I think some subconscious part of my brain noticed a change in driver behavior a while back, but it's a revolutionary thing: you can now turn right on red after stopping in South Korea! "Whoopdee-doo," says the jaded American who's been able to do this since forever in the States. Trust me: in Korea, that's a pretty big change. Drivers have been sneaking right turns on red here for years, but not every driver has done it: the maneuver has been illegal up to this year. As you see on the sign, the new traffic rule took effect this past January 22. I must have ridden by this sign a thousand times without really noticing it before. (This is why I never became a detective: I have no powers of observation.)
This may be a bit like how new paths get created in local parks. The park is built, and certain paths are laid down during that initial construction. But as people start to use the park, they discover little shortcuts for themselves—shortcuts that lead over grass and cause dirt paths to form. The dirt paths are ugly, but the park officials know they're not going to go away, so the answer is to convert those dirt paths into legitimate, bricked-over paths. And thus it is that a new path is born. What started off as a little transgression becomes legitimized. With enough people cheating the right-turn-on-red thing year after year, this new traffic rule represents a caving-in to what has already been a reality, arguably thanks to the "wisdom" of the masses. It probably also frees up the police to worry about more important things. At it brings Korea deeper into the modern, civilized world.
Let's decode the (mostly) large-font Korean on the sign!
빨간 불 bbalgan bul = red light
엔 aen = at
일단 멈춤 ildan meomchum = stop first
후 hu = after
우회전 u-hoejeon ("oo-hweh-juhn") = turn right
At a red light, stop first, then turn right. = Right turn on red after stop.
Note that the Korean equivalent of prepositions (at, after) are postpositions.
ADDENDUM: My boss says that "right on red after stop" has been a thing in Korea for a while, but the new rule has more to do with stopping at crosswalks. I don't know. Is he right? The above sign doesn't say anything about crosswalks (which are called 횡단보도, hoengdan-bodo). I suspect that my boss has been turning right on red after stopping because he's an American and an aggressive driver. He's probably thought that "right on red after stop" has been a thing all this time when, in fact, it hasn't.
I believr your boss is right. You've always been able to turn right on red unless specifically prohibited but last year they specifed rules about when you can and cant and they beefed them up this year to strengthen pedestrian rights.
ReplyDeleteI believe you, but now, I'm confused by the sign, which makes this seem like a new traffic rule, as if it hadn't been that way before.
ReplyDeleteThe first update was being required to stop if the pedestrian crossing was green and there were people on any part of it. No blazing through once the pedestrians were past your half of the road. The latest update requires you to come to a complete stop before proceeding through.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I appreciate the clarification.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever owned a vehicle in Korea? I remember when I first started driving there--it seemed insane. Early on, I had an epiphany that it was like everyone else was drunk, and I was sober. It took my defensive drive skills to a whole other level!
ReplyDeleteYup, right on red has definitely always been a thing. As the owl said, it's more about having to come to a full stop.
ReplyDeleteBut I have to wonder how much of this is actual rule changes and how much is just deciding that they're going to enforce what's already on the books. Because I had to study for a driving exam years ago, and I specifically remember that you were not allowed to go through a crosswalk if there were pedestrians in it. I'm also pretty sure that you were supposed to stop at red lights no matter what, whether you turned right after you stopped or not.