Korea's fabulous, atomized society
By Jason LimI recently stayed in a hotel near Dongdaemun, which brought into better focus the contradiction that is modern Korea than if I had stayed in Gangnam surrounded by the new and modern. The super modern hotel with the best facilities and services lay smack in the middle of a neighborhood spotted by old, crumbling buildings that had housed the sweatshops of the past and markets of old, not to mention remnants of the ancient walls and gated fort that survived the turbulence of the times. The gleaming metal spaceship that is the Dongdaemum Design Plaza (DDP) looks both perfectly proper and out of place at the same time, an artifact from the future Korea that is now, seemingly warding off the shadows of her ancient and immediate past with its translucent shine. Waking up early in the morning, one sees furtive movements of the poor elderly collecting recyclables to sell for their daily allowances, soon to be displaced by the throngs of modern workers and tourists who flock the streets with self-importance and amazement. The contradiction isn't only in what's visible. According to
