Needs

Economic and super achieving

Given the constantly expanding and technological nature of the South Korean economy, Mokpo has recently found itself falling behind the economic curve.   With a per capita GDP of about 24,000 dollars, it pales in comparison to the stunning 40,000 of the metropolis capital of Seoul.  Many residents are heavily reliant on the fishing and trade ports.  With the addition of several large chain brands, many "ma and pa" shops were put out of business.  Further, the downtown area has fallen into major disrepair, with most of the businesses in need of major renovation.
Unfortunately, this issue may play a role in fact that South Korea has the 4th largest suicide rate in the world.  Many Koreans face an absurd amount of pressure to achieve and feel pressure by what has been referred to as having "tiger moms" or "helicopter moms", meaning they put fierce pressure to excel.  For this fact, many Korean students commit suicide every year after performing poorly on high school exams which will determine their eligibility for certain schools.  Also, after economic hardships, such as a failing business, many may opt to end their own lives rather than dealing with the shame and embarrassment of hardships of financial devastation. 

Spiritual

 South Korea is a heavily influenced Christian country (20 percent protestant, 10 percent Catholic), with the largest church in the world, Yeouido Full Gospel Church with nearly 900,000 members.  Though, historically there has been much tradition with Buddhism (15 percent)  and Confucian thought.  This has heavily influenced the realms and limits of church.  For instance, in many cases, tradition and culture trumps the Bible.  Confucian thought places major importance on age, position and respect.  Consequently, things as questioning authority of a pastor, or someone older is not permitted.  In addition, material success and nationalism place giant stumbling blocks in the lives of current believers- I have seen this first hand.  In a a technology driven society, finding time for spirituality seems less relevant with over half of the country non-religious, roughly 60 percent.  
Additionally, several huge scandals have rocked the religious community as well including massive corruption and abuse of power by several large churches, as well as the Corona Virus outbreak among the Shincheonji cult.  Several other large cults also extremely successful such as the Unification church, which is infamous for performing massive weddings of thousands of couples.
Ancestor worship remains extremely important part of many people's lives.  There is reverence for the older generation, and huge shrines are built to honor ancestors.  Additionally, mounds of dirt are often put over the graves, with the idea that the larger the mound, the bigger the importance of the person.  Yearly, many people return to their home towns to burn incense to members  who have passed away.  This can be a conflict to Christians who wish to honor their families, but also not bow or burn incense and may lead to family turbulence.  

Cultural

 South Korea places heavy importance on the overall good in society.  Many people marveled at Korea's handling of the 2020 outbreak of Covid-19, this is primarily for this reason.  In daily life, activities such as karaoke, eating, drinking, public bathhouses and computer gaming are common among friends.  Drinking does not take place apart from eating, and can frequently last all night with the changing of multiple locations.  This coupled with the near impossibility of getting illegal drugs, means that many people are suffering from alcohol substance abuse addiction.   Additionally, because sex is a taboo topic in many Asian countries, many people live in shame while having affairs, seeking prostitution, or pre-marital sex.  "Love Hotels" (no-tell motels which no registration is needed and rented on an hourly basis) are common in Korea, but there is one on almost every corner in Mokpo.  Rape and child abuse, like many countries, remain a source of shame and "dishonor" and are often not reported, though its a different culture, the Japanese movie Rashomon shows how a raped wife feels dishonored, even if she did nothing wrong.  Although casinos are banned, many Koreans are addicted in the form of lotto and PC rooms which allow for computerized gambling.  Mokpo has an inordinate amount of these small dimly lit gaming centers.
Generally speaking, the respect for elders is a positive thing, and concepts like "retirement homes" are unheard of.  First born male have obligations and is seen as an honor to take care of the mother.  However, this age hierarchy can have some disastrous results as well.  For instance, the 2014 ferry tragedy, which took place in the same providence as Mokpo, saw nearly 300 school children drown as they listened to instructions to stay put even as the boat was sinking.  This was a result of refusing the question the authority of adults, which also severely contributes to sexual abuse.  Similarly, in his book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell documented why Korean Air had the highest crash rate of any other airline.  Senior pilots were likely to ignore or refuse the advice of younger pilots and thus likely to put the plane in jeopardy.
Superstition and fortune telling also remain hugely common and relied upon for love and career advice.  Extremely large decisions, such as marriage, are determined by considering zodiac and blood types.  Fortune tellers are found in almost every neighborhood.

History

Korea has one of the worst possible geography positions conceivable.  Located in between two Asian giants, China and Japan, Korea has seen very few eras of peace.  Because it hangs off like a pinky on the hand of China, she  has often been seen as a mere object with no true regard for the self-determination and God-given rights, even currently to a lesser degree.  Both Japan and China have taken turns invading Korea, occupying the land, and using it as a spring board to attack each other.  Additionally, foreign invasion and interference of the United and the USSR has lead to a permanent division of the North and South with the most fortified military zone on the world (DMZ).  There is still much resentment and understood distrust of foreigners, and issues which remain unresolved, such as the comfort women during WW2.
​The USA has had a major impact on the country and  many martyrs have paid the ultimate price to bring the gospel.  Additionally, many Christian organizations have played a major role in bringing science, education and medicine to the peninsula.  To this day, Korea and the United States have a unique relationship.  With nearly 30,000 troops still present and over 10 bases, the presence of US military serves as a major deterrence to aggression from North Korea and possibly China.

Politics and Corruption

South Korea ranks one of the highest countries of corruption for industrialized countries.  It is a weekly occurrence to see politicians, bankers and presidents in the news on charges of bribery, insider trading and corruption.  Even after these widely publicized and shown all over the news, it has proved to be of little deterrence.  Several of the last presidents are currently serving long term prison sentences, including Lee Myung Bak and Park Gun Hye and Roh Moo-Hyun committed suicide.
Several large family owned conglomerates (chaebol in Korean) also play a huge role in influencing politics and public opinion, such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai.  These brands are a source of great national pride, but play a tremendous role in securing monopoly power through bribes, intimidation and force.  As a result, there isn't much competition or room for innovation.  Many smaller companies are eclipsed and overwhelmed, while many start-ups find it up difficult to have a competitive edge.  
The political scene can sometimes become chaotic.  The Korean government has had several scuffles in the parliament which has seen violence and melees that have involved many members from both sides and attempted barricading which is to cause.  This kind of drama often erupts in religious settings with massive protests and violence also taking place.

Foreigner life 

Life as an international resident can be extremely rough.  For starters the language and culture barrier can prove to be too difficult for most people.  The vast majority of teachers here, in fact, stay only one because of the barrier.  Additionally, like many foreigners in both the USA and other countries, there is often contempt by residents.  Recently the corona virus has given rise to attack foreigners as many cases were being imported on a daily basis from outside of Korea.  Also, there have been some extreme cases of abuse and murder by USA military members.  Juicy Girl (a slang term for prostitutes) was recently filmed in Korea (of which I got to play an extra).  This movie chronicles the life of service member Kenneth L. Markle as he murdered a prostitute and only served 15 years.  As with many cases, the group is often defined by the extreme members.  It is an unfortunate fact, too, that the lighter the skin the more respect is given.  As an American it is much easier, but we are still seen far from equal as Koreans.  Sadly, the darker the skin, the more disdain and distrust are given.  Several groups of Africa and south east Asian countries have it particularly bad, and in the recent years a fire killed over 30 workers after they were forced to work in unsanitary and unsafe conditions.  There are many people from impoverished countries who have families back home who come to Korea to be able to send 2 or 300 dollars a month which may equal the monthly income of several people, as some of these places may have an average monthly income of 100 dollars.  This is a sacrifice that many are willing to make, and are taken advantage of for that fact.  Many foreigners in Mokpo have jobs centered around ship building and the fisheries and other food processing plants.

Orphan life

Everyone, including Koreans, have biases, prejudices and absolute contradictions  and cognitive dissidence in their lives.  However, the case withe Korean orphans is one of the most egregious of these cases.  It is commendable that Koreans put lots of emphasis on the purity of their blood and tracing their ancestry, many can do so for thousands of years.  Up until very recently mixed children had a near impossible time of being fully accepted in society.  It is a brutal reality that Koreans, though, will not adopt their own.  Rather the vast majority of children born out of wedlock are adopted overseas.  It is salt in the wound of orphans here, who may be economic orphans (both parents still alive but can't provide for them) that other Koreans prefer them to be raised in another land, and many times the parents will not sign papers to allow the adoption.  This is in part due to this strict tracing of family ties, and also that the idea of helping total strangers goes against some concepts of both Buddhism and Confucianism where a saying "arms bend inward" accurately displays it is better to care for your own family than others.  Recently abortion has been banned, but many young women go to other  countries to receive abortions.  Those who choose to keep them are almost certain to give them up for adoption or simply place them in "baby boxes".