Within the map below three redevelopment or building projects can be seen (though I've only marked one), while if I was to extend the photo outward by an inch, two more redevelopments would appear (as would the building I live in). Below is marked an area encompassing a two storey apartment building, three houses, a church, and another strange building (which contained living quarters).
The blue roofed building is a church, which can be seen below, as can the two storey building (and the construction wall, as well).
If we were to walk over and stand between the two buildings, we would see this:
Or that's would we would have seen back in the spring of 2005 (and yes, I'm annoyed I never took another photo upon realizing it turned out so blurry - though it just dawned on me that a friend who used to live in the building on the right likely took photos at that time...). It looked a bit different back in January:
Proceeding to the far end of the building, I came upon these:
They didn't look to be of the flushing sort, though I could be wrong. I saw similar toilets at another nearby set of apartments dating from 1981 (before they were torn down a few weeks ago). I then walked around to the other side of the building:
I mistook the apartment on the right above as my friend's old apartment, but when I walked in I realized I was wrong.
The apartment above looked in fine shape compared to my friend's, however:
Looking out the window in the mirror above gave me this view of the three houses next to the building (and behind the church).
The view from the other side:
Across from the houses was the odd building I referred to above. It seems to be two stories, but I never got a chance to look closely.
One reason for this was that the next day the construction walls began to go up:
You can see below just how much stuff was left behind. It amazes me how many things in these old buildings just get plowed under .
For an overview of the site, a rooftop nearby gave me a good vantage point to see the walls go up...
... and the buildings come down. Actually, I heard loud sounds down the street early one afternoon and got there just in time to see them demolishing the two storey building.
I managed to shoot a few seconds of it with the video on my camera:
The machine seen last can be seen more clearly below as it collects scrap metal (they might want to watch out for these guys):
Update, April 30: Three weeks later, the excavating of the basement is finished. Here is a shot from two weeks ago:
Here are two photos from last weekend, from different vantage points:
And here's one taken today:
As you can see, the concrete basement has been poured, and judging by the fact that the workers were cutting rebar (at 7:00 am on a Sunday; the neighbours must love that), I imagine they'll start on the reinforced concrete before too long. If you look to the far left in the two photos above, you'll see an empty lot off to the side:
It did have a 'yang-ok', or foreign style home, much like the ones that were demolished, but I never took a photo of it. Part of a building that stood there appears at the left here. Perhaps this will become the vehicle entrance to the complex.
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Below is what this apartment's growth looks like in the context of its neighbourhood.
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Here is the rendering of the apartment on the hoarding:
It does look quite a bit like the finished product now. Take a look again at the surroundings of this site near the top of the post and tell me if they look anything like what you see in the rendering above. You could, of course, have a great deal of fun analyzing the architectural fantasies found in Korean real estate advertisements...
I've mentioned this development a few timesbefore, but over the weekend I managed to spend a few hours there and realize just how large a project it is. In the rendering above the project is divided into eight danji (complexes), each one generally built by a different company. danji # 7 has barely been begun, and the wide road seen running through the development only exists within the confines of the project and does not yet connect to any roads, though some of the roads, especially those at top and bottom right, connect to other neighbourhoods (with a city bus running along the edge of the complex, picking up construction workers). Not on the plan above is the artificial pond seen below, though whether it's supposed to be recreational or serve some other purpose I have no idea.
If we pan further to the right, we can see 2 and 3 danji, with 5 danji in the background. I took this two months ago; the buildings in the foreground have since been painted. The low, blue-roofed building at right is a restaurant for the construction workers.
Moving towards the buildings at right, we see them closer up.
Above you can make out some buildings in the distance at far right; moving in that direction, they (4 Danji) can be seen on the right, with the buildings above seen from behind on the left. The space in the foreground will become a school. You can see the sidewalks laid out but not yet filled in.
Standing across from the building at far right in the picture above produces this image:
A look at the complex behind the above building:
If we go to the far end of this complex, emerge on the main road, we can see the other end of the complex.
If we continue to the left and look down this road (to the right), we see the scene below, with the southern end of 4 danji on the left, and in the distance, at right, 6 danji. It was soon too dark to take any more photos, but the camera's compensation for the lack of light created the almost unreal colours seen below.
The next day I returned, and if we follow the road ahead of us seen above, we would end up at the opposite end. In the photo below I'm looking back in the direction the above photo was taken from. The buildings in the center of the picture are the same ones seen on the right above.
I turned left and headed past 2 danji, a building of which is seen on the left, and reached 1 danji. The photo below shows both complexes:
To the left of the above photo is 5 danji, the northernmost buildings of which are seen below. You have to admit, these are at least more interesting than the standard 'domino' apartment complexes built in the 1990s.
Here's the same danji viewed from the side. I went alongside them towards the left of the photo (the finished and inhabited low-rise apartments of 8 danji can be seen at left).
Above is a look into 6 danji, and below we see the dividing point between 5 danji on the right and 6 danji on the left.
I shot some video as well (I bought a digital video camera last weekend) but it'll be awhile before I get a chance to do anything with it...
I found this video the other day, consisting of three news reports (by ABC, CBS and NBC) about the Kwangju Uprising broadcast on May 22, 1980. That was the day after the military retreated from the city and the citizen army controlled the streets. From googling around, the source of these videos may be the Vanderbilt University Television News Archive.
Before I review what was said and shown in the broadcasts, it's worth noting where the footage came from. Footage exists from throughout the uprising, filmed most likely by either the Korean press or possibly by the military itself, (or by reporters the military approved, considering how close to the action the camera often is). Below is a still of the paratroopers on either May 18 or possibly May 19.
Here is a still from the night of May 20, when the taxi and bus drivers led a demonstration (and with their ability to occupy the streets, began to turn the tables on the paratroopers and give the citizens the upper hand).
The footage in the American news reports above was not taken from these sources, however, but instead came from the German photographer Jurgen Hinzpeter, who made two trips to Kwangju during the uprising, filming his first footage on May 21 and 22, and returning for the final days and suppression of the uprising. The footage from May 21 and 22 is what we see in the clips above. Hinzpeter would later be severely beaten by plainclothes police in 1986 while covering a rally, possibly in revenge for the footage he filmed in Kwangju. His injuries ended his career. He is pictured below a few years ago in the gymnasium across from the provincial hall in Kwangju.
It was there that he shot the footage captured below of the coffins laid out back in 1980.
To go over some of what's seen in the clips above, ABC begins by saying that a "small war" had been fought in Kwangju and sets the tone by describing protesters as "militant anti-government groups". What follows is a second-hand description of events set to Hinzpeter's footage, as the correspondent is reporting from Seoul. It describes the protesters' demands ("An end to martial law and freedom for the opposition party members who come from this region") and their desire that the military "admit[...] the troops used harsh tactics during the riots". It should be pointed out that it uses file footage of police beatings which is not from Kwangju to illustrate these harsh tactics. As for casualties, we're told that there are "61 dead, almost all of them civilians". It also brings up the US government response, and its warning to North Korea, but then the US warning aimed at North korea is brought up by all three networks.
CBS tells us that "After four days of fighting, armed rebels appear firmly in control now of the South Korean provincial capital of Kwangju and the area around it." It provides quite a bit more context by mentioning that the military had taken over the government and declared martial law and that the protesters were "opposing the generals who seized power last weekend". It gives some graphic descriptions of the wounds of the victims, saying that "many of the dead are civilians, either shot in the face at close range or bayoneted." It also seems much more balanced, portraying the protesters in a more positive light, saying that the army was outnumbered and forced out, "Leaving the city to its citizens." The reporter also speaks of being "applauded and cheered by the crowds," and that the commandeered vehicles "carry the south Korean flag, for these people consider themselves patriots, opposing the generals who seized power last weekend". Describing the spread of the uprising, we're told that "demonstrators from Kwangju were cheered as they sought support in farming villages". The reason for the CBS correspondent's more favourable view of the demonstrators is likely due to the fact that he was actually in Kwangju, unlike the other correspondents.
NBC's segment is almost twice as long as the others, and is the only one to show hospital footage, describing the victims as "shot or bayoneted". And yet it starts out saying that "five straight days of anti-government violence" had taken place. Shouldn't that be government violence? It also sounds like the military was the main source of information, what with the description of "citizens wounded evidently at random by other citizens". The military used this as a partial excuse for the casualties in press releases after the uprising. The segment also does its best to emphasize that Kwangju was chaotic (which, especially on the 21st and perhaps early on the 22nd it was, but this report paints a more ominous picture), telling us that "Armed young men, under no apparent organization, rule the streets. They are unchallenged." Or that "The soldiers are outnumbered", while a burning jeep is shown. We're also told that "All of this stems from anti-government feelings and resentment against the discrimination this province always has suffered". While there is a certain aspect of this that is true, no mention is made of the government being taken over by the military, or the military's brutal behaviour as a cause for the uprising (though we're later told that troops in Kwangju had "opened fire on civilians, killing several"). The 'regionalism' of Jeolla-do people (and their willingness to believe "malicious rumors" about Kyongsang-do soldiers coming to kill them) was also blamed by the government for the uprising early on, again making it seem likely that the military was depended on as a main source for this segment. Adding more weight to this is the footage of army preparations to re-invade the city. The selective choice of a single scared citizen to explain how dangerous it was in the city due to the citizen army is also rather telling, considering the number of people who could have told stories about army brutality. Keep in mind that the correspondent is "near Kwangju", and not in the city, and seems to be keeping company with the military surrounding the city. The main idea this piece communicates is that the the city is in chaos, the citizens are armed, dangerous and out of control, and the army (rightfully, due to such chaos) is preparing to 'restore order'.
It also refers to the relation of the US government to the events in Kwangju, telling us that "The pentagon said it had given South Korean commanders permission to withdraw some Korean soldiers from the joint Korean American command and use them to help control the cities." Interesting. Then-ambassador Gleysteen wrote that in the late 1980s he had been set straight by the pentagon regarding US control over Korean troops, saying that the US did not have to approve the removal of Korean troops from joint command. Obviously either the US press didn't get the memo at the time, or this interpretation evolved later. It ends by mentioning that US officials thought that "Military hardliners are seizing on the political turmoil to halt progress towards democratic reforms", and that a meeting was being held (on May 22) to see how the US could "help restore civilian rule and revive the process of political liberalization."
While we're on the topic of contemporary reports about the Kwangju Uprising, there are a few Time Magazine articles available online [not anymore, unfortunately]:
One of the first essays written about the Kwangju Uprising in English is "The Kwangju Uprising: An Inside View", by Tim Warnberg, from Korean Studies, v.11, 1987. Warnberg was a peace corps volunteer who witnessed the Kwangju Uprising, and his essay is well written and well worth reading. It can be downloaded here (The download 'button' is at bottom left, you have to wait 12 seconds). If the scanned pages are viewed at full size they are quite readable.
There are also other videos on youtube about the Kwangju Uprising, some which may be worth watching, and others that are just plain irresponsible (mixing documentary footage with footage from Jang Sun-woo's A Petal?).
Speaking of A Petal, that film is not available on dvd commercially, though one does exist here, for those who use bittorrent (hey, I'll be the first to buy it when it become's commercially available, but until then, I'm happy to have a copy (and a good copy at that, with subtitles in several languages)).
There have been several movies which deal with the uprising to some extent (most recently The Old Garden), but a movie titled "Hwaryeohan Hyuga" (Splendid Holiday - the code name of the paratrooper operation which set off the uprising), about a character who joins the citizen army, is in production (who knew the difficulty involved in re-importing 1980 era Hyundai Ponys from Egypt to use as props?). The cast list is lead by Kim Seong-kyeong (Turning Gate) and Ahn Seong-gi (Duelist). It also co-stars Lee Joon-gi (The King And The Clown), Lee Yo-won (Take Care Of My Cat), Song Jae-ho (Memories Of Murder), Nam Moon-hee (Crying Fist), Cha In-pyo (Iron Fist) and Park Cheol-min (A Petal). Footage of a scene being shot in the same gymnasium where Jurgen Hinzpeter shot his footage can be found here.
Anyone wanting more links and information about the uprising can find more in some of my previous posts on the subject.
When exactly was it that Kim Yeon-a's name became romanized as Yu-na? I was thinking that it must be odd to have your name mispronounced regularly, but then remembered that people mispronounce my name (if they call me Matthew) here all the time; I'm sure she's just as used to it (as she must be used to strange things like seeing her treatment for a herniated disk documented on the internet). Since I don't watch tv I had to watch her performance at the world championships on youtube after the fact. Her short program was awarded a record high score and won her admiration from many foreign commentators:
She didn't do so well on the long program, however. Mao Asada came in second (performances here and here), while Miki Ando came in first (performances here and here). It was nice to see Asada do so well in the long program, as she is extremely talented, and it was rather painful to see her abort a few jumps at the World Junior Championships last year because they were apparently too difficult. Of course, when I mentioned this to some of my middle school students, they just shook their heads and said, "But Japan won." It sort of feels like the love and support the Korean team got after losing to Switzerland in the World Cup. I mean, why is it that almost every photo in this gallery is of her falls? Talk about being supportive. And who the hell thought this was a flattering photo? Unlike the other English language dailies, the Donga Ilbo at least focussed on her short program in this interview with her. For the students who complained about 'Japan' winning, maybe they need to get into the spirit of this selka ("self-camera") photo, titled, "we are rivals and friends".
I know I've said it before, but both Korea and Japan could use a little more of this attitude at the national level.
I quite like the fact that the Korea Times is giving us insight into the top ten searches at naver.com every week. According to this statistic from over a year ago, Naver "controls more than 68 percent of local search traffic". And what we find out this week is that people are interested in porn, scantily clad women (and men, if you include 300), and online games, mostly.
Seventh place was taken by the hardcore online game "Sudden Attack." The game is age restricted to players over 19. However, some minors managed to sneak through security to play the game.
Minors like one of my eight-year-old students? Now I understand his stories about blowing people up with grenades, and catchphrases like, "Headshot!" (obviously, I'm not much into gaming). When I asked him how he plays since he's not 18, he just said, "I play when my parents aren't watching." I imagine it's more fun than watching this more than once:
Ninth on the list was "watch girl," who showed great dance skills in a video that was broadcast live on African TV, a renowned Internet broadcasting station. The video clip shown around 6 p.m. on Thursday featured four female high school students dancing frantically with their school uniforms on. Among the four, one wearing a watch attracted the most attention with her slim body and great dancing skills. As she could not be seen clearly, curious netizens launched their own investigation to find out who she is.
Those must be some dance skills, huh? Judge for yourself... (there's no sound)
While I understand that the "most popular searches" become more popular due to their making the top ten list and catching everyone's attention, I really can't understand why the 20 seconds of this girl dancing became popular in the first place. It must be due to a lot of people who didn't have a chance to see this:
Coming in fourth was "Yahoo footage," a porn video that was posted on Yahoo Korea, one of the nation’s largest portal sites. Around 6:10 p.m. Sunday, an Internet user posted a one-minute sex video on Yammy, the portal’s page for user generated content (UGC). More than 25,000 Internet users clicked on the video clip, making the footage the most viewed clip for a while. Unaware of this, Yahoo Korea left the footage on the page for about six hours.
But have no fear, the government is here to rescue everyone from porn!
The government Monday declared an all-out war against obscene video files circulating massively on Internet portal sites.
Yes! All-out war! This should last... for about a month or so. Or is that just for crackdowns? I get the durations of all-out wars and crackdowns mixed up sometimes. This time, however, the government may be ready for the long haul; as you can see from this photo, they truly are prepared to battle obscene video files.
The Ministry of Information and Communication said it will join forces with law enforcement authorities and portal site operators to set up an online surveillance system.
If there's one thing Korea needs more of, it's surveillance. We're also told that the government "will block around 180 such foreign sites by the end of May". Wow. All 180 of them. They really aren't kidding around this time, are they? I guess that's the end of porn in Korea. Just look at these other measures they're taking:
The Ministry of Information and Communication said Tuesday that it would suspend companies’ Internet services if they don’t take proper measures to prevent porn and other unethical material from circulating on the Web.[...]
Naver, the No. 1 portal, said it is a matter that goes beyond the law. ``We hope this can be an opportunity to improve the quality of UCC culture,’’ a public relations official said. ``Businesses should try to improve their monitoring systems. But in principal, it is the users’ perception on pornography that should be changed.’’
Yeah, but changing perceptions takes time, and the government wants to look like it isn't entirely useless, so it's time to launch a crackdown! Crackdowns and new laws managed to stamp out prostitution and get rid of all those migrant workers who overstayed their visas, right? I'm sure they'll work just as well this time, and porn on the internet will soon become just another page in Korea's 5000 year history.
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