Dylan Goldby

Korea’s traditional markets have seen a staggering decline within the last 20 years. As recently as 1993, most Korean housewives would head to a local market for fresh poultry, produce and groceries. When the first E-Mart opened in November that year, it introduced a whole new world of discount shopping to Korean consumers. Clean, modern facilities sprung up around the country, offering competitive pricing on almost anything one needed for a home. Instead of customers haggling for lower prices, economies of scale did it for them. 

On the day after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament in Myanmar, also known as Burma, Lilly Kip Lee could barely contain her excitement. It was a sun-drenched day in Seoul and the prospects for the political situation in her home country suddenly seemed just as bright. In just a few short months, years of struggle had given way to a rapid series of changes throughout the nation, culminating in the election of Myanmar’s iconic pro-democracy movement leader. “Did you hear what’s happened in my country?” Lilly exclaimed, her voice bubbling with indiscriminate optimism.

In the blue-tinged twilight, I make my way to the back of the park. The ticket office is not yet open. The gates are wide, and the morning wind rustles the leaves. How many people have heard this sound before? As the sun crests the horizon and shafts of light spill between the burial mounds, a sense of awe fills me. I am walking the path of kings, a path lined by ancestors and walked by descendants. Here lie the leaders who unified Korea. I walk through the park, nodding my regards to the occasional early riser, before leaving, humbled. 

Tens of thousands of man-hours are spent annually churning out content for the English-language media market in Korea. We’re talking about thousands of stories a year worth billions of won in daily newspapers, monthly magazines and on radio stations. It’s big business. 

It’s just a shame that very little of what’s produced is for the consumption of Korea’s growing foreign population. Blame the money. There’s more won to be had in chasing Korean readers than there is finding foreign ones.