At the friends' residential estate, there's a park on its grounds, and ball courts. (Didn't notice exactly what courts) When we visited on Saturday, there was a flea/community market going on. Like a Singaporean void-deck block party sort of stuff I guess. Except it wasn't initiated by the government. This was initiated by the residents' committee of that estate.
This is still autumn. Oddly warm, but cool enough to hang out all day without much humidity unless we're brisk walking or straining the calf muscles uphill. The happy gathering at the residential estate happens often in summer and autumn. It was slightly after noon, but many gathered around the makeshift tables playing cards and drinking tea, soju and homemade makgeolli. There were little 'stalls' with pre-loved wares laid out on mats on the floor, inviting everyone to browse or buy. All very fun.
While I don't care who becomes President of South Korea in December, one can hope that the winning candidate will be able to pursue a sane and moderate policy with North Korea, and keep the country on an even keel. A predicted 3.3% economic growth for 2012 means that most of the city feels a little less buzz, especially with EU sanctions moving into place because of oil imports from Iran. The Seoul government has been introducing fiscal measures to keep inflation within 2%, and creating jobs, providing micro-financing and housing support for its people. Domestic product demand is high. I saw so many Samsung phones hanging around. Trendy city dwellers somehow are not embracing the now-ubiquitous iPhone.
The one major Korean thanksgiving festival 'Chuseok' begins today, on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It's a harvest festival that's somewhat akin to the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Happy to see so much of Seoul through the lens of a tourist, and the friends who're frequent visitors, residents and citizens. Always in a state of flux, this city is still homogeneous, and its people seem to weather all manner of economic and political storms together fairly well. It's a society that's more united than fragmented, even if the relentless pace of globalized trends and all sinking into the society. We've explored a fair bit of it, and there's so much more we want to check out. I didn't get to watch a play! Boo! Next trip, we would be very inclined to head further South to traverse the picturesque regions of the country.
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