27/04/2026

MONDAY | APR 27, 2026

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Seoul’s discipline and collective pride F OR two weeks, my family and I walked the streets of Seoul and the coastal paths of Jeju Island. We went as tourists but

restrooms. In South Korea, every toilet we used, from a highway rest stop to a small cafe in Jeju was spotless. Toilet paper was always stocked and hand soap was always available. There was no puddle on the floor, no broken latch and no unpleasant surprise. It wasn’t luxury but it was consistency – and consistency is dignity. But perhaps the most quietly revolutionary thing I observed was that every single job, big or small, was done by a local Korean. There were no foreign workers sweeping streets, collecting tolls, cleaning toilets or washing dishes in restaurant kitchens. with unhurried care. There was no sense that some jobs were beneath people. Every role was treated as a legitimate, respected part of society. That changes everything. When a nation does not outsource its menial labour, then cleanliness, safety and order become everyone’s responsibility. There is no “us” and “them”. There is only “we”. And when people take pride in whatever they do, whether driving a bus or managing a hotel, the quality of service naturally rises – no shortcuts and no indifference. Just quiet, steady pride. This respect extends to the elderly and infirm. Ramps are everywhere, not as an afterthought but as a standard feature. Every staircase comes with a handrail, even those with just three steps. Crossing signals have slow-walk buttons for seniors. In public places, priority seats remain empty unless needed and no one pretends not to see. It made me wonder: Are we building our Malaysian cities for the young and able only or for everyone? And here is the crucial part, not a single person looked ashamed of their work – the street cleaner wore his uniform with the same dignity as the corporate executive. The elderly woman sorting recycling at a public bin did so

returned as students. We are vegetarians, so to be honest, we struggled to find hearty meals. But hunger pangs aside, South Korea fed us something far more sustaining: a masterclass in how a society can function when everyone quietly agrees to play by the rules. The first thing that strikes you is the absence of chaos. Not because there are no people – Seoul is wonderfully crowded – but because there is an almost automatic respect for order. Queues form without a single announcement. At bus stops, subway platforms and even popular photo spots in Jeju, people wait their turn. No cutting, no jostling and no need for a security guard to bark instructions. It is as if patience is programmed into the culture. As Malaysians, we are familiar with queues but often with an enforcer nearby. In Korea, the enforcement is internal – that I believe is the hallmark of genuine development. Then there is the matter of rubbish or rather the stunning lack of it. You can walk entire city blocks in Seoul without finding a single public dustbin. And yet, you will not see a crumpled cup, a cigarette butt or a stray plastic wrapper. People carry their waste home. They recycle with a mindfulness that puts many of us to shame. Plastic bottles are used sparingly and when they are used, they are cleaned, crushed and disposed of properly. The ESG commitment isn’t a corporate slogan; it is a household habit. Now, let me speak about toilets. I know this is an unusual point of praise but a country’s real progress can be measured by its public

The Korean lesson is not about perfection; it is about collective responsibility and shared dignity. – PIC COURTESY OF DR BHAVANI KRISHNA IYER

Let us bring that home – not Korean food, not K-pop, though we may for both – the Korean mindfulness and Korean pride in all work. The kind that says, “I will follow the rules, even when no one is watching”; “I will clean up, even if no one will know my name”; I will queue because the person behind me matters too”; and “I will respect every worker because no job is small when it serves the whole”. That, to me, is true progress and it is well within Malaysia’s reach. Dr Bhavani Krishna Iyer holds a doctorate in English literature. Her professional background encompasses teaching, journalism and public relations. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree

Worse, we have also developed a quiet hierarchy of labour, where certain jobs are seen as “for foreign workers only”, and therefore not our concern. The Korean lesson is not about perfection; it is about collective responsibility and shared dignity. Every person who carries their coffee cup to a bin is voting for a cleaner nation. Every family that teaches their child to wait in line is building a more patient generation. And every Malaysian who respects a cleaner, a sweeper or a waiter as an equal is rebuilding the social consciousness. Out meals were botched experiences but we left deeply nourished by something else: the quiet, powerful lesson that a developed country is not just about GDP or skyscrapers.

None of this is accidental. South Korea has strong regulations but what impressed me more was that rules are not seen as obstacles to be broken; they are seen as agreements to be honoured. There is no need for a second layer of enforcement because citizens’ conscience are already working at the first layer. And because locals perform every job, there is no class of people who feel exempt from those rules. So what can Malaysia learn? Plenty. We already have the heart – Malaysians are warm, helpful and community-minded. But we have developed a quiet habit of cutting corners, throwing rubbish from a moving car, jumping a queue because “it’s just one person” and leaving a public toilet without flushing because “someone else will clean it”.

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