In my experience, Soviet Koreans who have visited South Korea return filled with patriotic feelings. It would be a lie to say I didn't experience anything similar. Besides, the incomprehensible always lingers in the mind and stirs the imagination.

The economic miracle the Koreans have achieved in just a few decades (less than half the average human lifespan) is all the more remarkable because, upon firsthand observation of the country, your notions of how to achieve economic prosperity and technological progress crumble. Korean society doesn't seem particularly liberal or free-market.

Despite all this, the Koreans we observed during our trip were friendly and relaxed, and I didn't notice any particular complexes. You can't help but believe our guide's explanation of the Korean miracle. It went something like this: the Koreans were so inspired by finally gaining independence that they decided to build the best country possible and decided to work hard to achieve it. The question immediately arises: how did they do it? Where did 47 million Koreans gather to agree on "let's live better?" I think there's another mystery at play here. Despite Korea's rare independence, somehow the Korean nation hasn't lost its identity, preserving its mono-nation and mono-culture (though not its mono-religion, by the way. 40% of Koreans are now Christians). Perhaps the preservation of a certain communal spirit in the structure of Korean society is what allowed them to quickly "agree" on a common goal? The first thing I noticed upon arriving in Korea was the almost complete absence of non-Korean cars. During the entire trip, I saw one Volkswagen, one Mercedes, and a friend spotted two BMWs. Even the grocery stores were clearly dominated by domestic goods. Imported goods are expensive, while Korean food and vodka are quite cheap. I was surprised to find that traditional Korean teas at Seoul Duty Free cost the same as in regular stores.

Koreans are crazy about the achievements of technological progress: there are a lot of incomprehensible buttons in the toilets, hand sanitizers are everywhere at the airports, some hotels have computers right in the room, various sensors are widely used (I was especially touched by the delicate toilet in Seoul airport – the time after the last flash is calculated very precisely :). The Seoul subway map is amazing, and subways also run between several cities. Many entertainment options are based on modern technology – portraits drawn by a robot artist, interaction with virtual images of world stars – life-size, life-size, and at the same level as you. A young couple can take a photo and, after processing, receive an approximate portrait of their future child. All this is available and much of it is free. Unfortunately, visiting such places wasn't included in the excursion program; anyone who stumbled upon them by chance was lucky. In South Korea, it seems, they don't take tips; a "spoiled" friend, after one of his first doses of rice vodka, tried to overpay the waitress. a thousand wonThe woman took a thousand, returned with a receipt and a calculator, and laughingly showed them, "Dude, what's wrong with you? You owe me 6, I gave you 10, and the change is 4, so why are you giving me back a thousand?" Tour bus drivers sometimes drove people to a large store after their hotel. When the "spoiled" friend offered money (it was on the tip of everyone's tongue), the trip was canceled. The driver didn't agree out of greed; he was trying to work hard and fulfill his duties. Overtime and staying late are commonplace in South Korea.

Lawyers, doctors, and teachers earn the highest salaries, two to three times more than the national average, which is about $1000 (the average salary). We asked incredulously, "And how much do school teachers make?" It turned out that school teachers make that much, and university professors make even more. You can usually see girls in traditional costumes at palaces and museums, happily posing for photos with tourists. No one asks for money for this. In Seoul , at the Imperial Palace, there's a ceremonial changing of the guard every hour, again so that all tourists can see and take photos with the guards—free of course. It brought to mind the Roman gladiators at the Colosseum, looking downright thuggish. Not only did they charge a few euros for a photo with them, but they also tried to strangle every one of our girls with an embrace :)).

It seems the Korean government pays a lot of attention and allocates significant resources to promoting Korean culture. In Seoul, we were literally forced to stay for an hour and a half (we wanted to wander for about 40 minutes) on a special souvenir street, where, in addition to shops, every 10 meters there were demonstrations of how Korean sweets are made, how rice is pounded in a stone mortar, and so on. At the end of the street was a stage, where we listened to Korean drummers and watched dancers. At Seoul Airport , in the departure hall, there are two Korean cultural centers, completely free of charge, where you can practice coloring a traditional Korean pattern, "dongcheng," play Korean drums, and listen to beautiful girls play Korean folk instruments. I was not very good at coloring, but an elderly Belgian man sat across from me; his doncheng was finished and looked very neat and clean. He was contentedly fanning it with a Korean fan, drying it. To my envious look he replied: “You slow down, slow down... meditate.”

It's perfectly normal and welcome for tourists to take photos of waitresses demonstrating how to properly eat Korean dishes, vendors, and chefs—to take photos of them alone, or to be photographed with them. There's even a certain genuine joy. Take photos! Bring them back to your home countries! Show them to your friends! Come with them! We're glad to see you!

 The outcome of the Korean government's current focus on tourism development is unclear. One Korean working in Russia has no plans to return home: he says he works several times less for the same amount of money in Russia.