South Korea is poised to be a world leader in many respects. Since that despicable civil war nearly leveled the country over sixty years ago, several generations of hardworking Koreans have invested in their country’s infrastructure. It’s beginning to pay off.
According to Geoff Duncan of Digital Trends, South Korea has the fastest internet in the world “with both the highest average connection bandwidth to Internet users (17.5 Mbps) as well as the highest average peak bandwidth delivered to users — a whopping 47.9 Mbps. At those speeds, a typical movie can be downloaded in its entirety in high-definition in just over 30 minutes. A typical song download? Less than three and a half seconds.”
It’s common to see Korean children watching internet-delivered HD television in cars, so they don’t have to miss their favorite programs, music videos, or Olympic events (as long as they’re passengers and not drivers). The United States crosses the finish line at a respectable 5.8 Mbps, or thirteenth. That same movie Duncan references would take Uncle Sam three times as long to download.
As my brother drove us from the Incheon airport and headed toward Geumsan, we tore our eyes from the crisp little screen just in time to look out the window at the longest suspension bridge I have ever seen. The Incheon Bridge – which connects Yeongjong Island and the mainland of Incheon – is the 7th largest cable-stayed bridge in the world, according to Wikipedia.
The bridge reduces travel time between Yeongjon Island and Incheon by up to one hour compared to the old bridge, and provides a beautiful view of the island and Korea’s second most populous city.
It’s absolutely beautiful. The bold and modern design of the bridge is breathtaking in its complexity and elegance.
Korean culture is also gaining momentum. Korean movies are the rage throughout many parts of the world. Asia is experiencing something akin to the British invasion, succumbing to the onslaught of many highly-choreographed boy and girl bands, or “K-Pop” as it has come to be known.
And of course, there is that wild and strange Korean music video, Gangnam Style. The trance that the Incheon bridge had imposed upon me was broken by that nerdy-looking Korean man dancing and singing, “Hey, sexy lady.”
“Mom, mom! Look at this guy,” Cici said. My niece told me that it was one of the most popular music videos in Korea. I was amused by the silliness of his expressions, the sense of humor he had infused into his dancing, and the wild cast of characters he had dancing with him. Mostly, he seemed to be poking fun at himself, which I thought was wonderful.
That evening while watching the American evening news at my sister’s home in Geumsan, they showed a short clip of the video and proclaimed that it had gone viral. It was being watched all around the world.
Yes, Korea is ready to lead in many ways, some of them quite unusual.
Songs of My Families 