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The line above the title says "The day has finally come." People I know expect Korean audiences to be cheering.
Most buildings in Myeongdong look something like this. I can't post a pic with high enough definition for you to see, but this building has fashion stores, restaurants, hair stylists, sneaker stores, a pharmacy, a real estate office, and "Dr. Paik's Weight Loss Clinic."
That big screen shows movie promos and music videos.
Sausages-on-skewer vendor. Of the five little sausages on each skewer, two are actually some sort of fishy substance.
At first it looks like a protest, but then you see it's an organized ad activity making its way through the streets.
Woman selling all sorts of street stall food.
This employee looks either angry or cautiously watching something.
Stylish belts for sale.
Reading a sermon. It's not unusual to see people standing at intersections handing out Christian pamphlets, or ever marching through crowded streets carrying a big cross-shaped sign with Christian music playing.
Nighttime views from my window, taken with my new camera. Once I get the software figured out I may be able to combine those two photos into one picture.
The building on the far left is a hagwon, or an academy for students to take extra classes after school to meet the demands of the educational system over here. Notice the church in the middle of the scene, with the neon cross.
There's only a small section of the window I can actually open to let in fresh air. I had to poke my camera through it and point it in different directions. The exposure time was quite long (this was night, remember); I think I did a good job minimizing blurring considering the weird angle I had to hold the camera at.
Scary stuff. Every expat teaching English in Korea has heard horror stories about schools that mistreat their foreign teachers. But I haven't heard many stories that come close to the schools described in the article.
It's almost funny. It seems so many people in East Asian countries are sensitive about how their nation is seen by Westerners, and they really want foreign visitors to come away with a good impression. But some businessmen in China and Korea treat foreign teachers in a way that almost assures some of them will go home and complain about how greedy and uncaring the Chinese and Koreans are. Greed is stronger than national pride for many people - in any country.
Not to be overly negative, but in Korea - and in China too, I'd expect - there are a large number of migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia who make less than English teachers, work longer hours under substandard work conditions - and yet you don't hear much about them.