POVERTY IN KOREA - poor old woman on the streets of Seoul

[ann4life222]

I'm sure they helped this lady already

[SkyJack94]

Ok.. so you see one homeless person in the streets of Korea and now that entire country is classified Third world? I'm sorry to ask... but are you stupid? Name me ONE country in the world that dosen't have homless people. Well what a suprise! Appearently America is also a "Third World Country". Oh and to powerandspeed, if you think Seoul is the only city in Korea, it is obvious you either haven't been to Korea or you don't understand the term "city". Both of you please educate yourselves.

[MrSuperddd1]

you see this on every street in every north american city so why be so shocked

[iheartbread2death]

do any of you guys know where the poor regions are in korea? like..a general region or something?

[joaosilvmart]

Why are they filming this poor old lady like she is an animal?

Every country has social inequality and South Korea has expensive rents and problems with aging in the traditional familiar system. She can be a victim of this, what does not mean she needs to be filmed to tell that Korea is a third world country or Koreans are cocky in other countries.

[toe39]

South Korean population is rapidly aging.

Come on Korea, have more kids!

[redwhitedude]

Don't know what the point of this video? Is it to show that not everybody is seoul has it well off?

[MyEpiphany430]

This type of poverty is nothing compared to poverty I see in the U.S., South America, SE Asia, Africa and China. Trust me- I live in the U.S. South Korea at least has government funded programs for the elderly. It is in the Korean blood to care for their elderly. She looks like she's in her 90's and is in pretty good shape. Some do live very poorly but you don't see beggars on the streets of Korea. I have yet to see one in Seoul.

[RaceBabie]

It's a shame they need to share the wealth with all. It's official with them getting the Olympics for 2018. I hope the majority of the people will reap the benefits. I know in America the government cannot cover everything but there are so many charities to pick up the slack especially for the elderly. It explains why so many enter the entertainment field to make a living.

[pauly300300]

cia and austrolia lol. google it wikipedia has most of your ansers,i said one of the highest not the highest.

[pauly300300]

human development index south korea came in at 12 position in the world

gdb per capita in korea also came in at one of highest,look at most of america most areas are full of slums highest crime rates in the world.resesion,bad hospital systems

needing insurance to even get any assistance.the list goes on you see way more poverty in the us,????

[pauly300300]

south korea is a first world country (fact) ,like any country there are people living on the streets usually due to mental issues.she has a choice in what she does.they also have much more advanced hospitals and tecknoligy than most western countrys,also education systems is one of highest in the wourld, theres good and bad areas in any place.in every country

[innerhappiness]

Most of them are cocky. Go to Kissena golf course and in Alley Pond driving range. They think they are the best. Ha Ha Ha. They don't speak or understand English well. "No Smoking" and you will see them smoking a lot. Hot or cold.

[ilovebibbles98]

@innerhappiness uhhh yeah just saying ppl r aloowed to have pride in their country. i bet u think u r sooo great cause you know english. wow . u r the cocky nd rude one maing fun of ppl tht dont know ur language. lets watch you try to speak another language i will start laughing at you.

[iluvavcdo]

instead of you video taping her, why didnt you just help her? if i were in your position i would be ashamed taking videos knowing she was struggling and you know what i could have done buy her some food.

[StandingRedPanda]

@iluvavcdo What if the person did buy her some food afterwards? Don't judge from a one minute video. What if she is eating a shelter? Hobos often do that in europe and later still beg on the streets. That's why I usually give money to those that look genuinely poor or kneel on their knees. There's some old lady living around a train station but instead of money, she keeps asking for a cigarette.

But in this case, the last thing that a lazy hobo does is honest work and so I would help her out.

[genxchicka1]

I dont know a city in the world that doesnt have poverty and homeless.

[anusrodentum19]

Don't you guys think that South Korea itself is poor. According to wikipedia, south korea is ranked 12th highest HDI in the world in last year. The real problem is that, just like America, south korea has the big gap between the rich and the poor.

[marxian00]

@anusrodentum19

Things are also getting worse in South Korea because of the large numbers of irregular workers. the government makes a huge song and dance about how great the economy is because unemployment is only 3%, but now over 50% of workers are employed as irregulars with no benefits and lower pay than regulars.

[kennypang68]

@VascoPolonia

I understand it's your feeling but there is NO way you can classify South Korea as a third world country. Go to Haiti and talked to me about third world country.

[Meetero]

Well at least they're good at Starcraft.

[Weedmast0r]

Do you know a country in the world without poverty? I dont.

[marxian00]

@Weedmast0r

Spend some time in Korea (about a year) and you will notice that poverty is ripe compared to the western nations,

[aznboi1398]

Reason why alot of elders are poor because of the Japs

[Bagatronic]

fake and gay

[TheMichelleyoo]

... Im speechless... I'll be praying for my faverite country more... And im from the US. I didnt no there was poor ppl in SK.

[PriusRider]

@TheMichelleyoo yehr, pray and belive it helps, church fag.

[LoneGunman2000]

you guys do realize that the IMF made SOuth Korea poor as it is. And Koreans fell for the bait and did not rebel. I mean South Korea is like a good child to the United nations by limiting their population. But now, the IMF came in and takes all their loot.

Shame on Koreans, as korean as I am

[burnmaker01]

damn

[unclehandyman]

What I know that the government pay $240 month, plus free house and fuel plus free medical support if you are over 65 years old, however, senior people who got used yo be a hard worker, they still want to work, in stead of watching the T.V. when I talked to them on the street

[england0wnsYou]

poor poor korea :(

[ElectricRainbowXx]

wtf, y dont ppl help her/ wow poor old lady

[ARandomTranny]

I feel soo bad for her.. :(

poor halmoni

[limewaveZ]

ankylosing spondylitis....no need for laughs

[TheFoxandTheRabbit]

very, very sad, and she has also osteosporosis:( i see people like that here, i do give them what $ i can. Not all. You can tell who really is down and out, and who chooses that here in usa

[JapanMonkeyHunter]

Korea is not poor but, Korea got old man proplum..

Korea and Japan,England people are live so long life..

and Korea people are not born many baby..

that's why many old people are in the street..

so pity..

[rorororow]

you made me laugh with your grammar dude hahahaha

[powerandspeed]

i went to korea last year, I was very surprised with lots of crappy and old houses in korea and people are not really rich, only Seoul looks like a city, just cant belive why koreans r so cocky, when they r in other countries ???

[VascoPolonia]

You're right. Korea is Seoul.

Besides, with all their economic achieviements I'd still classify them as a third world country. One can grow rich overnight, but it takes many generation to change people's mentality.

Their cockiness is a result of national neuroses and complexes.

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia i find ur comment very insulting. People with mindset like yours are worse than the KKK and racist bastards. How many Koreans do you know? You are trying to CATEGORIZE whole Korea just based on people you know or you saw on tv? It is country built by blood and sweats of many good people, just like your country and others. I admit, there are many cocky koreans. But that is only if u look at it with narrow view. If you wanan find, u can find cocky ppl from ALL AROUND THE WORLD

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia What I'm trying to say is, you need to be really careful and think through when you say the word "they." Because if you wanna categorize like that, i can just call the whole europeans murderer for the deeds of Crusaders, Nazi, etc. And I can call all americans murderer for Jeffery Dahmer's deed. You see, the word 'THEY' is a VERY VERY ignorant choice of word. Korea, just like ALL other countries have their own share of flaws.

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia Any reasonable person would condam extreme nationalism. And so do i. I dont like extreme nationalist koreans. But that doesnt only exist in korea. as you know, nationalism exist EVERYWHERE. If you would like to criticize Korean extreme nationalist, GO RIGHT AHEAD. I'm with you on that. But do not forget, if your reason for the criticism is the simple fact that they are KOREAN, that means something is wrong with you. I hope you know the difference between patriotism and nationalism

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia Once again, in anything, DO NOT CATEGORIZE. As much as you wouldnt like someone categorizing for the doings of other people, i dont want to be categorized for w/e reason u are criticizing koreans. You kno thats how Hitler gained propaganda to exterminate Jews during the WW2. He picked out EVERY bad thing about Jews, which are not the only characteristics of Jews but of all men, and justified their killings. Korea made great deal of achievements.

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia Korea got to world's 13th economic power from world's 3rd poorest country in only 50yrs. Also, was a country heavily relied on the arms of allies, but now world's 6th strongest military power with arm forces working actively all around the world to help those in need. Korea is currently only Asian country to protect cargo ships in Africa from Somali pirates, and Korea sent 3rd most coalition forces to Iraq to help them reconstruct their country.

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia I am pround of my country Korea, and I do not respect anyone that tries to down play our achievements. Yet, I will not say Korea is better than blablabla. Nor will I ever say Korea is the best in the world. I admit our flaws. Yes Korea still have homeless people (the world would be utopia if there wasnt any), yes Korea have lots of anti-japanese EXTREME nationalists. Speaking of mentality. We are country with 5000yrs of history and our mentality happen to be perseverance and pride.

[atomist21]

@VascoPolonia anyways, sry bout the walls of comments. i just get fired up sometimes. Thank you for the video btw. As i said, i admit Korea's flaws and maybe videos like this would at least help ppl to be aware there are still many ppl in need while many others are living privileged life.

[marxian00]

@VascoPolonia

Are they really rich? GDP per capita in Korea is under half of the western countries, and GDP per capita in some of the rural areas are at third world levels.

[ilovebibbles98]

@marxian00 ok well guess what? i know alot about korea. western countries have lots of natrual resources. we have barely any. we use our brains and get smart so we can make money. do you think canada is poor? no! we are only one rank below from canada on the list of richest countries. canada is 13th and korea is 14th. canada has soooooooooo many natrual resources like gas, timber, fur etc. we have nothing. we used our brains.

[marxian00]

@ilovebibbles98.

Canada has a GDP per capita of $43,000; South Korea has a GDP per capita of only $20,000.Australia has a GDP per capita of $57,000. South Korea at best is still a middle income country.

How do you measure "richest countries"? Economy size or GDP per capita? If you are just using sheer economy size as a measure then India is ranked as the 4th largest economy in the world- ten whole places above South Korea.

[kbssat]

@marxian00

where did you get those numbers? According to CIA world fact, per capita GDP is $40000 for Canada, $40000 for AusTROLia, and $30000 for Korea. Get your fact straight, dude!!

[marxian00]

All people have brains and creative abilities, Koreans are not a master race. Get real mate.

The Korean economy grew rapidly in the 1960s and 70s because of three specific reasons:

1. The massive exploitation of labour. In the 1970s Koreans were working like slaves for low pay in factories for export.

2. Park Chung Hee had Japanese connections and he as able to get hold of technology from Japan.

3. The USA gave South Korea huge amounts of money for involvement in the Vietnam war.

[marxian00]

The Korean economy is well past its hayday of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1980 Korea faced its first economic crisis. The 1998 economic crisis brought about a complete restructuring of the Korean economy and brought suffering on the poor.

Any growth of the last decade has been because of three factors: 1. The massive exploitation of low paid irregular and migrant workers, 2. The slow increase in household debt . 3. The western countries ability to consune Korean exports.

[marxian00]

To be honest I can not understand how so many people in Korean can actually live. The minimum wage is a miserly 4,300 with no benefits. Irregular workers often get paid less than the minimum for the same work.

Youth unemployment in Korea is over 10% and there is no social security system to help those looking for work. The govenment old aged social security payment is a miserly 100,000 won per month.

[paxclassicalmusic]

@VascoPolonia change Koreans' mentality?- like allowing the Japanese to conceal "the acts of Unit731 against Koreans" from Japanese children? I see. I'm wondering why Japan has been as wealthy as Germany and still their "mentality fails". Just look at the Japanese navy flag, they're still using their equivalent of the Nazi flag.

[mc731314]

@VascoPolonia hahaha, a third world country. It's too obvious that you are jealous and you do this on purpose. I'm a flight attendant, I used to go to Poland(we discontinued that route, so we don't fly there anymore) You know how your country is, and I can tell you a lot of stuff about Poland. I just don't want to hurt your feeling and embarass you. You as a Polish, you are not in a position to criticize South Korea. Everyone's gonna laugh.

[Bassguitarchigoshipo]

@VascoPolonia I firmly disagree with your misuse of the word cocky. What may seem cocky to you is actually pride. This was the overriding mentality we Koreans had to have such an incredible recovery from the Korean War. Isn't it amazing how well the have picked themselves up from a devastating blow such as the Korean War? People even ate brickwalls in the Korean war because they were so hungry, now people like this woman (bless her soul) actually have rubbish to pick from.

[Bassguitarchigoshipo]

@VascoPolonia Isn't it just convenient that just 61 years ago the Korean War had been going on, and that 50% of people above the age of 65 who are living in relative poverty, were alive around at that time? I know that your comments may be 2 years old but it aches my heart for people to think stuff like this. Koreans are people of pride. We have rebuilt our country to the state it is now, one of the strongest countries in the world, included in the G-20 (20 most major economies)! Please!

[Bassguitarchigoshipo]

@VascoPolonia One cannot "simply grow rich overnight"! What are you talking about! One does not take a nation under their wing and creates a country overnight, or even in a decade for that matter, with more than 200 other pre-existing countries! Korea has literally rebuilt a bustling economy and the PRIDE OF THE PEOPLE in 61 years from the state of letting their people lie naked around U.S soldiers with diseases!

[ogicabp4u]

@VascoPolonia True. I lived there for 10 years! SK's have many virtues many westerners do not have though! Swings and roundabouts.

[marxian00]

@powerandspeed

I feel exactly the same way. There seems to be two worlds here in Korea- this super high tech world where everything is 100 times better than the USA, and this crappy world of smelly markets, people dressed in rags selling junk off blankets, scores of homeless people sleaping in the streets and harrassing me for a few coins, drunks peeing in the streets, etc.

[Jeremy696969]

@marxian00

so so true.

[ilovebibbles98]

@powerandspeed okkkkkkkkk r u even korean?????????? all countries have crappy houses. canada, usa, they all have cities too.... and korean ppl arent cocky. look at americans and canadians ands british. they think they r sooooo great cause they r rich and have so many resources. well guess what? korea was sooooooooo poor 50 yrs ago. now we r only one rank below canada! canada and other countries have soooooooo much natrual resources they get money from. we have none. but we used out brains!!!!!!!

[marxian00]

@ilovebibbles98

I am from Australia and I have NEVER SEEN houses as bad as some of the CRAP I see in Korea. Local councils have building regulations.

In Korea I have seen buildings that look like they come straight out of the third world- they are all cracked, the roofs are kept down with tires, the streets smell like raw swerage, etc. In all honesty they would not pass local builing regulations in ANY developed country.

[lavawava44]

@marxian00 the chances are those houses were built before any building regulations was in place. keep in mind that korea was once the poorest nation in the world right after the korean war. of course the regulations that exist today in korea would never allow for that kind of unplanned contruction anymore. this should be a reminder of the hardships korea went through to get to where it is today, if anything

[Bassguitarchigoshipo]

@powerandspeed I agree, Koreans may sometimes be filled with too much pride for our good, but please don't call it being cocky. Have you had your country build up from the lowest it can possibly be, to have its economy included in the G-20 in just simply 61 years? Come on! When were we so cocky when the Japanese tried to flush out the language created by one of our fallen kings, and when were we so cocky when the people of the nation lied around in the dirt waiting for U.S soldiers to wipe us?

[Noobssuckass300]

@Bassguitarchigoshipo America made you.

[jklg22]

Confucius say: take care of your mother.

[Aniwazoa]

Wow....something should be done....

[Ahpgujung]

she should be resting at the farm in the mountain not on the streets