Gangnam Style

Happy new year! (rather belated - I’ll explain later)

Or, as they say in these parts, 새해 복 많이 받으세요(seh-heh bok man-ee bad-uh-seh-yo).

A short while ago we had the lunar new year, known as Seollal in Korea. It’s a national holiday and a time when families get together. 

It’s traditional to give gifts of course and so the shops are full of gift packs. Spam is back on display at this time of year, usually next to tuna or salmon. At about 30,000 won (£20) these packs are reasonably priced. However, I came across some others. There’s the nut & fungi combo (yum!) at 138,000 won (£93), nine huge apples with a price to match at 100,000 won (£67) or ginseng for as much as 158,000 won (£106). Delightful-looking stuff it is. The focus is on health however. Of course, money and gift cards are popular too. Think I’d find more use for them myself. No idea what I’d do with that much ginseng (any ginseng in fact).

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So, why such a long gap since the last blog? My best excuse is that I’ve changed jobs - I’m still with the same company but now work in Gangnam. What with applying etc etc and getting to grips with the new job, the blog was neglected. 

No doubt you’ve heard of Gangnam from the song ‘Gangnam Style’. This was a massive hit for Psy a few years ago. Psy is a K-Pop (Korean Pop) star but he’s far from the norm. 

K-Pop is a massive phenomenon in these parts. I first came across it in Vietnam, where my teenage students were big fans. I was introduced to the likes of G-Dragon & Big Bang, Girls Generation and 2NE1. K-Pop stars are typically half Psy’s age and get hand-picked from talent shows or auditions; partly for their talent, partly for their looks. There then follows an intensive training period of a year or two followed by them being put into a custom-made band. The bands can have as many as 12 members and are either all-female or all-male but never male-female. At the moment, that seems to be the fashion. 

As a solo artist, Psy is unusual. He’s also unusual as he didn’t go through the route described above. He was a big star in Korea long before Gangnam Style and has been quite controversial over the years. His ‘Gangnam Style’ success was well beyond anything he ever imagined I expect. 

What exactly is ‘Gangnam Style’ about? Gangnam is the ‘in’ place in Seoul. The stars hang out here (although I wouldn’t recognise them if we bumped into each other) and there are loads of designer shops and restaurants. It’s the ‘nouveau riche’ area. I’ve never seen so many expensive cars. Psy clearly isn’t impressed by anyone who hangs around Gangnam to impress. In years gone by, only the rich could afford to travel by horse and so the famous horse-riding dance might be his way of poking fun at them.

It also has plenty of more downmarket places in the backstreets so I can easily nip out at lunchtime and get something like this …

I don't always know what I’m eating. I was a little concerned that the black things in the middle bowl might hatch inside me.

After four years in Vietnam I was pretty pleased with my use of chopsticks. Now I’m here, I’m a beginner again - the chopsticks are made of stainless steel and are thinner, slippery and really awkward to use. It's like trying to eat with knitting needles. Even the Koreans agree with this. Back to dropping food everywhere … 

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I was served pizza with a side bowl of something recently. Olive oil maybe? Nope. It’s honey. Sugar is big business here - just down the road from me is ‘Sugar Lane’ selling macaroons and er … macaroons I think. Nearby is the shop selling meringues. Some of these specialist shops selling a very narrow range of goods spring up and disappear six months later but the honey shop selling honey (for as much as £50+) and honey tea etc. is still going strong. 

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Now it’s spring, the mountains are beautiful. In fact, everywhere is. The temples put on a great display at this time of year. 

As well as wild boar (I'm really hoping to get a photo of one in the wild but this might be a little dodgy), 

there are wild cats in the hills.I have seen cats like this several times. They look like normal domestic cats but are so far from any homes they must be wild.

Koreans love a picnic. Wherever you go in the mountains, you’ll find groups sitting around on mats with a fine spread of kimchi, boiled eggs, assorted side dishes and makgoelli. Makgeolli (a milky-looking drink made from rice) is the alcohol of choice for mountain walkers, although soju is always popular of course. 

This has got to be the single biggest difference between UK walking and Korean walking. You might see the odd hip flask in the UK, but that's about it. It's rarely an option to sit around and have a picnic too. Here, I’ve seen people with lightweight tables and chairs and this enterprising chap (& friend I assume) had carried up a more substantial table + goods to sell. There is no easy way to get here - they’d worked hard. 

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Some countries give their police guns, some give tazers. In Seoul they issue them with … umbrellas. 

National Service is still compulsory for men here. Usually just before or after they go to University. They have a choice of the armed forces or the Police. You see young men in khaki uniforms everywhere, especially where I live as there are bases nearby and the US military has a presence down the road too.

Lots of them choose the police and they look soooo bored most of the time. The group above were on duty near the Parliament building and looked really fed up. 

To keep them occupied, I’m convinced they over-police protests - of which there are many. In the centre of town (where I used to work), it’s very common to see young police officers everywhere - in their hundreds. You walk around a corner and there’s another group lined up waiting to do something. I’ve even come across them sitting on the pavement in lines. I dearly wanted to take a picture but thought I’d better not.

The most obvious example of over-policing had to be the time I left work and there was a demonstration of about a hundred people in wheelchairs peacefully making their way down the street with banners, presumably demonstrating for better rights for the disabled. Lining the route was double their number of young police officers in full riot gear - including shields. Another picture I thought I shouldn’t take.

However, Seoul has seen its unfair share of serious demonstrations recently, caused by the problems surrounding the last President. If you think the US has an unpopular President, spare a thought for South Korea. The President here had a 4% approval rating until she was impeached for all sorts of misdemeanours. There were two protests every weekend for months - one in Gwanghamun Square - the ‘Trafalgar Square’ of Seoul. This was for the protesters who wanted her out. Estimates put the largest demonstration at as many as one million people (but this varies widely depending on who produced the estimate). The other protests (for her supporters) took place outside my school, about half a mile away). There weren’t anything like as many of them, but they could make a noise. As luck would have it, there was construction taking place in our building at the same time making it almost impossible to hear the students in class for an hour or two on weekend afternoons. Not too much fun. 

It’s looking like things have settled down at last. There are elections for a new President taking place on the 9th May. It’s not a job I’d want. Along with the many issues Presidents have to deal with, this one has that small matter of what to do about the problem with the neighbours to the north. 

Of course, South Koreans have lived with this issue for decades and it has the feeling of a 'phoney war' about it. Another theory I read as to why so few people seem worried about this (they certainly don't appear worried and there haven't been any national emergency drills in my part of town) is that the Koreans are a trusting lot. You see evidence of this everywhere - people walk around with their mobiles hanging out of their back pockets. Drivers (of very nice cars) jump out leaving the engine running and nip into a shop. I've even seen a bus driver do this. I suppose nobody would attempt to steal a bus but I couldn't imagine this back home. You can leave your phone and laptop on a cafe table and pop to the loo - they'll still be there when you get back. 

It's an optimistic view of life that I rather like.