In Gwangju, the neon lights of a love motel are never far from view. Young couples use love motels to enjoy a romantic night away from parental scrutiny. Love motels are also a rendezvous point for extramarital affairs. Like beauty pageant contestants, love motels decked out in exotic attire vie for attention along the Gwangjucheon waterfront.
The rest of the piece is about as unobjectionable as you can get. However, some aren't happy that the magazine for foreigners has covered this topic. An excerpt:
해당 기사를 작성한 사람은 미국인 밀리암 호씨. 하지만 그는 광주에 온지 두 달밖에 안 된 것으로 알려졌다. 한국문화에 대해 제대로 이해하지 못한 외국인의 눈에 비친 광주가 아무런 여과 없이 광주를 소개하는 영문 잡지에 실린 것이다.
Which says basically that the author has been in Gwangju for only two months and doesn't understand Korean culture. She is transmitting this misunderstanding to other foreigners in a magazine that's supposed to introduce Gwangju to its readers. Christ Almighty, grow the fuck up. I said that, not the article.
See, this is one reason why there is a rush to set up proper tourist hotels and "World Inns" to make it easier to hide these ubiquitous love motels from foreigners who might infer something about Korean culture. Though the big issue here of course is a foreigner writing about this topic to an audience of other foreigners (I nearly lost my job last summer for things I wrote in the Gwangju News). Actually, I don't think foreigners need any help noticing all the motels, so it looks like Koreans were uncomfortable that we know what they're there for.
The piece in the GN was really only to talk about the interesting facades on a lot of these motels. That's hardly objectionable, and you'd have to be a total dunce not to notice them, or to notice how lit up downtown and Sangmu get at night. Of course concerned journalists and citizens are worried that embarrassing truths might get out about adulterous Koreans, but they would have been better served writing a letter to the editor, because I daresay I have a larger readership than the magazine, and this Jeonnam Ilbo dumbassery is out in the open now. As my readers here know I very much love love motels, and have half a mind now to write a piece about them for the next issue of Gwangju News, both to taunt squirmish readers and as a show of support.
In case you're curious, a Naver search turns up 478 motels in Gwangju and another 821 in Jeollanam-do. Boy, people sure do love to, um, "travel."
11 comments:
Where the heck did they get that she has only been here for 2 months from? It doesnt say that in the article and that worries me.
I wish they (Korean readers) would make up their minds and decide wether the magazine is aimed at the foreign community or at the Korean community who are learning English.
btw, could we get a translation of the article by any chance?
btw can somebody tell the copy editor at the gwangju news its Tom JONES not Tom Johns!!
looks like nothing has changed since we left there in 2004
In Lonely Planet guide for Korea, it mentions that there are so many motels charging 30,000 wons and questions how could they stay in business. They are either being polite or just naive.
It's funny you mentioned the World Inns... most of them ARE love hotels "converted" for use by tourists.
"5ㆍ18을 맞아 광주를 찾는 외국인도 평소보다 많아질 텐데 잡지를 본 외국인들이 광주의 모텔을 보며 무슨 생각을 하겠느냐?" Which I would translate to, "As 5.18 approaches there will be more foreigners than normal coming to Gwangju. What will they think if they see Gwangju's motels (in this article)."
Granted that quote comes from some random person that the reporter interviewed for the article, however I find it especially disingenuous that it is used to imply that there is no content related to 5.18 when there is a very informative interview with survivors of the uprising in the same issue.
I have half a mind to write a letter to the editor of the Ilbo but I don't know if I can express my level of annoyance in Korean.
Does the article suggest what hundreds of those motels are used for/needed for, if not for young couples, and cheaters?
No, the reporter states that the author of the Gwangju News article doesn't understand Korean culture but never claims that what she has said is false.
Dear Korea: If you don't want to be embarrassed by something, just don't do it. Don't sit there and instead just try and keep your indiscretions out of the media, especially when they're in plain sight.
@ross
Ha! Could it amount to: Yeah, it's a place where married people have affairs but you make it seem like a bad thing. You don't understand Korean culture.
Oh, klogic.
didn't you know~ those love shacks are for taking short time naps after hiking all morning~!! Also, married people use them with their spouses to get some quality time away from the kids~!! Ever been married & had to share a small apt with children & have the urge for a quicky in the early afternoon when lil johnny is far from nap time?? after all, many Korean families share sleeping quarters...
Maybe this is what was meant by "she's only been here 2 months & doesnt' understand Korean culture"
Still one must wonder how do all those love shacks stay in business with only married couple clientel.
hmmmmm
Post a Comment