look both ways...or don't...

In the short week i've been in this city, there is one thing i've come to realize: my life does not matter to Korean drivers.  Along with that, i'm not sure people walking around Seoul really care about living.  There is complete disregard on both ends.  I don't know why they even bother with stop lights/turn lanes/cross walks/directions of traffic.  The city should really do itself a favor and stop making cross walk signals altogether...i'm more than positive that i'm the only person currently using them in the Seocho Gu District.  It seems the only useful thing on the road here is the horn.  You can tell by the length and amount of aggression behind each honk just how close the driver is to clipping you with their car.  It's also a nice warning to other drivers that their vehicle is about to be severely damaged.  But with that said...the people driving cars in Seoul don't hold a candle to the people operating scooters.  If there are laws regarding scooter traffic...actually scratch that thought...there is no way.  Scooter drivers do whatever they want, whenever they want. If they get sick of the road, they move to the sidewalk.  Red light taking too long? They run it.  If they do decide to pause at a red, they may be trying to go the other direction...in which case they use the crosswalk as a shortcut.  It's like scooter drivers straddle the line of pedestrian and motor vehicle operator...picking whichever one suits them best at that moment.  Just to drive the point home...Today I saw a man driving a scooter beyond recklessly with...no joke...an 8 foot tall object propped and bungee corded to his back.  It's insane.  It's entertaining and from what i've heard it's nothing compared to the crazy driving in other Asian countries.  Can't wait to see that.