koreans don't steal things

one thing that i've noticed since i've been here is that there's lots of stuff that i could steal if i wanted to. for example:

stores leave big, nice potted plants outside at night, not chained down.
people sort of chain their bike tires up, but not the bike itself to anything solid.
when you enter a restaurant, you sometimes leave your shoes up front.
you sometimes leave your umbrella in a large can outside shopping stores.
mountain hikes are littered with random workout equipment at workout stations.
people leave their keys in their cars, in their ignition.
there just may be a communal basketball at the courts by the river.
there are free tennis court nets left out to be set up by anyone who wants to use them.
stores leave items outside, unattended, for sale. you choose, then come inside.
public bathrooms have storage rooms full of bathroom supplies that are left wide open.
public bathrooms also leave bars of soap out for washing your hands.

these things don't get stolen here. yes, sometimes i'm sure a bike gets stolen or a car, but it's not such an issue that department stores feel the need to lock up their toilet paper with a deadbolt or the city feels it needs to stop putting money into the workout equipment for the mountain. it's such a nice feeling to walk around and see stuff sitting out and know that people won't take it. it's odd though. i don't know if people trust each other more or if they have a big citizen's arrest program or if the sense of community is just so strong that no one would even think of taking the communal basketball for their own purposes. it's really really cool.
this feeling was compounded tonight when my friend peter and i returned to a bar where he was drinking last night to pick up his backpack. he left it there last night, very late, and it was still there, with all its contents, this morning. i know that can happen in the states, it's happened to me before, but i just thought it was awesome.
there is one place that i hear is notorious for stolen purses and wallets, and that's gypsy rock, the sleezy bar where lots of westerners hang out.
i don't want to point any fingers, i'm just saying is all . . .