People gripe about overpriced housing, traffic jams, constant political protests, crime, pollution, bad manners and a string of tragedies caused by bad construction during the nation's rush to economic growth. In 1994, a bridge across Seoul's Han River collapsed, killing 32 people, many of them school children on a commuting bus. In 1995, Seoul's ritzy five-story Sampoong department store collapsed liked a stack of pancakes, killing 501 people. Twelve city officials went to jail for up to three years for receiving bribes to approve illegal design changes and slipshod construction. The disasters led to national soul-searching about the human price of economic development, and authorities have tightened building standards and safety regulations.
Traffic remains a constant ordeal, with millions on the road each day.
Seoul people are a tough breed, exemplified by a woman who was buried in the rubble of the department store and survived for 16 days, drinking rainwater. And they complain. Just ask Lee Yoon-jong, one of Seoul's 700 telephone directory assistants. Their work entails not just giving numbers but soothing frustrated citizens. Seoul citizens are very sensitive to news.