Korea is just ugly, maybe.

Korea is not the most beautiful country in the world. It can be, but at the moment it just isn’t. Compared to the vast spaces you get in countries like Australia, the US or South Africa, the landscape here is basically one continuous urban sprawl interrupted by small mountains and odd patches of rice farms. Korean cities all look the same and create what I like to call The Homogonous Mess. This mess is the main reason it can take newcomers to this country months to learn where the most basic of things are in their little cities and towns.

But even with this mess it is still an amazing country in many, many ways. Once you learn how to navigate the Homogonous Mess to find all the amazing back alley restaurants, shops and areas to go to when you need something specific, and once you learn where to go to relax away from the madness outside, then life here is great. Better yet, it is getting better.

When I talk to Koreans it is obvious that they are aware of the “ugliness”, but rightfully so Koreans are not completely ashamed of it. The ugliness is, after all, the result of the Miracle on the Han, one of the most incredible storied of a country picking itself up that you will ever learn about. Many Koreans do, however, feel that it is time for a change. Judging by the number of proposals that pop up every year for beautifying Seoul, and the number of projects already under way, it is obvious that the government thinks this as well.

For someone like me who does not live in Seoul, the changes are more apparent than for people in Seoul itself. The new apartment complex next to the Express Bus Terminal is a prime example of how Korea is working to beautify the country. The developers decided to develop this piece of land with building that are at odd angles to each other and fill the spaces with as many trees and as much grass as they can find. The architecture is a bit same-same, but at least it does not look like we are in Russia any more. All this makes for something that is quite pleasing to the eye when you go past it.

All along the Han River I can see parks are being revamped and cleaned up, and at more than one location new and interesting structures are being built to cater for the people visiting these parks. For a while now they have been trying to clean up the Han itself. Seoul has even started revamping whole neighbourhoods, and in the subways we are seeing posters everywhere for plans to create integrated park/buildings to make Seoul greener.

My personal favourite trend here is historic buildings are being renovated and destroyed buildings being rebuilt. Slowly Korea is becoming more “East Asian” but also more beautiful, and it is exciting to watch.