Korean Traffic

After work tonight I decided to get some shopping done and look around the local E-Mart to try and further familiarize myself with the grocery store. It's about a five minute walk to the store. However, I take more precautions to cross the street than I would back home in the states. The simple rule of yielding to pedestrians has no meaning to the impatient Korean driver. So I take extra care when using crosswalks even when the little green LED man is lit up. Korean cab drivers are especially dangerous to an unaware pedestrian, especially if that pedestrian is a foreigner. So running red lights, cutting people off, speeding and even driving on sidewalks should be no surprise; I have seen them all now. In Korea, the pedestrian yields to the driver. Even though the law probably states otherwise.
It was in this system where I found myself tonight, about halfway to my destination. I had already braved the crosswalks. About a hundred yards ahead little delivery motorcycle, a common sight. Quickly approaching behind him, a maniacal driver in an SUV. Here are the next sequence of events:

• Motorcycle isn't fast enough for maniacal SUV driver
• SUV driver blares his horn
• Motorcycle gets out of the way too slow
• Result: motorcyclist gets layed out by SUV

I run to cover the distance between me and the poor biker who is lying still by his bike. There are a handful of Koreans around the biker but they aren't really doing much. Me and two other guys try and help the biker get off the asphalt and move his bike. I of course, speak no Korean. Therefore my ability to help was somewhat hindered. I realized I could do little more. I made sure he was in good hands and proceeded to my destination. I am preparing to see a lot more of this...