Okay, so, I just made a post that came down pretty hard on the way the police do their jobs here in Korea, so I thought I’d take a moment and share a personal story that happened a few months ago where I was outright floored by the POSITIVE response I got from the Seoul Mayor’s Office in response to a complaint I had. This was previously posted on Facebook as a “Note” and sent to everyone I know in Korea.
It’s easy to become jaded and cynical after 3.5 years of living in the Seoul Metro area. I always tell people that even after learning Korean and being here for a few years, Korea still surprises me and I’m always learning new things.
Well, the response I received from the City of Seoul in regards to a complaint I made about a poorly paved section of road just absolutely floored me:
Dear Mr. Steve,
Firstly, I would like to express my apology for the accident you had suffered because of the poorly paved road of Seoul.
The right lane of ‘Seocho-ro’, where you had the accident, is managed by the Seoul City and is subject to the road expansion plan implemented by the Construction Department of the Seocho District Office. And the accident location had been excavated by the nearby office of Korea Electric Power Corporations and then recovered by the Southern Road Traffic Office.
As for the problematic section, we are planning to repave the whole road in April 2009, linked with the expansion plan, and have urgently repaired the accident location on Mar. 21, 2009.
I promise to make a thorough supervision not to let this happen again. Also, as for your damage, the liability insurance company operated for the metropolitan cities including Seoul and provinces has already received the accident report on Mar. 20, 2009. I will make sure that the concerned insurance company compensates for your damage inflicted by the accident as soon as and as much as possible.
Please accept my apology for the inconvenience. I wish you and your family happiness and good luck at all times.
Sincerely,
Oh Se-hoon
Mayor of Seoul
I immediately replied to the mayor’s office (I seriously doubt the actual mayor knows about my little complaint at all, but that’s still an awesome response), commending them for their professionalism and, most of all, their show of SINCERITY.
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Since the above happened, I can attest to the fact that my damages were paid for entirely, including medical bills, and the road was patched up within days. At first the agent said they would only pay 70% of the damages, but he actually went to bat for me and got the full amount.
It’s been a tough year so far, and I’ve had some ugly instances and bad luck in regards to my life in Korea, but I have to say I still do find some *sparkling* things that helps to keep it all in perspective. Oh yeah and, FYI, I haven’t ridden a scooter or motorcycle since and have no plans to ever try it again.
07/06/2009 at 10:47 pm Permalink
One thing I hve noticed about Korea is that it seems to be…extreme. I find that people here are either extremely unhelpful or extremely helpful. In the same day in Seoul, I got spit on by one Korean, and given a free room for a night by another Korean.
09/06/2009 at 11:43 pm Permalink
Goes to show you that the people that bash Korea 24/7 usually do so out of limited perspective and scope and out of their own ignorance.
Good of the city to respond this quickly and this efficiently to your complaint Rob.