Impressions of Korea

After so many borders I’ve crossed so far, this is one I am not allowed to. It was the first time I’ve come this close to North Korea.@ Inter-Korean Transit Office, Paju, South Korea, December 3, 2018

This is the real “Gangnam style♫♫”. Lots of people and the same number of phones.

@ Yeoksam, Seoul, Korea, December 4, 2018
It was my 3rd or 4th time visiting Jeonju, a city known for its traditional houses and the gastronomy. More than anything, I was happy to see the horizon free from walls of apartments, a scene which seems to be disappearing in the rest of the country.
@ Jeonju, Korea, December 7, 2018
With the afternoon temperature barely going above zero °C this week, it is even more difficult to pass by fish cake stalls. The soup is normally refillable and free of charge.
@ Insa-dong, Seoul, Korea, December 11, 2018
The cute installations helped to forget the cold and enjoy the seasonal mood with passersby. Incidentally, for the first time, I saw the controversial ‘I Seoul U’ city slogan and I could not make of what it means.
@ Cheonggyecheon, Seoul, Korea, December 11, 2018

A bus ride to the countryside greets me with a familiar scene, which, on second thoughts, is far from casual. It’s an advertisement by a Korean fortune teller, whose house is often called a ‘philosophy house’. He seems to read the fortune for every significant event of your life: marriage, business, promotion, tests, etc. To me, this shows more about what people in this society care about rather than how convincing the fortune teller sounds.

@ Munsu-san, Korea, December 22, 2018

Chuseok is the time of the year when I gather with family and think about the lives of the parents of my parents, although I personally have not met most of them. After some 30 minutes of memorial service for the ancestors, the ‘leftover’ food is all ours to consume, and sometimes it seems too much of a reward for our service.

@ Korea, September 12, 2019

I often get the impression that my country is slowly becoming like one gigantic shopping mall, and I am sad about it. So I was glad to see that they established a big green space in the western part of the capital. Having opened just last year, some trees are still thin and flexible, but I saw that many people relaxed there during the Chuseok holiday.@ Seoul Botanical Garden, Seoul, Korea, September 13, 2019

My last memories of Namdaemun market are from when I was around seven. I remember the busy-ness of the streets, some corners that seemed dirty, and the feeling of the physical presence of my father next to me protecting me.

After over 25 years, Namdaemun market of today seemed much wider, cleaner, and more international than the one I remembered. I am not sure if my memories had been distorted or the market has actually been renovated.

Although the streets were bustling, many items and the perceived business models did not seem very relevant in today’s economy. Hope not every passerby is just a lightminded onlooker like me.

@Namdaemun market, Seoul, Korea, September 19, 2019

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