Jaywalking in South Korea

Those of you that know me well know that I've practiced the art of jaywalking for over 35 years. It's a sign of impatience as there usually isn't a long delay between "walk" signals in Brisbane.

In Japan and the ROK though ... generations of mayflies are born, breed and die between "walk" signals, I hum the complete "Atom Heart Mother" and feel my life ebbing away 🤔. Many motorists turn off their engines at red light in Japan. As Japan is a constrained society I feel the judgement of the complete population if I should jaywalk. The ROK is less constrained though ...

I watched some young apprentices weaving their way through cars at a red light. Care needs to be taken though, as not only do they drive on the RHS of the road, but it is legal to turn right on a red light. I try to avoid jaywalking near corners so as to take turning cars out of play. So far, so good. One sprint for my life to avoid a taxi that pulled away from the kerb 😲 but that's it. Even jaywalked a 6 lane road the other night (it had a median strip though).

So what other ambitions are left for this not-so-ancient art? Of course the Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires presents a big challenge. It has 3 separate pedestrian sections and is the widest avenue in the world. I have been to BA twice but never conquered this challenge.Read more