[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] "Icheon" August 17th-19th

Looking back on this Korea Diaries project, what's always struck me as the most interesting landmarks are not the special tourist sites, but the very normal physical locations where people go in and out doing their daily business. Like this completely unremarkable narrow covered market. When I think about imminently coming back to the United States, it's weird to think that I'm not going to be able to see these anymore.

Likewise with the convenience stores. Don't be fooled by the prevalence of brand-name shops with matching uniforms. Get deep into any neighborhood and you'll run into multiple establishments like this, where more often than not you have to ask for the prices. The back rooms of these shops often double as homes- mom and pop establishments, to be sure.

Other olde time institutions still alive and well in South Korea include arcades, which are especially popular in movie theaters for before and after dates. Also of note is the constant presence of men in uniform. Military garb is considered too obviously rustic for the likes of Seoul, but anywhere that's not a major tourist site there's a decent chance that soldiers on leave will make an appearance.

...And of course, who can forget the monuments to freedom fighters, this one in a small park. The man spotlighted here is yu Taek-su, who is famous for murdering the son of a Korean landlord and attacking pawn shops to raise money for the independence movement. That's uh, what it said on the sign anyway. It never ceases to unnerve me how these biographies always contain such graphic references to explicit terrorist attacks, but again, these status aren't for well-to-do tourists. They're local reminders of the men and women who heroically fought back against the Japanese and didn't care if they broke decorum in the process.

Such monuments are often difficult to put into proper perspective with the modern state of South Korea, which is rather far removed from that tumultuous history. It's strange to think that this country (or any other modern country for that matter) venerates as heroes people who would have been utterly baffled to see what the world today now takes for granted as being "Korean".

....Anyway, in terms of local events, August this year Icheon was home to the International Sculpture Symposium (이천국제조각심포시엄). To be entirely honest I'm not sure whether the sculptures I photographed were actually a part of the synposium or whether they'd just been here ever since they started the event.

The weather was murderously hot, and on top of that I'd managed to contract an incredibly painful ear infection, which lasted with me for several days. Which among other reasons is why this is going to be the last location-specific Korea Diary I'm publishing this year. As it turns out trying to photograph every strange knickknack even in a country as small as South Korea is a fairly daunting physical task.

But it really is nonetheless just so fascinating to get these glimpses of very localized obscure culture, that would have obvious meaning for anyone who actually lives nearby but for anyone else is, well, just kind of there. The Icheon Citizen's Tower pictured here, for example, begs all sorts of questions, like who built it and why. What is this International Sculpture Symposium and why was I completely incapable of finding any information about it on the weekend?

...Possibly because I am not the best person to ask when it comes to research, especially when I insist on picking my subjects at random. Ah well. Small moments of beauty like this can make it worth the while, for awhile. For such a population dense country, the scenery in South Korea is impressive mainly for its ability to pop out when you least expect it.

Article by William Schwartz

 

Previous [HanCinema's Korea Diaries] articles :

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[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 15th-16th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 13th-14th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jecheon August 11th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Yeongwol August 8th-10th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeongdongjin August 5th-7th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangneung August 1st-4th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangneung July 28th-31st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 26th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 24th-25th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 22nd-23rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Bucheon July 20th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Incheon July 15th-19th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul June 10th-14th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Chuncheon July 7th-9th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Chuncheon July 4th-6th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Wonju July 1st-3rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andong June 28th-30th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Angang June 25th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeongju June 21st-24th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeongju June 17th-20th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Daegu June 13th-16th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Daegu June 9th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Yeongdong June 6th-8th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Muju June 1st-5th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Geumsan May 29th-31st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Nonsan May 26th-28th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gyeryong May 24th-25th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gongju May 22nd-23rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gongju May 20th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Asan May 18th-19th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul May 13th-17th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul May 8th-12th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gamgok May 6th-7th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jincheon May 4th-5th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andeok May 1st-3rd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Andeok April 28th-30th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangjeong April 25th-27th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Gangjeong April 22nd-24th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seogwipo April 19th-21st

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seogwipo April 16th-18th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeju City April 14th-15th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Jeju City April 12th-13th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul April 5th-11th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Suwon April 3rd-4th

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Suwon April 1st-April 2nd

[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] Seoul March 27th-March 31st