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Whenever I read newspaper article or watch the news on TV about Korea I am deeply concerned.
After the 5th Nuclear Test done by North Korea, the Korean Peninsula is in an imminent danger. As South Korea is under the umbrella protection from United States for nuclear weapons, many Koreans say that we are indeed in trouble. But as Korea has agreed to not have any nuclear arms, it is almost useless to develop our own nuclear arms, and as such in order for South Korea to have a nuclear weapon, it would take many more years to do so.
Another problem is the government infrastructure tends to fight (quite literally physically), and the hope and protection for the future being bleak has always been in the lamest. Someone on the newspaper had said that our current situation is just like the Japanese Invasion of 1592 (Imjin War) or the Imperial Korea time period when we lost our nation under the Japanese control, which makes some to doubt if the nation of Korea would survive any longer.
Also, in the city of KyungJu was hit by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake which caused many financial and property damage. The government had declared that area disaster zone and had spent many days cleaning up that area. However, earlier this October the super typhoon Chaba had passed by causing more disaster in the South KyungSang Province. Because of the endless rain, the city of Ulsan was flooded severely. When this usually happens, the first to respond should be public offices. Usually people tend to point fingers at the public office and blame on them whenever something bad happens on their cities– however during a natural disaster, there is nowhere to blame.
After the typhoon had passed, Pusan KwangAn-Ri’s beach had turned into a trash piled mess. But some 3 foreigners (a mother and two daughters) took a rake and with their hands started to clean up the trash that was littering the beach. Someone who was awestruck by that action took pictures of them and posted it in the internet.
It was immediately popular and off the charts and made people think, “Ah! That is what a civilian vigilant look like!” – Which after people joined in together to clear out the trash and after it was late in the 7PM evening departed the beach.
A newspaper writer who didn’t want their name to go un-noticed sought them out and fount out which they were. The mother was a teacher in Pusan International School for foreigners by the name of Rupert (38) and her 2 daughters Fiona (11) and Stella (5). When they visited the beach and saw the mountains of trash there they were shocked. The oldest Fiona suggested of cleaning the beach and that’s how it started.
They all went back to their home (apartment that was 15 minutes away) and got rubber gloves and boots, visited a hardware store to get cleaning rakes (four of them) and started to the beach. The reporter said “Why 4 rakes even though there were only 3 of you?” and Mrs. Rupert said, “We were going to clean the beach with anyone else who would come – I wanted to purchase like10 but had lacked money” and laughed. With this small start, other nearby neighbors stared to come out one by one and spent all day cleaning till 7PM in the evening.
Mrs. Rupert was originally from Wisconsin which usually suffered a lot of tornado and snowstorms. After the storm passes, she and her neighbors thought that it was natural to clean up the mess behind, and her daughter Fiona learned that “learn how to protect the environment” from school and the huge amount of trash in the beach would only end up in the ocean to destroy the eco system in the ocean.
Fiona also said, “We live in Pusan and are Pusan native so it’s only natural to clean up.” Apparently she had lived since she was 5. After clearing the garbage for about 3 hours, thinking her children would be hungry, she suggested heading home. But they keep saying, “10 more minutes!” and as time passed it ended up till 7PM in the evening. It is such a heart-warming story. I think someone said, “It is far better to live for the world then to use the world” They were truly the people who were worthy to make the world better and had lived by that word.
However, on the evening of the 13th, there was a serious accident in the South KyungSang Province that a young man had risked his life to save 4 people. This young man wanted to celebrate his mother’s birthday (on the 15th) and his father’s 60th birthday as well. He was driving from KangWon Province city of MukHo to Changwon in South KyungSang Province in the highway. While driving about 70m in front of him, he heard a loud bang and saw a bus catch fire. The bus had hit the center divider and was on flames from leaking fuel. The bus was on danger of exploding and so many of the passengers couldn’t get out.
But Mr. HyunSub Soh (30) stopped his car in the 1st lane and went into the scene of the accident. He said “The flames were so large I was scared, but to rescue the people made me not feel the fear.” After calling the emergency services, he went into the scene again to break the glasses so the passengers could get out. Since the highway was blocked from the accident, the arrival of emergency vehicle was delayed. As he saw that 4 of the passengers he had rescued were severely injured. Seeing their life was in danger from bleeding, he quickly placed them in his car to take them to the hospital. Since he did not know the locale of Ulsan, he called the emergency hospital and took them there. After dropping the injured passengers off, he just gave his job and left. Because of this rapid action, he was able to save those 4 people and their life was stabilized. It was a valiant deed I clap at his action. When a reporter congratulated his action all he said was, “I just did what was right and the only regret is I couldn’t rescue more people.”
The newspaper reporter started the article titled “The One Who Rescued Tour Bus Passengers”. Turns out the man was teaching ethics at a high school at a city (MukHo) in KangWon Province. As one teaches ethics, it is hard to act on the teachings. Especially if one’s life depends. I imagined how his car interior would’ve been covered in blood. Despite going down to his mother’s place covered in blood, his parents would’ve been very proud. Someone who sows the value of the world to the next generation!
“I live in Busan and is from there, clean up is only natural thing to do.” As did the savior of the passenger bus said, “I only did what was right and regret I couldn’t rescue more.” I think about the examples and the ethics that many people shown me in the past and to live up to it.
(October 15th 2016)
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The Strange Acorn Tree 
We are also from Busan