More on South Korea...

* Safety :  Rather than believe what I have been told, and what I see in front of me, I have referenced a U.S. Department of State web article regarding this subject.
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=14004
South Korea is basically safe.  The crime occurrence, compared to the U.S,. is "infrequent".  In Daejon (population ~ 1.5 million), I see unaccompanied children on the city streets during the day, and unaccompanied pre-teen and teenagers in the evening.  Traffic safety is a different matter.  "Korea's roads are generally well paved, and traffic signals operate normally. Nonetheless, traffic fatalities per driver are almost two times greater than in the U.S. Drivers are aggressive, especially in Seoul and other cities. Causes of accidents include: frequent, abrupt, unsignaled lane changes, running of red lights, and aggressive bus and taxi drivers."  As I see it, the side roads, which often do not have sidewalks,  are narrow and leave little room for pedestrians.  thus, a car will pass (going slowly) very close to the pedestrians.  I find it unnerving.

(As a side note: notice the couple in in matching clothes.  

As stated in an earlier post, this is very typical.) 

 And then there are the delivery scooters. 

There are many of them, and they seem to be kinda exempt from traffic rules.  I have seen them run red lights, park, and even drive, on sidewalks.  (BTW:  Our daughter told me that sometimes when ordering take-out, the food is delivered in non-disposable dishes.  After a while, the delivery person drives back by, and picks up the empty dishes!)

Having said all that, the taxi's buses and trains are terrific.  They are clean, efficient, and very affordable. 

A (one way) trip on the bus or train costs ~ $1.25 (~1250 Won), and they come frequently.  A taxi ride that was ~ 12-15 minutes was ~ $6.  I think that is great.