"We Don't Lock Anything": Man Says Life In South Korea Changed His View Of Public Safety

A social media post about everyday life in South Korea has sparked conversations about public trust and safety after a man shared his personal experiences of living there with his wife and daughter. His post described several ordinary situations that he said felt very different from what many people are used to in other parts of the world.

The user said that he has been living in South Korea with his family for the past month. In his post on X, he explained that people often leave their belongings unattended without worrying about theft. He said they leave their stroller outside whenever they go into a place because no one is going to steal it.

Check Out The Post Here:

I've been living immersed in South Korea for the last month with my wife and daughter.

We just leave the stroller outside if we go in anywhere.

Because no one's going to steal it.

I met a friend for lunch. He rode his bicycle. He just left it outside in an alley without a… pic.twitter.com/sPEC6X3B7p

— Matt Kim (@mattkim1) June 21, 2026

He also shared that he met a friend for lunch, who rode his bicycle to the meeting and left it outside in an alley without a lock. According to him, the bicycle was still there two hours later. In another incident, he said a friend accidentally left his iPhone on a park bench, and when he returned four hours later, it was still in the same place.

The user further wrote that while walking past a K-pop concert, he noticed that fans who had travelled from outside Seoul had left their luggage outside a subway station without locks or security. He added that when he asked local people about this, they simply responded by asking why anyone would take someone else's belongings.

Comparing the situation with other cities, he said such experiences would seem impossible in many places. According to him, in a high-trust society, rules and social norms carry importance, and theft is treated seriously regardless of how valuable an item may be.

Social Media Reaction

The post attracted a wide range of reactions online, with many users discussing what helps create such high levels of public trust and safety in everyday life.

One user commented, "I live in a small town in Wisconsin that is high-trust like this."

Another user noted, "We need to get to this."

"In many small towns in America, you can also do this," added a third user.