Street art and Urban Exploration in Seoul

Ah, Seoul. Big city. Sound is ubiquitous; it's inescapable. Honking horns, squealing tires, chatter on the street, shouting from the drunks, sales pitches from the pretty girls hawking makeup or lotion, and old men yelling prices of vegetables at you. I don't want to hear you, but I do.

It is a mix of old and new, and if you wanted, you could drop a lot of money here.

But not me. I've chosen not to conform to the culture here, if conforming means spending a lot of money or needless things. My 10 months of living as an expat in Seoul have taught me many things, and they aren't all positive, no sir. Sadly, it seems that young people in Korea (at least in Seoul, from the view of this foreigner, anyway) are obsessed with looking good, being cute, buying the newest styles, wearing the cutest clothes, eating at the most popular places, and not giving a fuck all about much else.

It was difficult for me to fit in here - I've never enjoyed shopping and I like to think I care more about things other than clothes, shoes, and makeup. I've said no to the culture of excess, of shopping as a national past time, of eating out every night and then drinking after that. Call me a square or call me a cheap ass - I don't care. I'd rather read a book, go for a walk, stroll around a free museum, or explore an abandoned neighborhood.

Yep, you heard that right. Here in Seoul, because of the rush to develop almost the entire city into the modern age of sky scrapers and state-of-the-art, LG-appliance-filled apartments, there are many, many older neighborhoods being torn down. Because you can't eradicate an entire neighborhood overnight, this often leaves large sections of housing open and vacant - the perfect place for a curious (and cheap) expat to explore.

The following photos are from one session of urban exploration I did here in Seoul. It's funny, I guess I'd been living under a rock, but I hadn't ever heard that term, "urban exploration," before I moved here. However, I've been an urban explorer for years and never knew it. I've always been curious about abandoned places - there's something about such a glaring absence that I find fascinating and comforting at the same time. From abandoned amusement parks to military bases (in Berlin) to abandoned neighborhoods and more abandoned amusement parks in Seoul, I've done my fair share. I don't mind getting dirty, climbing over walls or fences, or making a run for it, if necessary. I would choose any of those activities over shopping, any day.

I heard one of these abandoned neighborhoods was being used as some sort of underground art gallery, so in July I went to check it out for myself before the canvases disappeared - forever. Street art plus abandoned place = wicked cool. These were taken sort of near Namdaemun, if I'm not mistaken. And, if I'm not mistaken, there is nothing left now, unless they've started the high rises. Enjoy.