Comment Gallery
An Old Soul
In the middle of Insa-dong, a small, gentrified area in Seoul, South Korea that is highly publicized as a center of art, tradition, and culture, an old man sells bbeongtui (kind of like popcorn) from an old rickety cart. He can be seen beside his cart seven days per week in the same spot, trying to earn enough money to maintain the condition of his ragged shoes and his decrepit home (a 20 minute walk up the hills behind Insad-dong). But his cart is always full and I have not seen even a single person purchase the man’s food. Perhaps he, too, is just a traditional cultural icon to be observed, much like the hanboks (traditional Korean dresses) and calligraphy wall-hangings in the windows of Insa-dong’s shops. A token of a past way of life that could not be gentrified, only forgotten.
