The abandoned peninsula

Above is a map of the immediate neighbourhood of Banghwa-dong where I lived (at top left). The yellow areas have been demolished and have mostly been built into new apartment blocks within the last four years. The red areas will be demolished in the near future. What's interesting is that in the photo below, taken in 1996 from Balsan Station (it's looking across the Magok-dong fields), the patch of low rise houses in the center of the photo have mostly been demolished in the last 13 years, or soon will be. The row houses in red at top right in the map above can be seen on the right below, in front of the apartments. In front of the row houses, next to the fields are greenhouses.


Behind the greenhouses (or to their left, below) is a neighbourhood I've ridden through before, but rarely went to because it's in the middle of nowhere, a small urban peninsula jutting out into the Magok-dong fields and hidden by the four-year-old apartment complex to its left.


It was past this neighbourhood that I rode on my way home from exploring Magongnaru Station, and I returned there July 1.





Some of the houses (but not many) were still inhabited.


I decided to take a closer look at the house on the right:





On the wall in the living room was some graffiti left by no fan of president Lee Myung-bak.



It seems the previous tenants moved out in May.


Continuing past this house, there were many other houses, some abandoned for a much longer time than others.




A former church:




A pair of newer villas rise above the other houses.




There was a nice view from the back window, and from the roof. Below are the fields that separate the neighbourhood from the rest of Banghwa-dong.




The apartments that replace this neighbourhood will likely have a nice view... at least until the fields are developed.

Covering Bangsin Market

I've mentioned Bangsin Market before in less happier times - after a fire destroyed several shops back in March - but a month or so ago I was surprised to see construction surrounding the market, as a roof was being built. I went back the other day to take a few photos.


Here it is from above:


It's nice to see that the market is being supported by the local government. The market is usually quite busy, especially on weekdays, and usually serves as a source of vegetables, fruits and meats for nearby households (as opposed to heading to one of the nearby small supermarkets or to Nonghyup or E-mart). The market also branches off of Banghwadong-gil, the street which curves from north to south and from which Banghwa-dong originally grew. It can be seen at the top right of the map above, from perhaps 50 years ago.

Photo from here.

The street can be seen below running from north to south below, with the other streets from that time marked. The street running from east to west at the bottom of the map is Gonghangno, and was built when Kimpo Airfield was built in the early 1940s (as a Japanese air base). The red line represents Bangsin Market.


One of these days I'll do a post looking at the history of the area - I've just amassed so many maps and photos over the past few years that it's hard to know where to start...

My own private subway station

I've written about Line 9 and posted photos of Sinbanghwa Station before, but there is another station nearby, out in the fields of Magok-dong, called Magongnaru Station (due to the fact that there will be a marina and lake park there one day). This station is in the middle of the fields, with only farm roads to access it, and while the construction is essentially finished on it, it will also connect to the Incheon Airport Subway line, and that line (and that part of the station) is under construction nearby. I'd ridden past it before, but had only figured out how I might enter the last time I went by.


On my way I followed the street I (used to) live on and continued on into the fields. As there are scrap metal places all around, I'd assumed it was off limits and a dead end, until a student told me she walks to school using that path every day (we confirmed that was the entrance by using the 'road view' function on Daum Maps). So, I ventured off down the path.


There were several boards laid down at points over the mud, though why the fields were flooded I wasn't sure - for the first time, there are no rice crops being planted this year. It seems this area's development will come about in the relatively near future.


On the other hand, there were quite a few vegetable patches being planted by old people, and the spot where buildings for the Line 9 construction once stood is now a 'weekend farm,' with little plots for several people. At any rate, I headed off towards the main part of the Magok fields, and came across the construction for the Incheon Airport Line, which is quite a bit more extensive (and deeper) than it was two years ago (in fact, I find it hard to believe it's been that long).


Visible from the streets that border Magok-dong is this massive pile of earth, the result of digging the tunnel for the Incheon Airport Line through the fields.


As dusk approached and the elderly people gardening near the slightly raised mound to the west that covers Magongnaru station started to head home, I headed for the only subway exit built so far (ironically, it's at the opposite end of the station from the guard houses).




There were a few workers off in the distance, but no one was near the exit, so I (quietly) headed down.


What was eerie was the recorded voice (set at too loud a level) booming from speakers at the bottom of the escalator repeating the same announcement over and over again...


...and in the empty, cavernous station, it echoed and could be heard almost everywhere.

Bathrooms and change rooms.

There was no one around, though there was still some work to be done. Below the wires sticking out of the floor for the as-yet non-existant turnstyles are visible.


I went off to the left and came to the escalators going down to the subway platform (I didn't see any stairs in the station at all).


The platforms were also empty, except for the train that passed by (but didn't stop, as this station, much like Magok station on Line 5) will not open for years. To the right above is the regular train, while on the left is the express train.


I then headed back upstairs into the still empty station, passed by the endlessly repeating announcement, and headed home.

On the way home, I passed by a neighbourhood next to the fields that I'd photographed last year, only to note that the buildings all lacked windows. I knew then how I'd be spending part of the next weekend.

Here's a short video of the visit:

Movin' on out

I quit my job and moved out of the apartment I'd lived in for over five years. All I can say is: Leaving packing to the last minute? Don't do it. Nothing like spending 24 hours straight packing.


What amazed me was how quickly everything disappeared (it was in a neighbourhood of villas, so it's lower or lower middle class housing). The chairs, TV, the metal on the bottom of the sofa chair, the fridge and washer, all of it disappeared within an hour or two of it being put out. One man knocked on my door and we had kind of a funny conversation, as he asked me if everything above had been thrown out, and I said, yes, everything. He then asked if he could take the wardrobe. Take anything, I said. It was when he thanked me in Mandarin that I realized he must be the guy with the Chinese name I've seen on the bills in the mailbox over the past few years.

Anyways, I enjoyed lots of food before heading back to Canada for a few months. Green tea-flavoured naengmyeon:


Galbi-tang:


Jjim-dalk (not as good as that found in Andong, but pretty tasty, and with the friend who introduced me to it in 2001 (on the same street, to boot):


Dubu-jeon (while I'd eaten several 'dubu-dipped-in-egg" dishes over the years, I hadn't had anything quite as good as this (or with the name 'jeon' in it)):


Two friends drove me to the airport and brought along kimbap and jumeokbap to eat at the airport (along with our Dunkin' Donuts coffee). I'd never actually had real jumeokbap before, and filled as it was with tuna, it was delicious. It was purchased at the Kimbap 365 near my (former) home, which I hadn't realized was possible. A nice send-off snack.


And I can't even begin to describe my gratitude to my friends for the ride to the airport, as the weather last Thursday was horrible - pouring rain which made it hard to see the road. In fact, we saw three accidents on the Incheon Airport expressway, with this one being the worst:


A bus next to the car with a dent in its left front corner made it clearer what had happened.

It was a pretty painless flight all in all, except for the baggage carousel in Toronto - it was full, jammed, and no other bags could get onto it. I was thinking I should just start pulling bags off, when someone asked a worker if it was not his job to remove the bags. When he tried to shirk the responsibility, another guy in his late '20s asked if he could volunteer for the job, I said I'd help, and the two of us cleared the bags while everyone else watched. Within five minutes the carousel was cleared enough that the baggage was flowing again and I found and grabbed my bags and headed home. I still find it perplexing (and amusing) that people just sat there not helping, even though it was in their best interest to do so (it certainly turned out to be in my best interest!).

I'll be on a very slow, 26 kbps internet connection for the summer, so blog output may slow down a bit (especially when I'm at the cottage, where there is no internet at all (not even a road into the place, actually). I'll try to schedule a few posts though...

Controversial rulings in teen prostitution cases - eight years apart

Back in July of 2001, a Korea Times article titled "Court Ruling on Underage Prostitution Draws Backlash" looked at a controversial court ruling and contained an interesting fact at the end:

The case of a 15-year-old middle school dropout and runaway, who sold herself to five adults on separate occasions in September last year, highlights the problem.

The five adults, who met the girl through an Internet chat room, were indicted earlier this year on "Wonjo Kyoje" charges. Prosecutors said the accused "bought" sex from the girl by providing her with accommodation for a night and some transportation expenses, ranging from 2,000 won to 14,000 won ($1.54-10.75).

However, a Seoul court acquitted the five, drawing a severe backlash from women's rights and minors protection groups. Handing down the not-guilty verdict last Monday, Judge Yoon Nam-geun of the Seoul District Court said that the "deals" between the accused and the girl could not constitute prostitution, as the adults did not intend the one-night accommodation and small amount of transportation expenses to be payment for sex.

In ordinary Wonjo Kyoje cases, an adult offers a girl money for sex. However, in this case, the five accused had sex with the runaway girl with her consent, after she asked them to provide her with accommodation for the night, the court said.

"The purpose of the youth protection law does not lie in restricting love relationships between minors and adults, but in preventing underage sex from becoming a subject of commercial deals," the judge said. "A broadened application of the law can pose a threat to people's freedom of privacy."

The prosecution denounced the ruling, calling it a "male chauvinistic verdict" that disregards minors' vulnerability. Major women's rights groups and other civic organizations issued statements condemning the ruling.

"It is a narrow-minded ruling in this male-dominated society to acquit those who made sport of a runaway girl who had nowhere to go," said WomenLink, a major women's rights group, in a statement. "The accused adults were well aware of the fact that the runaway girl had nowhere to live. It is a more serious crime than ordinary underage prostitution."

Under related laws, those who have sex with minors younger than 13 should be punished, regardless of whether the minors agreed or whether there was a financial deal. However, having sex with minors aged 13 or older, which does not involve financial deals, is not punishable if the minor consents.

Acknowledging the legal loophole, a judge, who asked not to be named, said related laws should be revised to set detailed and stricter criteria for underage prostitution.

The ruling itself, which ignored the position that the runaway was in, was eyebrow-raising at the time (a youth protection law had been passed in 2000 which allowed for up to three years in prison for those buying sex from minors), but the fact that the age of consent was said to be 13 I found to be shocking. Well, history has repeated itself - On Wednesday the Korea Times published an article titled 'Sex With Minor Not Crime If Not Forced':

A local high court found a 46-year-old man not guilty of having sex with a runaway teenage girl, saying their liaison was neither forced nor in exchange for money. The Busan District Court Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that acquitted the man, identified as Kim, of charges related to the violation of the law covering the protection of minors.

Kim bought food for the 16-year-old girl, who was wandering near Seoul Station, and allowed her to stay at his home in December 2006. He was indicted for having sex with her while the two lived together for about six months.

"The girl had already been homeless for about two years before meeting Kim, and he did not control her after offering his house as a shelter to her request. So we don’t acknowledge the prosecution’s claim that Kim made the minor (engage in sexual activity) away from her parents’ protection,’’ the court said.

The court also found Kim not guilty of violating the laws governing the protection of adolescents, saying, "They had sex, but she did not demand money and he did not give her money. He provided her with shelter, food and about 20,000 won pocket money, but there is no evidence that the offering was in exchange for sex.’

In Korea, a person is not guilty of any crime for having sex with a minor aged 13 and over unless it is paid for or forced. Sex with those under the age of 13 is punishable even if it is carried out under mutual consent.

So, again we see the same ruling in a similar case, and again it is said the age of consent is 13. It seems that little has changed in 8 years in this regard, and that the loophole mentioned at the end of the article has not been acknowledged, and laws have not been tightened in regard to underage prostitution. One wonders, also, which would carry a higher penalty: sleeping with someone under 13 without exchanging money, or doing so in exchange for money. In this case, a man paying for sex with an eleven year old girl got only six months in prison (the maximum in regards to underage prostitution is three years), which was considered a harsh punishment.

This ruling is also problematic considering, according to this article, the fact that more teens are selling sex to make ends meet:

The prolonged economic slump is driving more teenagers out on the streets to sell sex, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said Thursday. The ministry's Central Inspection Bureau enforced a crackdown on the online teenage sex trade between July and December last year and found the number of teenagers caught nearly doubled to 69 from 36 six months ago. [...]

While prostitution stemmed mostly out of curiosity six months ago, this time, teenagers have to sell sex "to make ends meet,'' Park said. About 44 percent said they needed the money to make a living while 38.2 percent did it to get cash for entertainment.

About 74.5 percent of teenagers caught said they were paid more than 100,000 won ($75) per assignment, more than they could have made at ordinary jobs. "It shows that teenagers are easily lured by the amount of money they can make amid the economic downturn,'' Park said.

In light of the most recent ruling regarding the runaway teen, this story is disturbing:

Others sold sex for shelter, according to the report. A 23-year-old Kim had sex with a 15-year-old Park and after learning that she'd run away from home and didn't have a place to stay, kept her at his house for nine months and forced her to sleep with two other men for money. Park said she was sexually abused by the man but could not resist because she was afraid of being thrown out.

Bureau chief Park said economic hardship is harming families and more teenagers are running away from home and getting involved in such activities. Moreover, those who run away from home once are more likely to run away again after being sent home, she said.

"Experts say it is very difficult to get a girl who has sold sex to more than 100 men to go back to ordinary schoolgirl life. The government should pay attention to returning teenagers who have just ran away from home through counseling and therapy,'' she said.

The bureau has caught 193 runaway teenagers, 69 of whom were involved in prostitution, along with 47 adults who paid for sex with them. The bureau has also apprehended three pimps and owners of 56 brothels employing teenagers.

So, a third of the runaways 'caught' by the bureau were selling sex. Considering what a vulnerable position many of these young runaways are in, the ruling in 2001 was disappointing; the fact that an almost identical ruling has been made eight years later is even more so.

A new classic

[Update:
Korea Beat has translated the article, and I didn't realize this article was at the top of the Chosun Ilbo's webpage, as shown in Brian's post.]


Yes indeed, this June 30 article by Chosun Ilbo intern reporter Choi Hui-seon really takes the cake. An article about the 'sex crimes' of English teachers, taken from... interviews with victims? Interviews with the perpetrators? Police statements?

Nope. From the Anti-English Spectrum website.

Oh, but the article does include a statement from Lee Eun-ung, who goes out of his way to mention "low quality English teachers," sex, and STDs in the same sentence [from Korea Beat]:

“Foreign instructors of low character frequently toss women away without compunction after attaining their goal of meeting them for money and sexual relations, so many of the women have their lives ruined by abortion or, of course, sexually transmitted diseases.”

Classy.

I especially like the bit about how there is no end to the sex crimes of all sorts like molestation and rape against Korean women by native speaking instructors such as those mentioned in the article.

[This, from the Korea Beat translation, is also worth adding:

Mr. Lee has created on the website a discussion forum for women to share stories of being victimized by foreign instructors, and such tales have been pouring in without end. The victimized women all tell dark stories of suffering sex crimes at the hands of foreign instructors. ]

Mary Jane Bar

Of course, Anti-English spectrum showed just how concerned they were about Korean women when it first formed in response to the discovery of photos of a sexy costume party at Mary Jane Bar in Hongdae (from November 2004), which came to light in January 2005, as an interview (a word reporter Choi Hui-seon might need to look up in the dictionary) with some of the women in the photos (whose identities were spread all over the internet) and the owner of the bar by Ohmynews revealed:

"Some online articles and the Anti-English Spectrum cafe said we were prostitutes, western princesses [yang gongju, a derogatory term for women who went with soldiers decades ago], and brothel keepers." The women said, "Because of the media's selective reporting and the netizen's collective madness we are suffering incredible mental anguish and a person is receiving psychiatric treatment."

Some of the comments directed at the women (or threats made over the phone) included :
'Why don't whores like you just die quietly.'
'Foreigners' whore! Why don't you shut down your club?'
"Whores, are Western bastards that good?"

At least the second Joongang Ilbo article about this collective netizen madness at the time mentioned an opposing opinion, that such comments were "a representation of Korean men's inferiority complex". These attitudes aren't particularly new.

Of course, it's always best to forget this ugly aspect of the incident that caused the scapegoating of English teachers to gain traction in the media four years ago, so that you can broadcast stuff like this, from a 2007 episode of Pandora's Box:

"Illegal foreign instructors are violating Korean women!!!"

Even funnier (or disturbing, whichever) was this part of the Pandora's Box broadcast (click to read):


The tale of sex and drugs above ends with "Just joking. Lighten up people!!!"


Of course, Pandora's Box only chose to translate the first sentence.


This is embarrassingly shoddy journalism.


Is it just me, or are these 'new classics' of poor journalism aimed at English teachers becoming more frequent? To be sure, with three such articles (this one, the Pressian 'Vampire' article, and the Yonhap article), June has been a busy month.