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In South Korea, speed is key. What needs to be done quickly? Virtually everything.
As encapsulated in the running joke that “ppalli ppalli” -- where "ppalli" translates to "quickly" or "hurry up" in Korean -- is one of the first Korean phrases that visitors pick up here, Koreans tend to display minimal tolerance for delays.
“Being quick is considered to be efficient, at least in my workplace,” Song Min-jae shared, a Seoul resident in his early 30s. “But this quickness isn’t just limited to my work life. It permeates every aspect of my life.”
Quick-tempo living
Notable manifestations of Korea's tendency to do things hastily include the common habit of pressing the button to close the doors in elevators as soon as one enters, or repeatedly refreshing slowly loading web pages.
It is also typical to see people rushing up escalators or walking briskly on moving walkways, to the point where stopping could disrupt the flow of commuters. On buses, passengers often stand to prepare to disembark even before the bus comes to a stop.
Park, a Seoul-based graduate student in her 20s, embodies the belief that time is money. Even during her downtime spent on YouTube, she has developed a habit of playing videos at twice the speed, finding most videos “too slow.”
In nearly all service sectors, speed is paramount, as even minor delays can tarnish customer experience.
In the e-commerce landscape, speedy delivery services are constantly vying to outdo each other with even faster delivery times.
Coupang's Rocket Delivery guarantees free next-day delivery, but not just any time the next day. Any product marked with its rocket symbol is guaranteed to arrive before 7 a.m. the following day, provided one orders by midnight.
Health and beauty retailer CJ Olive Young even offers same-day deliveries, although this service doesn't cover all locations nationwide. For instance, customers who purchase beauty products at around 2:50 p.m. can choose delivery windows between 4:50 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. or between 10 p.m. and midnight the same day.
Speed is ensured in government services as well, such as printing certificates, registering documents and filing taxes, thanks to the country's advanced digital infrastructure.
Online, ordinary people have access to approximately 70,000 customized public services. Over 5,000 self-service e-government kiosks are also located throughout the country, providing convenient access to state-issued documents.
The speed at which Koreans complete tasks — whether in government or the private sector — is credited with the country’s rapid response during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a March 2020 BBC report.
Kwon Gye-cheol, then a professor of laboratory medicine at Chungnam National University's College of Medicine and chair of the Laboratory Medicine Foundation, was quoted as saying in the article: "South Koreans managed to design and create a test, set up a network of labs across the country, and get it all to work in 17 days."
This frenetic pace has become so deeply ingrained the daily rhythm of life in Korea that one feels disadvantaged without it.
"One of the perks of living in Korea is the fast and convenient services," Song said. “I realized this firsthand during my semester abroad in Japan,” he added.
However, the pursuit of prompt services can lead to a sense of impatience, sometimes manifesting as quick-tempered behavior.
In July, a man in his 50s was arrested for assaulting civil servants at a community center in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. Local police reported that the man, who had demanded expedited services, became enraged when the workers had asked him to wait.
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Nature or nurture
While theories abound as to how the nation became so rushed, some have delved into historical records in an attempt to trace the origins of this behavior.
Song Ki-ho, a retired professor of Korean history at Seoul National University, argues this disposition can be traced back to the 1400s, as documented in the royal annals, “The Veritable Records of King Sejong” (1418–1450). Even in the 15th century, the Korean people's desire for speed was evident.
Sejong lamented, “Our people by nature desire to work fast yet seem incapable of precision. How can roof tiles be made with precision so that there will be no concerns about their collapse due to rain leaks?”
Jung Sung-won, Lee Young Myn and Kim Ockjin in their 2014 article in the Journal of Social Thoughts and Culture, "Chop-Chop Culture in Chosun Society," link Koreans' hurried nature to their desire to accelerate time and achieve goals. They trace this mindset back to scholars during the Joseon era, who focused on time management in their highly competitive society.
Others suggest the race against time, often seen as indicative of hard work and industriousness, is linked to more recent history – the rebuilding of the war-stricken nation after the Korean War in the 1950s.
From this period onwards, state-led initiatives drove industrialization at a breakneck pace to stimulate growth, giving rise to a social norm that highly values expeditiousness.
Economics professor emeritus Lim Jung-duk of Pusan National University, who authored the 2023 book, "K-Speed: The Source of Korean Competitiveness," sheds light on South Korea's distinctive rapid pace as a key driver behind its transformation into an economic and cultural powerhouse.
In the book, speed is depicted as the core value driving national development across various sectors, instigating changes in “physical, spatial, geographical, ideological, institutional, economic, functional and cultural” dimensions.
It may have resulted from a confluence of both internal and external factors, as argued by media and communications studies professor Kang Jun-man of Jeonbuk National University in "The Cultural Politics of 'Ppalli-ppalli': A Study on the 'Speed Communication' in Korea," a 2010 article published by the Korean Regional Communication Research Association.
He argues that the rapid economic development under military rule since the 1960s, characterized by its emphasis on speed and competitiveness, played a pivotal role in shaping this cultural trait.
Lack of brakes, breaks
Yet, the culture of haste is not without collateral damage to Korean society.
Critics highlight the extent to which it has occasioned a range of societal issues, including traffic accidents, substandard construction, physical health problems and high suicide rates.
A recent criminal case involving a bus driver highlights the dark side of the ppali-ppali culture in a literal sense. The driver was charged over the death of an elderly passenger who was disembarking when the bus accelerated, resulting in her fall.
A government road safety slogan from the past, "five minutes saved could cost you 50 years of life," remains relevant today, serving as a stark reminder of the fatal consequences of rushing for minor time gains.
Lim Myung-ho, professor of psychology at Dankook University, cited the collapse of the Sampoong Department Store in 1995 as one of the representative examples that prompted the nation to reevaluate its pursuit of expedient achievements.
More importantly, he diverted attention to the mental health implications, as the constant pressure to speed up can take a toll on individuals. In this fast-paced environment, many struggle to hit the brakes.
"This mindset can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. Rushing through meals, for instance, can lead to physical ailments, while the overwhelming pressure of a fast-paced environment can trigger significant mental strain and psychological distress," Lim explained.
He identified burnout syndrome as one of the mental health issues commonly observed among time-strapped workers. “They navigate their days in such hurried working environments, which depletes their energy and motivation,” he said.
As a potential remedy, he stressed the need to adopt a long-term perspective, noting that speeding up does not always translate into greater productivity.
In addition to attempting to slow its tempo, Korean society should prioritize values related to individual happiness and life satisfaction. Paradoxically, he suggested, this approach might offer another pathway to enhance overall efficiency.
"A to Z into the Korean mind" traverses the complexities of the Korean psyche, examining an array of mental and emotional phenomena and their cultural nuances through keywords in alphabetical order. – Ed.
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