영문
Opening
Robert Gilbert (Moderator): Thank you and welcome to 2005 Seoul Town Meeting.
My name is Robert Gilbert and if everybody can take his or her seats we’ll get started.
Before we start, we would like to show a film titled, “Seoul is one”.
Robert Gilbert: Thank you. We’ll go ahead with welcoming remarks by Trevor Bull,
who’s the chairman of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council to the Seoul
Metropolitan Government.
Trevor Bull: Good afternoon. Honorable members of the diplomatic community and
fellow members of foreign communities, I’m really pleased to welcome you here today.
Thank you and I’m delighted with the good attendance. I would also like to extend my
gratitude to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Mayor Lee for giving us an
opportunity to voice our opinion.
Since Mayor Lee came into office in 2002, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has
made remarkable achievements including, improvement of the public transportation
system, construction of New Town, creation of Seoul Plaza and many new and
extended parks; so much has been achieved. But probably the biggest and the most
recent achievement is the magnificent restoration of CheongGyeCheon.
We all know Seoul was the host city to World Cup and it is a city with passion. But what
we’ve been witnessing with work done by Mayor Lee is the transformation of Seoul
from a slightly gray and grim façade to a city focused on the environment and culture.
The restored CheongGyeCheon is a prime example of that transformation. Hopefully,
this project will be the biggest part of making the city be able to take a quantum leap to
achieve its aim of being the hub city of Asia.
But let’s get back to today. Today is all about us, foreign communities, getting together
because after all Seoul is our city as well and we are an integral part of the City. This is
our home where we live and work with our families and loved ones. So Seoul is
important to us, also.
The agenda today is focused on major concerns in our daily lives; Tap water quality of
Seoul and improvement for foreigners living in Seoul. I’d urge you, don’t be reluctant or
shy to come forward and express fairly firm views and opinions.
SMG is ready and willing to listen as they understand that if they are going to build a
truly cosmopolitan and citizen friendly environment here in Seoul, they need to
recognize and listen to all communities.
So please do participate. Thank you for your attendance and let’s have a good day. Hi,
Seoul. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: Thank you, Trevor. I’d like to echo Trevor’s comment about the
receptiveness of the Seoul city government to your comments. Before the first Seoul
Town Meeting was held, there was some skepticism about how much attention would
be paid to the comments and complaints. But I think you’ll see in the report on the 2004
meeting follow-up that the metropolitan government really has paid keen attention to
the comments and complaints of the foreign community here and has tried within the
powers that the city government has to address these in a satisfactory fashion. So
before going on to the new issues about the living environment for foreigners and Arisu
water, we’ll hear a report from the Seoul city government on the follow-up to the last
year’s meeting.
Robert Gilbert: Since Mayor Lee was able to come and join us today, I’ll note that we
were just talking about the restoration works that have gone on through on Seoul,
particularly those implemented under the current administration of Mr. Lee Myung-bak.
There has been a lot of discussions in the past about different ideas about how to
make Seoul a more beautiful and lovable place. But it’s under this administration that
we’ve seen the implementation of the city plaza, restoration of the CheongGyeCheon,
improved transportation and a wide range of other things that have made the city more
beautiful not only for the foreign residents but for everybody who lives and visits Seoul.
So I would like to introduce Mayor Lee Myung-bak who has opening remarks for today.
Mayor: Distinguished guests, members of FIAC and members of foreign communities,
thank you for participating in today’s meeting despite your busy schedule. I would like
to welcome all of you to the 2005 Seoul Town Meeting.
The purpose of the meeting is to hear from you people who live and work in Seoul and
to hear about your experiences of Seoul and your ideas to improve Seoul. We will
reflect your opinions to the municipal policies.
I proudly say that Seoul has come closer to you since we met last time.
ChengGyeCheon that runs through the heart of the city has become a popular site for
Koreans and foreigners alike. Seoul Forest created in Ttukseom is becoming both a
resting place for the citizens and the lungs for the city itself. You can get to every place
in Seoul by bus or subway, with the help of information in your language provided by
Seoul Bus Map available on the Internet.
Yongsan Foreign School, a school of international quality, began its construction in April
this year, aiming to open in August next year. The Extension of Visa and Reentry permit
services for the convenience of foreigners has been made available in Seoul Help
Center for Foreigners (SHC) of City Hall since January 2005.
These changes to the city are all thanks to your interest and advice. I sincerely hope
that our discussions will produce useful ideas and suggestions. Thank you very much.
Robert Gilbert: Trevor, would you like to make a few words or respond?
Trevor Bull: Mayor Lee, Thank you. You actually missed my speech again. You must
have heard too many of my speeches. But thank you on behalf of the foreign
community and diplomatic community for giving us this opportunity. I did express in my
speech about the sincerity of the SMG to listen and the need and wish to listen and
respond to requests. It doesn’t mean everything can be done tomorrow but I think,
based on my experience of 3 years, those are referring to a genuine movement to the
transformation. So Mayor Lee, thank you for the opportunity we’ve been given and
thank you for the coffee, Starbucks!
Robert Gilbert: We were just talking about how international Seoul is becoming and
one of the signs someone was pointing out is that there are over a hundred Starbucks
now in Seoul. And by the Starbucks index, I guess Seoul is really on the map. I will
return to Mr. Sang-bum Kim from the SMG who will give us an update on the city’s
follow-up to the last year’s town hall meeting.
2004 Seoul Town Meeting Follow-up
Sang-bum Kim (Director General of Industry): Thank you, chairman. Good
afternoon, everybody. I’m Sang-bum Kim as introduced by the chairman. I am very glad
to tell you about the follow-up to the issues you suggested at the last meeting. For
some issues you raised before, we have already taken action. But unfortunately, many
issues still need the long-term review or consideration because of limitations in
resources and power of authority. But we will still keep an eye on those issues.
First, you raised the issue of Seoul’s new bus system. You may have some leaflet or
information brochure. SMG produces and distributes Seoul Bus Map in English,
Chinese and Japanese. Unfortunately, however, real-time information on arrival times,
expected travel time and intervals has been made available only in Korean since
October 2005. The Transportation Division is considering the provision of such
information in foreign languages in the near future.
And the bus drivers’ behavior is a headache. But the city government is planning to
correct such behavior through encouragement or enforcement. This year, the city
government increased the annual training hours from 20 to 24. Fortunately, the new
bus system collects the whole data of bus drivers’ behaviors during the operation. With
such data, we may encourage bus drivers to correct their violent driving behavior.
Next, many people raised the issue of parking in Seoul. Parking problems are
commonly and frequently found in every international city around the world. Seoul is
not an exception. The SMG has continuously constructed parking lots in residential
areas. There’s one principle on parking that we are following: Restricting the parking
space in the downtown area while expanding parking space in residential areas and the
outskirts of Seoul. We are continuously creating new parking spaces but it will still take
time to meet the whole parking demand.
Some people made a valuable suggestion at the last meeting about special parking
areas for diplomats. I saw such special parking areas in other big cities. We discussed
this issue with Transportation Division, but it will take time to introduce such special
parking areas.
Many foreign citizens also complained about traffic light system at intersections
because it doesn’t consider the real-time traffic flow. The National Police Agency
introduced a responsive traffic light system that reflects the real-time traffic situation
and automatically changes traffic lights. The system is restricted to certain areas and is
to be expanded every year. It may take several years to expand the application of the
system to the whole area of Seoul.
One of the issues foreigners raised is the language problem in medical services sector.
Many people suggested medical care for foreign visitors or tourists in accidents.
According to the competent division of SMG, 5 hospitals provide emergency medical
care to foreigners free of charge. I think it’s still not enough. The division is working on
the extension of emergency medical services.
Ten hospitals in Seoul including SNU hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital and Seoul
Severance Hospital have set up medical facilities for foreigners with interpretation
services. And SHC provides a Medical Referral Service (MRS) by answering calls 24
hours a day and referring callers to an appropriate medical facility depending on the
inquirer’s symptoms. The MRS cellular phone number is 010-4769-8212 and 010-
8750-8212
Many foreigners requested English receipts for insurance purposes from their home
country. Issuance of English receipts is not mandatory for the time being. But the SMG
recommended the Korea Medical Association and Korean Hospital Association to issue
English receipts to foreigners and will consider the revision of the rule to issue English
receipts.
About waste collection, many foreign citizens suggested the introduction of plastic or
metal containers to keep waste away from animals. Paid standard waste bags are used
to reduce the amount of waste generated, in consideration of environmental effects.
Some apartment complexes have containers to collect waste. But still there is a time
lag between disposal and collection, causing unsanitary conditions and bad smells in
residential areas. In small houses area, waste should be discarded on the designated
day and time to shorten the time lag between disposal and collection.
About foreign schools in Seoul, we provided the land to build a new foreign school in
Yongsan. Yongsan Foreign School is located in Hannam-dong. And construction
already commenced in April this year and will be completed in July next year. So the
school will be open for the fall semester next year.
French student participation and special education needs were also brought up at the
last meeting. Yongsan Foreign School was supposed to include the French school but
existing French schools in Seoul meet the current educational needs of French
students. An additional French school will be considered in the case an increase in the
number of students causing a lack of school requirement for French students.
Other services for foreigners. SHC started visa-related services to enhance the
immigration convenience for foreign visitors and residents in Seoul. SHC extends the
visa and issues re-entry permits and civil affair documents for Company Investor (D-8),
Dependent (F-3) and house helpers for foreign investors investing more than $500,000
(F-1). SHC plans to expand the scope of services it provides.
SHC is available for all foreigners, regardless of age or gender. Facilities for foreign
children only cannot be considered due to the lack of space.
To increase convenient facilities in Yongsan Family Park, SMG plans to build slides for
children and benches for citizens next year as part of an effort to construct a green
space and nature trail, in a built up urban environment.
The city government started enclosing notes in English with utility bills such as property
tax bills to embassies or foreign companies (foreigners) from 2002. This service is now
provided to foreigners in possession of a foreign registration number but will be
expanded to all foreigners in the near future.
Many expatriate parents were concerned about the safety of school buses. School
buses in Korea are mostly operated with teachers on board and each school is
responsible for ensuring that their students get off the school bus safely.
There were concerns about the homeless in the subways. The city government has
plans to help homeless people look after themselves by providing accommodation and
jobs through the operation of shelters and drop-in centers. We have enough capacity.
It is, however, difficult to force homeless people to enter shelters if they refuse because
of human rights issues. Work is being done on a face-to-face conversation program to
hear from the homeless and provide what they need because this is an important social
issue we face. That’s all. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: Thank you, Mr. Kim. It’s not on our schedule, but I think we’ll take a
short break for 10 minutes. You can have some more coffee and think of some
questions. Please be back in your seats by 2:50.
First Session: Seoul’s Tap Water Quality
Robert Gilbert: Thank you for coming back. Now we’re refreshed and recharged.
What I propose to do is add some slight adjustment to the schedule for the next
sessions. I think we’ll have two presentations back to back and then will open the floor
to questions on the follow-up as well as the two presentations. We’ll do that all at one
time. So the first presentation, I would like to introduce Mr. Kim Heung-kwon who is
Assistant Mayor for Waterworks in Seoul. He’s going to discuss Arisu. We all have
these bottles here. He will give us some comfort to those of us who still would like to
drink tap water.
Kim Heung-kwon (Assistant mayor for waterworks Seoul): Thank you, Mr. Gilbert.
I’m glad to have an opportunity to talk about Seoul’s tap water, which is called Arisu.
When you first came to Korea, somebody might have told you not to drink tap water.
You might have also heard that it is safe to drink. Which is true? Today, I'm here to tell
you the truth about tap water in Seoul. You may draw your own conclusions after
hearing me out.
At first, I would like to tell you that people living in Seoul have a somewhat limited trust
in tap water. I've seen some of them using a water purifier at home. Experimental
reports say that such purified water is nothing better than plain tap water. I'm not saying
that the purifiers are an inferior product. What I mean is that tap water itself is in fact
good quality water and the purification process doesn't make any difference at all.
Seoul citizens began becoming concerned about the quality of tap water for a couple of
reasons. The first reason was the occasional incident of unqualified tap water being
found in other regions. A few reports on inferior-quality tap water in some other regions,
for example Daegu, have made people living in Seoul uneasy. The second reason is
the stained water they witness at home once in a blue moon. It is harmless to drink if
you wait for a few minutes but it seems to have given a sense of insecurity to them.
The final reason is a vague uneasiness. They seem to believe that water becomes
better if they boil or use a purifier, or that it is healthier to buy bottled water.
Now, let's find out the truth. Is it safe to drink tap water in Seoul?
People need 8 glasses of water per day to maintain their health. Thus, the safety of
drinking water is extremely important.
The very first criterion that determines the safety of water is the quality of the original
source water. Tap water in Seoul is collected from an upper stream of the Han River. It
means that its original source is clean water running through thickly wooded mountains.
Since the mountains are in a granitic region, the water doesn't contain any lime.
The second criterion is the water purification skill. It has been almost 100 years since
the hygienic water purification technique was first introduced to Korea. Koreans trained chopstick users - have been operating the system for almost 100 years and
have continued their efforts to learn advanced techniques from foreign countries.
The last criterion is the people who control the quality. Currently, the Seoul Water
Research Institute is in charge of quality control for Seoul City's tap water. Here, more
than 100 qualified researchers and professionals have dedicated themselves to
inspecting the city's tap water regularly in accordance with the 145 items regulated in
the WHO's Water Quality Standards. The graph you're looking at now shows the
adjustments in the number of water quality parameters that the city's Water Institute
has made so far to meet the WHO's standards.
Also, each purification plant constantly checks the quality of water through the Seoul
Water-Now System, which is an advanced digital alarm system.
That's not all. The trained staff working for the local waterworks offices test tap water
collected from all over the city of Seoul everyday.
Along with strict inspections, each purification plant has also been supervising the
quality of the original source water twenty-four-hours-a-day, and seven-days-a-week,
and been carrying out tests on a new, improved purification system. Furthermore, the
local offices have replaced almost every water supply pipe in the city, to deliver clean
water to each household.
However, maintaining the safety of drinking water is not all that matters. There are a
number of people complaining about the taste of tap water because of the chlorine
used by the purification plants to maintain its quality. During the FIAC meeting, which
took place on December 17 last year, one participant claimed that Seoul's tap water
tastes better than that of California. You can guess how Seoul citizens are picky in
terms of taste.
Next, I will tell you how to make tap water tasty enough to satisfy even those who are
hard to please. It is very easy. Please pass on what I teach you next to your friends
because my wish is that, one day, everyone living in Seoul will enjoy the city's tap water
as it is.
First of all, water tastes better when it's cool. Try filling a bottle with tap water and keep
it in the refrigerator to enjoy refreshing, cold water. Adding a piece of lemon or putting a
green-tea bag in it is a good idea as well. I've seen some restaurants serving water in
this way. The last secret is to add some Vitamin C. It is not well known, but tap water
and Vitamin C complement each other very well.
It will be problematic if the price of water becomes too high, at the expense of safety
and taste. But Seoul's tap water is very cheap. The city has been providing tap water at
1/100 the price of bottled water.
People in Seoul may be concerned about the quality of their tap water because of this
cheap price. This is because there's a Korean proverb, which says that what's cheap
has less value. Now, I would like to remind you that Seoul’s tap water is exceptional. Its
price is low but its quality is high.
Here, I have many test results, which prove that the quality of tap water is actually
better than bottled water or purified water. The quality of bottled water depends on the
quality of the original source. In addition, as water purifiers remove chlorine from the
water during the filtering process, bacteria may grow inside the appliances.
Furthermore, the result of a blind test conducted recently shows that people are less
likely to distinguish tap water from other kinds of water when tasting. It means that tap
water, bottled water and purified water all taste similar when drunk cold.
I, for one, drink this safe, tasty and cheap tap water, and so do other officers presenting
here.
I would like to stress that drinking tap water is more eco-friendly than drinking bottled or
purified water. You are wasting 8 times more water when using a water purifier, and you
are increasing the risk of side effects when drinking bottled water because its makers
are collecting subsurface water indiscreetly. On the other hand, tap water is collected
from an upper stream of the Han River and is being supplied after going through a very
scientific and efficient purification process.
Arisu - Seoul's tap water - is guaranteed by the city of Seoul. You may well know how
developed Seoul has become over the past several decades. The city's tap water has
kept improving as well and now is proud to have a quality comparable to other
advanced industrial countries. I'll be more than happy if you can spread the word about
Arisu when you meet your friends in Seoul or in your country. Thank you for your
attention.
Second Session: Improvement of the Living Environment for Foreigners
Robert Gilbert: We will have another presentation and then we will have all the
questions at the end. In that way we can open the floor up to hear your concerns and
interests more fully. The next speaker is Dr. Kim Wan-soon, who’s the foreign
investment ombudsman. He will give us a discussion about what’s happening at a
national level in terms of making Korea more attractive for investment and living of
foreigners.
Dr. Kim Wan-soon (Foreign investment ombudsman): Chairman, Mr. Bull,
distinguished members of the foreign diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen, it is my
pleasure to update on the measures taken to date to improve the living environment for
foreigners through several slides and my comments.
My presentation today has five major subjects and you can see them in the slide 2:
foreign views on the Korean living environment; measures to improve the living
environment for foreigners; improvement of living environment by sector; case studies
on granting credit cards to foreigners; and future plans that we have in mind.
Invest Korea conducted an annual survey on the living environment for foreign invested
companies in May this year. The purpose of the survey was to identify the level of
satisfaction and the major grievances of foreign executives working for foreign-invested
companies in Korea. Surveys from 2003 and 2004 have been compared, analyzed and
reflected in the policymaking process for improving the living environment for foreign
investors, executives and families.
Foreigners residing in Korea are divided between satisfied and dissatisfied in terms of
education, medical services, transportation, housing and visa/immigration. This year’s
result is similar to that of 2004, while the satisfactory and dissatisfactory rates have
increased by 3%p respectively.
From the survey we’ve learned that several areas call for urgent improvement. In the
field of education, the lack of international schools takes up 45.2% and high tuition,
28%. In the field of medical services, language barriers between health care providers
and patients, 56.4%, and medical service suppliers’ failure to provide adequate
explanation to patients or caretakers, 27.6%. In the field of transportation, violent
driving, 62.8%, and lack of foreign language traffic signs, 26.8%. In the field of housing,
high rent, 66.4% and inadequate supply of residential properties, 26.4%. In the field of
visa service, sojourn period, 45.6%, and language barriers in communicating with
immigration officials, 26.8%. In the field of immigration, lack of immigration service
counters exclusively for foreigners, 58%, and the lengthy immigration procedures,
26.4%.
Let’s have an overview on the measures to improve living environment for foreigners.
The implementation period is from 2004 to 2008. This is a 5-year plan. And the Ministry
of Commerce, Industry and Energy is in charge of this project. A total of 107 tasks in 6
fields has been listed. 102 tasks were designated last year while an additional 5 tasks
were designated this year. Currently 43 tasks have been completed as of the 3rd
quarter of this year.
And this is a brief chronology of living environment tasks planned. From January to
March in 2003 we collected basic information. And in March 2004 the presidential
committee approved these tasks.
Next, the grievance resolution process diagram. MOCIE is an overall coordinator for
planning and informing of the measures to improve living environment for foreigners;
Foreign investors just need tap the door of Invest Korea and register their complaints
on the living environment and there would then be channeled to MOCIE, which
organizes a Foreign Investment Subcommittee headed by the vice minister of MOCIE.
Finally complaints go to the ministerial level, Foreign Investment Committee, headed
by the minister of Economy and Finance. MOCIE also cooperates with ministries and
local governments.
Let’s review the improvements made in the living environment by sector. For education,
5 out of 15 tasks have been completed. In 2004 Gyeongnam International School was
established and, also importantly, special donations spent on establishing school
facilities are allowed tax deduction of about 50%. In 2005 the Online Korean Language
School was opened.
For housing, 9 out of 12 tasks have been completed. Invest Korea introduced a
standard house lease form both in English and Japanese.
For health services, 2 out of 10 tasks have been completed. For examples, foreigners
are encouraged to apply for National Health Insurance. This year, the medical hotline,
an emergency medical information center, 1339 started foreign language operations in
English, Japanese and Chinese.
For transportation, 8 out of 23 tasks have been completed. Last year, for example,
more lanes for foreigners’ driver’s license applications and more foreign language
speaking staff were provided.
For immigration, 10 out of 15 tasks have been completed. Last year for foreigners who
have invested US$ 500,000 or more, the maximum period of stay has been extended
from 2 years to 3 years. Also for foreigners who have invested US$ 5 million or more
and who have lived more than 3 years in Korea will be granted permanent residence in
Korea. This year immigration officials agreed to visit foreign investors at their request in
Suwon, Masan, Gwangju, Chuncheon, Jeonju, Uijeongbu and several Korean cities.
For culture and communications, 9 out of 32 tasks have been completed. Research
was conducted on the foreigner’s Internet usage environment to enhance the use of
the Internet. And more broadcasting programs in English were made available last year.
This year English was recognized as an official language for documentation within free
economic zones. In the 1st quarter of this year English Language Town was
established in Seoul.
Slide 13 shows efforts by Invest Korea to resolve one of the major grievances: granting
credit cards to foreigners. Let me give you a story about this expatriate card. In March
this year, Invest Korea started discussion on a credit card for foreign investors with
Korea Exchange Bank (KEB). A survey was conducted in April 2005 on the basis of
proposal by KEB. And KOTRA amended the MOU with the KEB in July this year,
concluding a detailed accord for launching a new credit card service for foreign
investors. Before, a cosigner was required for a foreigner even though he or she met all
the application requirements. Initially foreigners were first required to deposit more than
20 million won and use their credit cards within the specified limit. However the ‘expat
card’, developed by Invest Korea and KEB, can be granted to foreigners who are
employees of a foreign invested company with over 50 million won invested in Korea,
and have worked for the company for more than 6 months, or diplomats, consultants,
instructors, professional athletes, etc. KEB provides an online and offline credit card
application /approval service as well as an English-speaking customer service.
I will skip foreigner’s subscription to mobile phone. This is another service we’re trying
to provide to foreigners living in Korea.
Reflecting on views expressed by foreign community in Korea on the living
environment, this is what we are trying to do in the future. Though 107 tasks will be
completed by 2008, foreign investors are dissatisfied with the improvements in the
Korean investment environment. EUCCK, for example, says the Korean government’s
Northeast Asian hub-related strategies are makeshift and the government is still overly
bureaucratic. This is partly because Korean regulations and practices do not seem to
meet global standards. Therefore Invest Korea is trying to speed up some of the work
in progress. We are encouraging government bodies to complete the remaining tasks
and continuously striving to identify new areas to improve the environment for foreign
investors. A contact center for foreign investors accessible by phone, e-mail and fax is
planned with foreign-language speaking staff. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: Thank you, Dr. Kim. I urge you to look at your materials that Dr. Kim
has circulated and see if there’s anything you’d like to follow-up on. I have one last
introduction at the front table of Mr. Park Dae-won. He has recently joined the Seoul
Metropolitan Government as Ambassador and Advisor for International Relations. He’s
just come from Algeria and previously from Canada.
Park Dae-won (Ambassador and Advisor for International Relations): Thank you,
Mr. Chair. I am very honored to present myself before you, foreigners living in Seoul.
This is my first public appearance because I was on diplomatic missions in Canada and
Algeria and have just arrived in Seoul. I feel like a foreigner myself. After 3 years away
from my hometown, I feel Seoul is very comfortable but it has changed dramatically,
particularly on the mental level. So I know how you feel as a foreigner in Seoul. My
office is located on the second floor of this building. So please don’t hesitate to drop by
my office anytime if you have any suggestion or complaint. I am a multilingual diplomat.
I speak French and English. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: Now I’d like to open the floor to questions, comments, compliments or
complaints that you may have about living in Seoul.
Participant 1: I first came to Korea in 1966 as a peace corps volunteer. I was here for
two years, but I continued to be involved with Korea. I have been driving for 50 years
and seen an increase in aggressive driving in Seoul. It needs to be addressed. A
number of people and cars go through red lights. As I said, I have been driving almost
50 years and I’m afraid to drive outside here in Korea. I love Korea. I came back.
Please do something about traffic enforcement. I returned in August 2002 and have yet
to see a ticket written. I know there are cameras, but we need to have not aggressive
drivers, but aggressive enforcement of traffic laws. Thank you.
Sang-bum Kim: Let me comment on the question. As I said before, it’s the most
difficult and common issue that all our citizens raise every time at a meeting with city
officials. We are trying to do something. But such aggressive driving behaviors won’t
disappear soon. Last year, we introduced the new bus system. One of the advantages
of the new system is that we can collect the data about driving behaviors including not
stopping at a bus stop, moving with the door open, etc. We present the data to drivers
on a regular basis and request them to correct their behavior. So we are ensured that
aggressive driving behavior will disappear soon.
Participant 2: It’s not only about buses but about everything. Everybody goes through
red lights. You can control bus drivers with your approach, but he wants every car and
everybody to stop at red lights.
Participant 3: I’m from Nigeria. I’ve been in Korea since 2001. I’m an investor. I have
heard about what Seoul is trying to do to help us in communication problem. But
correspondence most investors receive from KITA and other government offices comes
in the Korean language, even though they know by name that I’m a foreigner. I wish
that the Seoul city government would send this information in English. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: So your question is where we can find English information about
what’s going on in Seoul?
Sang-bum Kim: Most of bills or receipts are issued in Korean. But we started to issue
English utility bills including property tax bills in 2002. It may not be enough for
foreigners. But we are working on it and trying to increase the use of English for
documentation.
Participant 4: First of all, I’ve been here for the last 5 years. And I participated in the
last Town Meeting. I have two suggestions. One is that the room doesn’t fit anymore. I
am very happy to see a number of people came here today. But we do need to find
another place. Second, we need to distinguish here. Everything that you have talked,
especially the second presentation, refers a lot to investors. Exactly like last year. I was
very frustrated last year. I did not have the chance to say that. Last year everything
addressed was for investors, which is really positive and I’m very happy to see that
investors come into Seoul. But I think we have to distinguish the two things, the two
sides: one is investor and the other is normal people. Expat cards for investors are
wonderful but we as normal people are not going to get the card because we have to
pay for the fee. Other issues that we address here are very nice for investors. Well, the
Seoul Help Center for Foreigners is always open for us and I think very few of us
actually go there and thank them for what they do. But we have two groups of people in
totally different situations. And we have to distinguish that. I heard that we had very
recently the meeting with the advisory council in the presence of the Mayor. But this
town meeting should be for the regular citizens who are not investing in Korea. We do
not have billions of dollars to invest. But we do contribute to the city by paying the bills
and everything else. By the way the bills due come in Korean only, but I do pay all my
bills in Korean. So I think we should have time to address those things, independently
from the investor sector. Many issues talked and discussed last year were for investors
only. This has to be a different meeting. Second, I think I’m living in another city
because it’s not really what you’re talking about here. So many issues that were
discussed including changes and follow-up don’t really fit with the reality. We need to
be more careful with that. I hope next year we’ll have two separate meetings, one for
investors and the other for normal people who came here to work and live and enjoy
the city. Let’s not make the same mistake.
Sang-bum Kim: Thank you. That’s a good suggestion. I will report it to Mr. Choi, who
is in charge of this meeting. We may change the way the meeting is held from next
year. The Seoul Town Meeting was initiated to handle common questions, grievances
or complaints of normal people. It is not designed for investors but for normal people.
We have SHC to help foreigners live more comfortably in Seoul. I will also report about
the need for a larger venue.
Participant 5: I read the headlines in Korea Times titled ‘Seoul lacks cultural heart’. It
quoted American businessman Christopher Forbes who was commenting that over
recent years there has been major investment in the physical infrastructure of Seoul,
but little investment in creating the cultural heart of the modern city, unlike Hong Kong,
Singapore, Paris, London, whatever. I would like to add a personal comment to this.
Culture is not only about modern art or modern architecture but about valuing the
preservation of beautiful old parts of Korea. I’m living in Gahoe-dong. This is one of the
last districts in Seoul where you have old streets of authentic old Korean houses called
Hanoks. I have been living there since 1988 and I hope to preserve my own house. In
the last two years, this area is being desecrated by the destruction of Hanoks under the
auspice of the Seoul government. I’ve written to Mayor Lee Myung-bak three times
about this and I received no reply of any kind whatsoever. In the meantime, Hanoks in
Gahoe-dong have been bulldozed. If I telephone the police to complain about the taxi
driver near my house, a squad car is sent in about five minutes. If I telephone the
police to say a construction company is spraying noxious chemicals onto my roof and
into my courtyard, the police say it has nothing to do with them and put the phone down.
Your comments, please.
Sang-bum Kim: Thank you for your consideration for our culture, especially for the
traditional houses. To preserve our culture and tradition, we designate the preservation
area. But the problem is that as the land price is increasing every year, landowners are
not preserving the houses or buildings even if we provide tax incentives or subsidies.
Landowners want to develop the land and build more high-rise buildings rather than
keeping their houses as they are.
Participant 5: Grants are only being issued to building owners for the complete
destruction of an old Hanok and the building of a completely new one. I have applied to
one of these grants. My application was turned down because I was told I would be
destroying Joseon dynasty cultural relics, which I have, in fact, lived in myself.
Sang-bum Kim: As I said, we have some preservation areas including Gahoe-dong
and Insa-dong. But we have limits of enforcement to keep those houses and buildings
from being destroyed. They are private properties.
Participant 5: I accept the limitations in what you can do but I don’t accept the failure
to reply to letters sent over the last 12 months. I think that’s discourteous and
irresponsible for a group of people who claim to be making Seoul an attractive city for
foreign residents.
Robert Gilbert: Thank you. I don’t think we are able to handle any direct complaints
about things here. I’d like to keep this on the general issues of quality of life in Seoul
and issues pertaining to all the residents.
Participant 6: Dear chairman, members of diplomatic communities, ladies and
gentlemen. I’m from Nigeria. I’ve been living here for the last 4 years. I’m an investor
here. I want to raise an issue of becoming a citizen of this country. In most nations of
the world like the U.S. and U.K, there are various ways of becoming a citizen of such a
nation: staying for a long period of time; getting married to someone from that nation; or
giving birth to a baby. Most of the foreign women who live in Korea choose to go out to
give birth outside this nation because when you give birth in Korea, your child cannot
become a citizen of this country. Also a foreigner who gets married to a Korean lady
cannot become a citizen of this nation. Why is it so difficult for foreigners to become a
citizen here in Korea? My second question is about transportation. Korean words are
hard to pronounce, for example a place like Noksapyeong. When we take a taxi and
say the name of the place, the taxi driver keeps saying, “I don’t know” in Korean. Why
can’t foreigners become taxi drivers as in other nations around the world? Thank you.
Sang-bum Kim: For the first question, it is beyond the city authority. So I will report it
to the competent office. And to address the language barrier between taxi drivers and
customers, we introduced “free interpretation” service. If a taxi driver can’t understand
what you’re saying, you just need to say “free interpretation”. Then the driver will call to
the interpretation center and an interpreter will help you with the language.
Participant 7: I am from Las Vegas. I’ve been here for a year and a half. I live around
Insa-dong area and I teach there, also. First, there’s a lot of trash. I don’t understand
why there can’t be trashcans or trash bins. A lot of people vomit on the street. That’s
not very exciting and birds eat the vomit. That doesn’t look very good. Second, as I live
here, I date Korean girls and go to places. At two different times, I’ve been punched in
the head for no reason. My girlfriend and I go to a bar, where Koreans have thrown
peanuts at me for no reason. I’ve gone to nightclubs but they won’t let me in. I asked
why. I wasn’t drunk and I have money. Why can’t I go to a nightclub? He says because
I’m white. I think there’s a lot of anti-foreigner feeling here in Seoul. If someone
punches me in the head again, who do I call and what do I do?
Sang-bum Kim: First of all, I have to say sorry. About trash, I will report your comment
to the Environment Division. For violence, you may report to the SHC or to the police.
Participant 7: There should be people walking, patrolling and doing something instead
of sleeping.
Robert Gilbert: I think that the Korean police system is run by police boxes that are
regionally distributed. You may not know where the police box is. The police box is
normally within the walking distance at almost every point. That’s quite different from
the U.S. where they have central headquarters and cruisers.
Trevor Bull: Can I make a suggestion here? The gentleman is asking for some help,
guidance and advice. So if you leave your name, they will give you some advice and
guidance. Then you will know where to go and what to do if such a thing happens
again.
Participant 8: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m from the Dominican embassy.
I just want to make a remark. We have to make a statement acknowledging the great
children of Seoul. They welcomed foreign people. I thought there was training from the
city. But it’s natural. I think the city’s doing a great work. I congratulate you for the work
you’re doing and I encourage you to keep on the good work. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: I think we can have one more question. And we’ll have to close it
because we have a schedule CheongGyeCheon tour. Please go ahead.
Participant 9: Thank you. I’ve been a resident of Seoul for 3 years. In that time I have
seen a lot of progress. I do want to compliment the city officials, especially in the area
of environment. I’ve been enjoying the introduction of crosswalks in downtown that
eliminates the need to go underground, additional parks and more green spaces. You
are making a sincere effort to help foreigners. Of course there is always a room for
improvement. I’ve noticed an increase in taxi fare by 17% at one time and water rates
went up by 35 % at one time at least in my building. These increases should be
implemented more gradually. I would prefer 5% a year or 3% a year, something to keep
up with inflation. An increase of 35% for water in one year is too much. And quickly, my
small gripes. Luckily I have avoided any injury so far from motorcycles on the sidewalk.
There is a lot of talks about buses and trains but not about motorcycles, I’m fairly
surprised. I was nearly run over turning around a blind corner. I don’t know what the
injury rates are in the city. I have heard a lot of foreigners complaining about this. Lastly,
I would like to re-emphasize others’ comments to provide more services in English in
such things as pension, health insurance, bank accounts, phone services. Thanks for
your time.
Sang-bum Kim: All citizens can’t be unanimous in raising utility rates. So please
understand. Raising utility rates is the last means we are taking. For motorcycles, I will
discuss with the competent division and follow it through. Thank you.
Robert Gilbert: I think we need to move onto CheongGyeCheon tour and I want to
close on a personal note. I first came here in 1974 and I’ve been here straight since
1981. During that time, it’s been really remarkable to see what Seoul can achieve. The
1988
Seoul
Olympics,
democratization
movement
in
1987
and
1988,
internationalization has brought things like Starbucks and Thai restaurants, etc. It’s
really remarkable how much things have changed. There’s a long way to go and
probably that’s true for all cities. Pollution is down here. They use natural gas now.
There is a very aggressive program in place to cut down diesel pollution by requiring
the retrofit of buses. With limited resources, Seoul is really trying very hard to make the
city more livable not just for foreign investors and foreign community but for everybody
who lives here. I hope you give a round of applause for the officials who joined us
today and for their continuing efforts. Thank you very much.