Will you visit one of the churches?<br><br><a href="http://pewresearch.org/pubs/657/south-koreas-coming-election-highlights-christian-community">http://pewresearch.org/pubs/657/south-koreas-coming-election-highlights-christian-community</a><br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 5:19 PM, <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bitange@jambo.co.ke">bitange@jambo.co.ke</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
I arrived in Korea yesterday for a Global e-Government conference. ITU<br>
ranks Korea as number one in ICT diffusion. From the airport you see<br>
people walk through with an e-passport using biometrics. The New Incheon<br>
airport is 70 Kms west of Seoul, the capital and largest city of South<br>
Korea with some 11 million inhabitants. It is one of the largest and<br>
busiest airports in the world actually the world's fourth busiest airport<br>
by cargo traffic, and the world's eighth busiest airport in terms of<br>
international passengers in 2010.<br>
<br>
Korea is about 99,000 sq Kms or one half of the Rift Valley Province of<br>
Kenya with a population of 50 million and a GDP of $1 trillion (Kenya's<br>
GDP is about $35 billion). In the 60's it was largely a donor recipient<br>
country with a GDP less than that of Kenya and more than 60% of its<br>
population below poverty. They have turned tables to be a member of the<br>
OECD and a donor country over a short period.<br>
<br>
For many years it mostly depended on the USA as its largest trade partner<br>
but over a time they focused their energies on the Asian Markets. Its<br>
trade with China, USA and Japan in 2010 figures stands at %190, $98 and<br>
$90 billion respectively. They import a great deal of food and the reason<br>
why we should not lease our land but use it to improve on our economic<br>
growth. A Kg of meat here is $100 imported from Canada and Brazil.<br>
<br>
I asked our Ambassador why we cannot sell our meat here. He says we do<br>
not meat their standards. This should not be a problem since we have<br>
broadband in most parts of the country that we can keep pace with the rest<br>
of the world in keeping the records especially those required by various<br>
standrds organization.<br>
<br>
Back to Korea. ICTs are also deployed along the highways making it easier<br>
to go through the toll stations and collecting all the revenues. You can<br>
get data from government at every hour. You can for example know the<br>
number of children born in a day throughtout the country. There is CCTV<br>
practically everywhere. Crime is approaching zero.<br>
<br>
There is an over supply of affordable public transport via the rail and<br>
bus system all clean and on time. If you choose to drive on your own, you<br>
are taxed at every new turn you make. The tax from the polluters who<br>
cannot use public transport is used to subsidize the energy efficient<br>
public tranportation.<br>
<br>
Every child after high school has to go through the Military thus<br>
instilling the discipline required in this competitive world. Because of<br>
such discipline, they do everything very fast. We were literaly running<br>
behind our hosts to catch up with them. In the Newspapers there is a Bank<br>
executive who has committed suicide because he gave questionable loans to<br>
friends. He killed himself for shaming his family and that he may not<br>
have any friends.<br>
<br>
My experience here confirms much of what we have been saying in this<br>
forum. The problem is how to inculcate such high levels of ethical<br>
standards as well as feeling of shame.<br>
<br>
<br>
Regards<br>
<br>
<br>
Ndemo.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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