Expats Capture Hidden Spots in Seoul

Expats Capture Hidden Spots in Seoul Gbato Braise, a dancer from Cote d'Ivoire / Courtesy of Kim Yoo-in By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter What is it like to live in Seoul through the eyes of foreigners? The number of expatriates living in Korea has surpassed one million. How do they adapt themselves to this hustle-and-bustle city? Seoul is rapidly changing and a growing number of foreigners are coming to Korea. What makes the metropolitan city appeal to them? The convenient transportation system, Korean food and Insa-dong, which is home to many Korean traditional teahouses and antique shops? But, that's not all ― expats have various reasons to love the city from their own perspectives. ``Man from New York, Woman from Tokyo'' written by Kwon Jin and Lee Hwa-jung is a compilation of interviews with seven expats ― Robert Freeman, Zane Ivy and Earl Jackson Junior from the United States; Emil Goh from Malaysia; Kondo Yukako from Japan; Gbato Braise from Cote d'Ivoire; and Mark Siegmund from Germany. They have different professions from artist and writer to actor, scholar and dancer, but they were eager to talk about their life in Seoul with their own style. They disregard the stereotypical charms of Seoul, which is supposed to be modern, convenient and international. Instead, they look at the hidden values of the city Koreans may not recognize. They love the old and shabby alleys behind the plush and fashionable downtown and the smell of traditional markets crowded with bargaining buyers and loud sellers. Writer Robert Freeman from the U.S. still feels comfortable working at Star Bucks rather than at home, but finds Yeonsinnae exotic and intriguing because the old town retains more old vestiges people have kept for many years. Freeman says that the city is changing faster than ever as New York does, but Yeonsinnae still holds more comfortable feelings that downtown Seoul. Not only external transformation but also an internal change in Korean society is underway, he says. For example, he says that he doesn't enjoy watching the U.S. drama, ``Prison Break'' because it is too violent and uses vulgar language, but it's very popular in Korea. Freeman worries that this might negatively affect children who watch it. Freeman feels as if he is in Manhattan when he listens to Louis Armstrong's music, drinking coffee and reading a book in Starbucks. But when he sees a woman selling vegetables in the market and fish spread out for sale there, he enjoys the primitive scenes he sees everyday. Malaysian artist Emil Goh has lived in more than 30 cities including Vienna, Hong Kong, Paris and Sydney but among these, he thinks Seoul is most unique as it has the traditional vestiges of the pre-industrial era, along the streets from Chungmuro, Euljiro to Jongno. ``It is hard to find old traces in the heart of a metropolitan city. The city is keeping antique shapes just beside the Myeongdong shopping district. It's hard for the two different districts to coexist side by side,'' he says. However, Goh skewers the reconstruction of the Cheonggye Stream because it is now filled with trendy coffee shops and restaurants. The desire to make the city bigger is ruining the true features of Seoul. He also points out that London and Paris have bars that are 500 years old or more, but in Seoul they prefer modern and Western styles to traditional places, favoring, mega marts rather than traditional markets. ``If they lose the traditional markets, they lose their own style,'' he says. Goh defines the Korean culture as a ``room'' culture. Koreans have unique spaces such as ``dokseosil'' (studying room), PC Room and DVD Room. He says that many foreigners don't understand why people study in the stuffy rooms. ``It is a culture only existing in Korea,'' he says. Zane Ivy, an English teacher and actor, who has appeared on the TV show, ``Surprise,'' first came to Korea in 1975 and then began living in Seoul from 1997. He used to hang around the district near Hongik University (Hongdae) when he first settled in the city but he feels the original places where he used to go have gone away. With such rough but energetic and attractive parts disappearing, the district now seems to be just ``pretentious'' to him. He agrees that the globalization is spreading not only in Korea but also worldwide, but feels the globalization model, which put more emphasis on Western culture, might cause further poverty. The gap between the rich and poor in Korea is nothing, compared to the U.S. and the U.K, he says. He argues that the current government polices might lead to a widening gap between the rich and poor. Japanese artist Kondo Yukako feels that Seoul is emotionally closer to Osaka but Koreans are friendlier because Japanese are more individualistic while Koreans easily unite. As an artist, she says that Seoul is good for her work as Korean society has many complex things happening which can be a good subject for contemporary art. ``I want my work to be shown first in Seoul because the reaction in the city is very quick and immediate,'' she says. Scholar Earl Jackson Junior says that Seoul is getting modern and gigantic but it is a pity to see the old buildings disappearing from a foreigners' point of view. But he finds it easy to live in the city due to the convenient transportation system. Gbato Braise, a dancer, thinks that Koreans communicate with each other through friendly ``titles'' such as ``eonni'' (elder women) and ``oppa'' (elder men).' Koreans don't see each other as individuals but through relationships. This helps young and elderly people be courteous to each other, and become friendly among friends. Mark Siegmund rejected being interviewed several times because he thought the beautified stories about foreigners can misguide or frustrate expats. He says that the recent trendy books show how to enjoy time in Korea. But there are more foreigners who work under dire circumstances than tourists who just enjoy themselves. He reveals his interest in Bomun traditional market rather than Insa-dong, known as a famous tourist site. Some people like Haneul Park and Seoul Forest but he shrugs them off. Instead, he highly appraises the streets from Jongno to Chungmuro, while Gangnam or southern Seoul is far from his interest compared to northern Seoul. ``Gangnam (southern Seoul) is not Korea for me,'' he says. ``In Germany, the old structures are supported by the government. It's a big difference between Korea and Europe. Germany, France and Italy have a clear perception to strongly protect old properties. If an old house is to be destroyed, people would strongly wage a protest (in Germany),'' he says.