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By Yoon Sung-won, Shim Hyun-chul
Our "small picture" team has made repeated visits to Imun-dong, eastern Seoul, where the clash of development and instinct to preserve their existing way of life is evident.
Against the background of brand-new high-rise apartment buildings are large pockets that still retain the old-town look and feel.
However, on a closer look, houses are in an extreme state of disrepair, walls with patches of black from old age and little care, and pavements missing here and there.
In a moment, we were scared because it felt like a ghost town. The sense of fear was heightened by paper signs plastered on doors which said "Empty."
Occasional passersby gave us some comfort.
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Why didn't they move to the shiny side of town?
Following inquiries, we found that some stay to preserve their way of life but many others have no other choice because the compensation they would receive is insufficient to move into a new house.
On Page 16, you can see more photos that we hope will help you understand the depth of their sorrow, which is in a way part of the inevitable grind of our modern-day life.
We will offer this kind of look at our life, good, bad, ugly or sad, through this photo-story combination.
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