(Social categories / books) "People at dawn" published as a book

Saebyôk yônûn saramdûl, a series of articles by Kim Ûn-sông, No Yu-mi (text) and Kim Chin-sôk (photo) in Ohmynews of people working at night and dawn (of which I have often made notes) has now been published as a book. (Review in Ohmynews.) Here's a summarizing article of the long series: Ch'wijaehamyôn pabi nawayo, toni nawayo? (Do I get food or money for the reporting?). The three had written 50 articles on the course of eight months, and the result was now going to be published as a book, besides having appeared in Ohmynews. Picture linked from Ohmynews, ⓒ2003 김진석 "그냥 사는 것도 팍팍해서 힘들어 죽겠는데 뭔 놈의 취재래요? 취재하면 밥이 나와요, 돈이 나와요? 기자 양반이 세상 물정을 모르나본데, 우리같이 하루 벌어 하루 먹고 사는 사람들 도와주려면 그냥 묵묵히 살게 내버려 둬요. 괜히 취재니 뭐니 해서 안 그래도 힘든데 쓸데없이 힘빠지게 하지 말고.정말 우리가 어떻게 사는지 알면 취재하자는 얘기 못해. 차라리 취재 할 그 시간에 조금이라도 더 잠을 자거나 한 푼이라도 더 벌어야 하는 게 우리 생활이에요. 솔직히말해 우리 같은 사람들 일하느라 팔자 좋게 신문 볼 틈도 없어요. 하루하루가 피곤한 사람들한테 취재는 무슨…." The above is a quote from someone who refused to be reported; "The best way to help our kind of people who got to make our living every day (하루 벌어 하루 먹다) is just to leave us alone. [...] The time you'd be making your report we'd be rather sleeping an eyewink more or earning one penny more, that's what our life is." Also the "is there any food or money from the report" comment is from the same elder. What I liked about in this series was the sympathetic but non-paternalizing attitude, giving voice to the "ordinary people", who themselves often didn't see any point in making a media report on themselves. [I also sometimes met the same attitude in the neighborhood where I've done the research: "what's the point of researching a place like this."] Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: seomin • books • Koreaneconomy • businesskeepers • photography