[HanCinema Korea's Diary] Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger (3)
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This week I join the Korean media and public in pointing the finger at the Suwon police as they not only failed to respond to a young woman's cry for help, but also attempted to conceal their incompetency after the woman's dismembered body was found. The hat goes to a daily convenience in Korea that makes plugging in an utter pleasure, that being Korea's ridiculously fast and cheap Internet. This is Tip of Hat, Wag of the Finger.
The Hat: Internet Speed in Korea
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Korea prides itself on being a world leader when it comes to technology and connectivity. Their Internet is not only currently the fastest in the world, but it is also relatively cheap; with an average cost to the user of less than $30/month. That's a remarkable feat that makes Korean Internet users the envy of the world with their 1GBps speeds and the low cost attached to that service.
Connectivity has never been an issue for me in Korea. In fact, I never really knew how having that kind of technology would affect my daily life. Coming from South Africa, Korea seems like another world where their incredibly fast Internet sneaks its way into more corners of my life than I would care to admit. Online gaming, 4G mobile services, steaming media, downloading, it all takes on a new meaning when the time involved is so minimal. Korea truly stands above all when it comes to Internet service delivery.
Anyone familiar with a typical Korean city would have identified many of the "PC Bangs" that exist in and around it's cities. These computer rooms house avid gamers who frequent there to browse the net, catch-up on their social networks, and, most likely, to spend hours playing online games with friends and against strangers. This all sounds great but it does have a social down side as Korea has around 2 million Internet addicts; that's around 8.5% of the Internets users in Korea. Sadly, their has been a number of cases involving users who have serious injured themselves as well as other due to their addiction. These users are the extreme cases but it points to a darker side of Korea's Internet usage.
Below are some links that provide more information on Korea's Internet as well as some articles on how it has negativity affected Korean society:
South Korean clinic treats web addicts
US ranked 26th in global Internet speed, South Korea number one
Home Internet May Get Even Faster in South Korea
Why Internet connections are fastest in South Korea
Internet Addicts Guilty Of Starving Baby To Death While Tending To Virtual Child
The Finger: Suwon Jungbu Police Station
Earlier this month a Korean-Chinese man was arrested for the rape and murder of 28-year-old woman in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The woman reportedly managed to call the police prior to her murder, however the Suwon police officers failed to react to the call and eventually arrived at the crime scene 13 hours late to find the woman's dismembered body. This tragedy has been in the media since as the woman's death sparked outrage from the public and press. The police investigation was thus audited and it soon became clear that they, not only mishandled the desperate call from the woman and failed to respond, but also shamefully attempted to conceal their incompetency by edited information presented to the public.
In light of the Suwon police's mishandling of events, resignation letters were handed in that included the National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh. "I deeply apologize... I pray for the soul of the victim and pay my condolences to the bereaved family", he said. Below are a few links with more details on this tragic ordeal:
Incompetent Police Fail to Prevent Horrific Murder of Woman
Women furious over police response
Suwon police apologize for failing to save kidnap victim