More Seoul

Koreans pride themselves on technology. This is no more apparent than in Seoul where everything is digitized and you can't ride a subway without sitting next to someone catching anime flicks on their phone whilst texting. (Yes, there is reception in the subway.)

(Interactive touch screens in malls and subways)

Technology is actually a huge issue of debate in Korean right now. Much of the youth (boys in particular, but also girls) spend large portions of their weekends in their local PC방 where they lounge on leather sofas positioned in front of double wide computer screens playing hours of MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games). While in a sense being "social", older generations are worried about the impact such widespread gaming will have on child social development. Gaming may be seen as somewhat nerdy in the U.S., but here several national TV channels are devoted to matches between professional gamers. These gamers are treated, and paid, like professional athletes! Korea also operates the annual "World Cyber Games" which is modeled after the Olympics.

While too much technology may be a bad thing, some of their advances are really quite clever. Take, for example, "T-money". You can buy a T-money card and recharge it when your balance runs low at most convenience stores. It can be swiped when you get on subways, trains, taxis, and buses - no more dealing with coins, vending machines, flimsy tickets, and waiting in lines!



And what's even cooler about T-money (as well as being stereotypically Asian) is that you can opt for a cool T-money "smart" device that is not a card, but instead a thumb drive, a key chain, or my personal favorite, a cell phone accessory! And of course, everything comes in cool designs - as you can see, I opted for the sleek and sexy "Hello Kitty".