Gamcheon Cultural Village (photo: author)
"Chronicle of Sojourn Across South Korea", by Ken Wakasugi
South Korea is a neighboring country where its cars and communication devices have become popular household brands, and where remarkable progress has been made in the entertainment industry in recent years. On the other hand, South Korea has a unique culture from the perspective of Japan, with its rigorous entrance examinations, existence of zaibatsu families, and mandatory military services, to name a few. I chose Korea as my work vacation destination. I toured three major cities, Seoul, Taegu, and Busan, to see how South Korea may differ from Japan in terms of design, architecture, and art. The trip began from northwest towards southeast, crossing through South Korea.
Busan Cinema Center, by Coop Himmelb(l)au (photo: author)
In Seoul, enormous buildings by starchitects are scattered throughout the city, alongside former royal palaces and high-rise condominiums standing out in the vicinity. The buildings are designed with a certain intent, and the density of the buildings gives a sense of the dynamism of the city. The royal palaces of the Joseon Dynasty and the old townscape coexist in close proximity to modern architecture, creating a unique urban landscape.
As I traveled, I found that cafés were more common than I had expected, both in the places I was aiming for and along the way. It seems as if there are more than two to three times as many cafes as in Japan. I did some research on South Korean café culture and found that in addition to the custom of using cafés after lunch, the number of new cafés increased due to its ease of establishment as private businesses amidst various social issues, such as finding a job and early retirement. As a side note, I heard that there are also many fried chicken restaurants, but those were not the subject of my sojourn.Here are some of the cafés that left an impression on me.
cafe onion anguku (photo: author)
cafe onion anguku
Located in Anguk, Seoul, this café is housed in a renovated traditional Korean-style house. The roofs are similar to those of Japanese temples and shrines, including the upward curvature, timber compositions and joints, and roof tiles. The pillars and beams are more rugged than those in Japan, with logs and drum beams. The entrance and exit fittings are remade of steel sashes. Often in this residential typology, there is a courtyard with white gravel. There is a pleasantly wide variety of seating that takes advantage of the traditional construction.
daelimchango_gallery (photo: author)
daelimchango_gallery
Located in Seoul's Sungsu-dong district, this café and gallery is housed in a large warehouse. The ceiling height is about 6m, and the counter and display shelves are spaciously laid out. The furniture is not from a uniform manufacturer, but rather is gathered from a variety of sources. It is interesting that you can choose where you want to sit wherever the furniture can be placed rather than in a prescribed place.
Starbucks Coffee, Jongro Goteak (photo: author)
Starbucks Coffee, Jongro Goteak
This Starbucks is located in Daegu. This café is also located in a renovated hanok (traditional Korean house). In addition to the existing hanok, a new hanok was built. The restrooms are located in a separate building surrounding a courtyard, and the garden is connected to the street in addition to the entrance, allowing free access to the building. There is a counter on the side of the newly built building that also serves as the entrance, and it has a spacious layout.
F1963/terarosa coffee
A renovated wire factory in Busan, this cultural complex includes a restaurant, café, bookstore, gallery, and a scenic path through a bamboo grove. The space created by the wire factory, which maximizes the factory qualities, spaciously furnished with iron tables and chairs, gives the impression of a top-of-the-line version of the aforementioned cafés. This facility was created with the cooperation of the parent company and the Busan Culture Foundation, and also has a Hyundai Motor gallery space adjacent to it.
F1963/terarosa coffee (photo: author)
P.ARK (photo: author)
P.ARK
Located on a small island called Yeongdo, P.ARK is a commercial facility with exhibition space, restaurants, meeting space, and stores. Despite the fact that there is no train station and the only way to get there is by bus or car, there were many people visiting. Park Cafe & Bakery is located on the third floor, and since it is built along the oceanfront, it has a great panoramic view, and the stairs also serve as seating. There is also an outdoor terrace, although it was laid with artificial grass. While many cafés are renovated, this newly built space was fresh and unique.
Momos Coffee Yeongdo
This café is also located in Yeongdo, and is closer to Busan Station along the harbor and connected to the station by a bridge. There are factories and offices related to the shipbuilding industry, and the exterior of the café suddenly appears amidst the chaotic townscape. It looks as if the building was renovated from a former warehouse to give the impression that the inside is not visible (steel door, few openings, and an inconspicuous sign on the entrance wall). Inside, the new partition walls are made of glass or white walls, and the roasting room, bean warehouse, and training room are visible. Among the various seating options, it was interesting to see a coffee bag cushion. The long counter where the cash register and coffee service is conducted is a feature of the design, and the back of the counter is also visible. This makes it a challenging but unique space, as the dishes and stock must be organized and the staff must constantly upkeep the space properly. Its main flagship is located in Busan and has the world's best barista.
Momos Coffee Yeongdo (photo: author)
At the End of the Journey
In this sojourn through three cities, I found that South Korea places a high value on design and art, and that it also preserves its traditions and has successfully turned them into tourism assets. I felt that there is a common understanding that it is meaningful to spend money to create things for this purpose. In addition, the governmental Cultural Affairs Agency and Tourism Agency, and conglomerates – such as Samsung and Hyundai – are investing money in cultural facilities, and these efforts are manifested in many small-scale galleries in cities, which has helped the industry to flourish both top-down and bottom-up. The same is true for cafés, albeit on a different scale.
No matter how much digital technology has advanced, it is always better to visit a place, experience it, and feel its atmosphere. Through this trip, I was positively reminded and encouraged by the fact that design is widely involved in certain things, and that we are engaged in a profession where the meaning of design is questioned and challenged on a daily basis. On reflection, I would have liked to talk about the above-mentioned issues with some of the local people who are working in design-related fields. I regret that, as I have no understanding of the Korean language, let alone English. For my future outlook, I would like to look at the situation in non-urban or rural areas.
Busan Harbor Bridge (photo: author)
Note: *Comparatively, the land area of Japan is 378,000 square kilometers while that of South Korea is 100,000 square kilometers, and the population of Japan is 125 million while that of South Korea is 51.6 million. It is said that this difference engenders a relatively small market to have strong aspirations to expand outward into the world. Another factor behind South Korea's recent rapid growth may be that the timing was impeccable after the digital society had fully permeated the country at a time when the nation was growing. Lastly, it is an interesting fact to note that the content-generating industry is a national policy.
Author (written in Japanese): Ken Wakasugi
Reader: Kaz T. Yoneda, FRSA
Editor: Hinako Izuhara
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Thank you for your time and kind attention.
Until next time!