I spent 2009 living in South Korea. During my time there I noticed that there is no evidence of crime or anti-social behavior. There is no graffiti at all. I saw no evidence of road rage or any sort of aggressive behavior. I was never tailgated while driving. People in Korea walk the streets at any time of night without having to worry about being attacked. It is a very safe, civil society.
I returned home to Australia on December 14th. I was tailgated on my first day home and every single time I have driven since. Suburban Sydney is riddled with graffiti vandalism. And last Wednesday, 23 days after arriving home I witnessed a random assault in a hamburger restaurant.
It’s mainly Sydney. I’m relatively new to Sydney and the first thing I noticed is how polluted it is and how rude and aggressive people are compared to other parts of Australia.
I changed planes in Seoul once, and the airport was creepily quiet. It was crowded, but everyone seemed to be walking along silently or speaking quietly amongst themselves. The main source of noise was the scuffing of shoes on the tile. It really freaked me out.
I had just completed a 13.5-hour flight preceded by a 5-hour flight, so maybe I was in a fugue state. Sure seems like I remember foot-shuffling and muted whispers.