Published by the Gwangju International Center since 2001
What would you do with seven million dollars? Retire early? Buy a few houses? Set aside enough money to put your great grandchildren through university? How about build a deathtrap offramp against the express advice of experts that ends up being so dangerous that it can never be used?
Starting in the early months of 2022, there were signs that a major transformation was taking place. The large wall on the east side was repainted and covered with beautiful, colorful murals. The police box on the south end (whose purpose I’ve yet to determine, as it had nothing to do with making sure cars weren’t clogging up the street) was removed. Most significantly, huge “No Parking” banners were hung along the wall and large planters were placed along the entire length of the street about two meters from the wall.
The simplest and most convenient place to park is, obviously, in the middle of a road, but doing so creates a dangerous problem. Other cars that are moving quickly (sometimes as fast as 50 km/h!), risk colliding into the non-moving car. Even in the best-case scenario, a car that parks on a road can prevent other cars from driving on the road.
There’s an island in Jeollanam-do, just off the southwest coast of Goheung, that I love so much I almost bought a second home there despite not having a first.
“Road,” a poem by Jeollanamdo poet Hwang Ji U, touches on themes of suffering while traveling through life.
Enjoy this photo essay by Gwangju Vet Joe Wabe.
