that. I love learning stories about what it was like here before my time.

[@gaweekin524]

요새 음식이 매워졌어요. 할머니가 그러시는데 어렸을 때 비빔밤을 고추장이 아니라 간장에 비벼 먹었고 김치도 고춧가루 시늉만 하는 살짝만 들어가는 수준이였다고 해요 제육볶음 닭갈비 같은 매운음식도 그때는 없었다고 해요

[@tmpguy9776]

I loved this post. Nice to see the streets while listening to your chat. I felt like I was taking a walk with you. I remember, visiting Seoul back in 1988, four cars were driving side-by-side on three-lane streets! But after the Olympics, people seem to have changed. Koreans went through a lot of challenges. Every few years, I have been visiting South Korea. I could see all the positive changes. I am so happy for them.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you!

[@위네트카]

더운데 건강 조심하세요 오늘도 좋은 하루 되세요 감사합니다

[@MikeFromKorea]

감사합니다!

[@tkdlove02]

another great video. looking forward to the book as well.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you!

[@user-xp9vt7ed7b]

At last!! I've been wating for your video so so much!!

[@MikeFromKorea]

Yay! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it.

[@yobowargames]

Loved this video Mike. I first went to Korea 14 years ago and If I had to list 4 things that have changed since then they would be the 4 you listed, I can't even imagine how much it's different from 30 years ago but shows you that things continue to change. We noticed when visiting this year how much calmer the traffic driving is compared to just a few years ago. Used to stand on the buses just waiting for the slam of brakes 5 feet from the stop - but that no longer happens. And as you noticed some taboo things are no longer taboo and that's again only a recent change.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you! I used to refer to the buses as "cattle cars". It's been a long time since that came to mind on bus ride.

[@nigelcowie6883]

Another great video, thanks for sharing your observations, I can relate to so many of them - we arrived pretty much around the same time.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thanks for letting me know. I always wonder if other people see the way I do.

[@최치원-u5s]

형님이신 것 같은데 더위에 많이 걸으시느라 힘드실 것 같습니다. 건강 챙기시고, 늘 응원합니다!

[@MikeFromKorea]

감사합니다!

[@XDunlop]

Nice 90's song of choice to begin the video. Often play this song when I walk around Seoul so it was pleasant surprise. Just passed 15 years for me here in Korea. It will be interesting to see what changes come in the next 15. Either way, it's exciting and I'm looking forward in seeing what happens. Keep up the good work.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you! I think 'Iris' was more popular, but I've always liked 'Slide' better. Congratulations on 15 years. What's crazy is when you reach the point that you realize you've spent over half your life in Korea. For me, it was my 20th year. I think it was also around that time that I finally accepted the feeling I'd had for a while that I didn't belong in the States anymore.

[@ELTExperiences]

Having lived in Korea back in the early 2000s and then again from 2023, I have witnessed so much change between these years. Back in the early 2000s, I came across so many people who wanted to practise English with me but nowadays, I notice that people end up speaking to me in Korean regardless. I feel that there are so many foreigners that live in Korea now that ends up with much of society chatting away in Korean. The other difference that I have noticed is that Korean drivers are safer now than in the early 2000s.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Nice to know it's not just me noticing these things :-)

[@ELTExperiences]

@@MikeFromKorea I was also surprised at how many young adults have tattoos these days. Any form of skin art was considered taboo and was inappropriate.

[@jiminswriter4209]

​@@ELTExperiences Yes, more people have tattoos, but it is still frowned upon by many.

[@lostthenfound]

Very nice video and conversation Mike! Still surprises me how long you've been here, as I was a little kid opening up a Nintendo 64 for Christmas while you were experiencing your adult life in Korea haha. I noticed a lot of these things when I got here in Osan in 2013, but to a lesser degree for sure. One of the biggest changes I've noticed is in the expat community living here and the general attitude towards living Korea. When I first arrived, I would mostly run into English teachers and a lot of them weren't happy here, or American military in Itaewon who definitely knew how to party! (I joined in a lot too!) I admit I vented my frustrations a lot as well to fellow expats just about every weekend about living here, but recently I see so many people coming from other countries who are absolutely in love with Korea, speak Korean way better than I've been able to learn in 11 years, and just the overall vibe about Korea is so much more positive than I can remember. I think it's a sign that Korea has changed in a lot of good ways (and some maybe not as good too), and definitely interested to see what the future will hold!

[@MikeFromKorea]

You'll be in my shoes before you know it! I agree, the attitudes when I talk to people in person are much more positive overall. Facebook groups and subreddits can be a little cringe still, but there's definitely been a shift. If I think back to my own attitude in the early days... As eager and open-minded as I was when I first got here, after a while I sadly started in with the griping about how things were here compared to back home, and how Korea was doing it wrong. I eventually grew out of it. Doing so not only helped me settle in more deeply here, it made for a better experience traveling abroad.

[@lostthenfound]

​@@MikeFromKorea I did the exact same thing constantly comparing Korea to Canada almost to the point where I would look down on things here from time to time when I was in a bad state of mind. It never helped to be honest! I think you do a really good job talking honestly about Korea from a very fair point of view, as you can see the positives and negatives from living here for so long, understand where it all came from, and put it all into perspective with how amazing some of the things already are, and how much Korea is doing to address the problems to make things better for the future. I think people can and do learn a lot (myself included) from your videos!

[@MikeFromKorea]

@@lostthenfound Thanks, Matt!

[@rlmtrelomatt7390]

Thanks Mike, another good video, I like the way you come across.😊 The social changes and fright and horror of thinking of speaking to a foreigner or indeed speaking in turn to a local, rings lots of bells. Having at least one non local surname is enough to have appointments not accepted or maybe cancelled hahah. Attending an appointment with local officials ( they could not escape!!!) and see their faces changed from serious or horror to absolute joy as soon as I opened my mouth....." ah I thought you were from overseas". A note on being alone to eat or do things, maybe like in my country... after a 40 year dictatorship people learned to protect themselves, and if somebody is alone maybe they are being shunned by the dictatorship, even today you have a better chance of getting a job or a partner if you have ties. Silly things like you may speak fluently a second or third language but the employer will want to see that you have an official title hence the reason why english is spoken better by low wage services staff than an official or indeed a school teacher. People seek some kind of assurance now as a habit ,....as making mistakes did cost lives. Also language exams are costly for the average wage, as it implies studying even as an adult for 3 or 4 years in an academy. gamsa hapnida

[@MikeFromKorea]

That's an interesting take on the solo thing. I've always understood it in Korea to be a relic of a long gone, more group-centric past.

[@rlmtrelomatt7390]

@@MikeFromKorea Could be that too. Though in my country people tend to avoid people who do not seem to have solid friendships and are seen to be alone, because they do not understand that being alone does not mean anything bad these days. People feel safer in their groups, the friends from infant school and family and with them they think that nothing will harm them . Family used to mean everything in my country as there are little in the way of official social help so family is there to help you get on in life. If you do not have this then you are judged as not being good enough or loved, there must be something wrong with you. All the best 🙂

[@rhizocarp]

Some great observations! I'd also add that Seoul has gotten much more pedestrian-friendly in the last 25 years. There used to be many more intersections that forced pedestrians to use flyovers or underpasses. And many multi-lane streets have been narrowed or made pedestrian-only, not to mention that many new developments are being made with pedestrian-only areas. This might be considered part of the built environment, so somewhat away from what you focused on in this video, but I'd say that it reflects a real change in the culture, as much bottom-up as it is top-down. Thanks again for the video!

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thanks! Yes, that's a great one for me given how much I like to walk these days. I especially love how much more greenery there is today.

[@강원도사랑TV]

무더운 날씨에 수고 많이 하셨습니다! 비 피해 없도록 조심하십시오!

[@MikeFromKorea]

감사합니다!

[@rranft]

What I've noticed most on my last few visits is that Seoul is so much cleaner than it was around 1990. And the corresponding lack of public trash cans. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it much but it is very similar to Tokyo in cleanliness. I get that "shyness" in speaking Korean at first. I addressed that by just making fun of myself and I made a point of sort of playing with it, and I learned a lot from people helping me out after the laughter. Also, in my more recent visits I think Koreans in general feel more proactive in helping me with this, though that might be because I'm older now and it's more of a "position" factor than a "social climate" factor. Or maybe the internet has made it easier for Koreans to brush up on English if they want so more people generally are able to speak English. Your book made me think of a book my daughter bought for me - Your Father's Story. It's basically a notebook with questions on the pages to prompt some storytelling. It also made me think that I might just use these prompts to make a series of short videos for my kids. Naturally, when we visited Korea last spring I regaled them with "back in the day" stories and it might be nice to leave a collection like that behind someday. Driving... lol - there was a large "stadium" at the Seoul end of the MSR3 from Uijongbu where like seven streets all dumped into this big plaza. It was glorious! I once asked my Lt if we had to report an "accident" if it was on purpose. And watching my ex's sister crossing streets you apparently had to hold your hand up and walk across the street without turning your head - like magic, drivers would then behave properly.

[@MikeFromKorea]

The lack of trash cans has been a real annoyance. I should probably talk about that in a video. I encourage you to make those videos for your children. I'd bet my last dollar they'll appreciate it. My grandfather fought in WWII in the Battle of the Bulge. He never talked about it and rarely talked about his time in the Army at all. Then on one of my visits home late in his life, he suddenly opened up about it for a couple of hours. I so wish I'd been able to capture it somehow. It would have been amazing if he'd made some videos about it himself to leave behind. I'm sure if he'd been prompted to he would have.

[@steveyates8186]

In the 5 years ‘09-‘14 I was there the things I noticed the most: Tattoos became less taboo. Wayyy more foreigners on TV speaking Korean. More awareness of gay people (It was mentioned there no gays in Korea at least a couple of times when I arrived). Options and authenticity of foreign food and cuisine increased significantly.

[@MikeFromKorea]

I knew a Samsung executive back then who frequently bemoaned the changing times. Among other assaults on his sensibilities, his 20-something daughter got a tattoo without bothering to ask him. That was the point where he finally stopped pushing against the tide and just going with the flow.

[@22david30]

감사합니다. 선생님의 영상을 보면서, 영어 듣기 공부를 하고 있어요. Thank you, sir.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you!

[@sandihunter1260]

When we visited from Canada we hardly saw anyone smoking but that is the same in Canada, there are hardly any places you can smoke indoors here or outdoors within a certain range.

[@MikeFromKorea]

It's such a different world now in that regard.

[@thankfulheart4266]

After 34 years being in Korea, you are now officially True Korean 😅❤

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you! If I can just get my language ability where it needs to be, I'll really make it official :-)

[@TKSung]

@@MikeFromKorea Different people have different talent. Spoken language is not one of mine either: I still have to repeat myself at times, after 40+ years in the States.

[@MikeFromKorea]

@@TKSung To pass the naturalization test I need to level up a bit across the board: reading/writing/speaking.

[@cattytanty6238]

감사합니다.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you!

[@Mudskipper9876]

Interested in a book based on your viewpoint. You write well, and your experience in Korea is personal and unique.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you! That's very kind.

[@blackpearl2243]

그립네요. 서울 동네가... 10년전에 시골로 이사 왔어요.. 100번버스 ...^^

[@americanasiancouple3423]

Lucky you’re living in Korea You don’t get up every day to somebody being shot and killed in this so-called great nation people are getting shot and killed even inside a gym, you can’t even work out with peace of mind. Here in the nations capital DMV area and it’s not getting better with time. It seems to get worse.

[@dewi9235]

I'm glad not smoking! That's a bad habit. But yeh there's a lot of history but there's of changing in the world...thank you for the info

[@logan4166]

I think the automobile driving habits are defined by how much money they stand to lose in an accident (the cost of their vehicle) and the cost to compensate any personal injury to another. I don't think the judicial system back then was as punitive for personal injury as it is today either. You could just pay off the injured if you could afford it, or the perp would leave. I don't think auto insurance was prevalent and people didn't have money or clout to go through the legal system. Today, you have CC cameras everywhere so much harder to get away in a busy area. Vehicles cost a lot more to own, and the general number of drivers along with driver training is significantly higher today than in the past. But the main driver for improved driving conditions has to be economic prosperity. You can see the same reckless driving behaviors in most other less economically advanced regions.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Yeah, whatever the cause, I'm happy for it the result. I still don't want to buy a car, though!

[@gbeduc761]

Eating alone at a restaurant in Korea is much more heavenly than in European countries such as France or Germany.

[@sandihunter1260]

I really like the music you play and was wondering if you have to pay royalties for using original music.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thanks! I license the commercial stuff through lickd.co. They've set up deals with major rights holders to allow for incredibly cheap one-time licensing payments for most KZbinrs (I think they get more expensive for massive channels). Without a membership, Lickd charges $32 per "premium" track per use. With a $15 monthly membership, that goes down to $8 per premium track per use and adds access to a large library of "included" tracks for unlimited use. I pay the membership since I license premium tracks every month. Just one each month makes the monthly fee worth it.

[@lizardears4861]

I assume most of these social changes in the last 30 years in South Korea are still the social norms 50km to the north.

[@MikeFromKorea]

My impression from what I've read in articles by and heard in public talks from defectors is that the social norms up there have been so different for so long that there's just nothing to compare. After they diverged in 1945, the North was so strongly influenced by the regime that any parallels that might have existed wouldn't have lasted for long. The South 30 years ago was already very different from the North at the time, so there would have been very few similarities in the social norms.

[@lizardears4861]

@@MikeFromKorea I remember reading the book ‘A Thousand Miles to Freedom’ by Eunsun Kim and the backward society she was escaping from. The social changes in South Korea you mentioned here came much later than in western countries like Australia, UK etc

[@MikeFromKorea]

@@lizardears4861 That is on my list. I only learned of it recently. Looking forward to it.

[@lizardears4861]

@@MikeFromKorea another interesting read from my pre- travel research is - The sister : the extraordinary story of Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful woman in North Korea by Lee, Sung-Yoon.

[@samuel006]

Men would tell young women off for smoking in public, but old ladies could get away with it!

[@MikeFromKorea]

Yeah. I had a female friend who didn't care about all of that. I was so paranoid about being perceived as the American guy who flouts the cultural and social norms that it bothered me. We were waiting for her boyfriend once outside Myeongdong when she lit up. As I stepped away to put some distance between us, she rolled her eyes and said, "Aren't you American?". My response was, "But we're in Korea!".

[@whoatethelastone]

I used to get yelled at by ajosshis for “letting” my white female friends smoke in public. When I was in high school there in the 90s.

[@leecolburn7849]

The driving definitely struck a cord with me… My life is driving, I love everything about it - car mad. BUT… I have never seen so many selfish, self-entitled, and reckless drivers as I have in Korea. Any possible thing they can do to cut down on their journey or to be even slightly more convenient in their journey they will do it. It’s not just in Seoul. The city where I live is absolutely horrendous. Can’t imagine how bad it was in the 90’s…

[@MikeFromKorea]

It's definitely improved since the 90s from my perspective. My wife and I rent a car from time to time when we need one, and I find I just don't get frustrated much at all anymore. I just can't see it as more than a series of minor annoyances relative to how it used to be. I might feel differently if I were out in it everyday.

[@영한구-k2c]

한국의 변화에 산 증인이십니다 ㅋ 전 우리나라 90년대부터 2010년전까지가 그립고 지금보다 더 좋습니다 ^^

[@Feb2024-jg6cx]

dogs from meats to pets last 30 years.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Truth! And the meat will be illegal before too much longer. Finally.

[@TKSung]

Why discriminate cows and chickens? All meat should be illegal.

[@손우민-v4q]

​@@MikeFromKorea 채식주의자입니까..?

[@jiminswriter4209]

Selling dog meat is already illegal.

[@love3467gfbb]

​​@@손우민-v4qDog meat has not been registered as a food in korea, so eating dog meat was not legal. However, because of customary law, there was no crackdown on dog meat consumption. Selling food that is not food, like dog meat, is illegal. I am so glad that eating dog meat is banned in Korea.

[@hy4763]

책 넘넘 기대되요!! 기다릴게요! @iGoBart 와 콜라보도 기다리고 있어요

[@MikeFromKorea]

감사합니다!

[@jasono753]

감사합니다.

[@MikeFromKorea]

Thank you!