What South Korea lacks as an advanced country

With an economy ranked 12th largest in the world, South Korea is admired as a role model by many developing countries and praised for its advanced technology and Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, that have enhanced its prestige in the international community. It would not be far-fetched to say that today’s South Korea is an advanced country in terms of its economy, technology and popular culture. 
Nevertheless, we seem to be lacking crucial qualities that are prerequisite to becoming a truly advanced country. In an advanced country, you will find a public tradition of generosity, tolerance and courtesy, among other things. Does Korean society exhibit such qualities? Unfortunately, few people would answer yes, since we seem to neither forgive others nor tolerate differences. Though our public courtesy is getting better these days, it is not impeccable yet. Frequent violence in Korean society, both physical and psychological, is proof of a lack of generosity, tolerance and courtesy. 
Pastor Christine Miller in the United States recently had this to say about South Korean society: “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die.” Referring to our unforgiving attitude and vengeance, she writes, “It justifies all your wrong behaviours as ‘getting even’.” Indeed, under the name of revenge, all our wrongdoings are justified. 
Miller added, “Accepting an apology means letting go of your anger and the chain you have been dragging around that binds you to this other.” She continued, “Then Koreans will not have to widen the public square to allow for bigger demonstrations. People can stay home, be happy.” Indeed, we should learn to forgive others. Then we can be happy. 
Instead of being big-minded and magnanimous, we tend to doggedly demand apologies and retributions. Instead of being tolerant and embracing others, we tend to exhibit hostility toward foreign workers and often discriminate against them. Even inside Korean society, we are divided by “us” and “them” and are hostile to others. And instead of caring about others, we often become selfish and ignore public etiquette. 
An advanced country also has a code of honour, integrity, and decency. That is to say, there is a line that a decent man will not cross. For example, if you are rich and famous, you are not supposed to be cheap and indecent. And you should value the lives of children, not only because they need our care, but also because they are the future of human civilisation. 
Recently, four babies died at a renowned university hospital in Seoul because medicine bottles were reused. Mark Constantine in Australia recently wrote me that such an incident could happen in the early 20th Century only, not in the 21st century “in one of the richest countries on earth”. He lamented, “That’s not even wrong. It’s unthinkable.”
Constantine, who used to live in South Korea and thus has a strong connection to the Peninsula, pointed out that behind these disasters lies the uniquely Korean phenomenon called the “Pali Pali mentality”. He wrote, “It’s the mentality that things need to get done quickly, that everyone needs to appear busy constantly, and that as long as it looks like it’s being done properly, everything is fine. This, in a nutshell, is Korea.” 
Constantine’s diagnosis was quite accurate and persuasive. As he argued that even if Koreans seem to work very hard, “but there’s often a misunderstanding about what good work is. Too many people think fast work is good, and good work done slowly is bad”.
Indeed, Koreans are constantly rushed through doing all sorts of work fast. Regrettably, the results are often disastrous. 
There is another thing that can be found in an advanced country; you should be allowed to think, say and write freely without worrying about censorship and surveillance. If you should be conscious of and worry about thought police, it would not be a truly advanced country. For that, we should learn to accept and respect other’s different opinions. Otherwise, it cannot be an advanced country. 

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University.