Shantytown Stories
Ohmynews tells of a new book "Shantytown Stories" (P'anjach'on iyagi) by Mr Kobau, or Kim Sông-hwan, who has drew cartoons on current events (sisa manhwa) for Donga, Chosun, Segye, and Munhwa (newspapers) from 1955 to 2000. In the interview Mr Kim tells that nowadays the once common "current event cartoon" consisting of four pictures is being neglected by the newspapers; on the other hand he is not happy with the way editors interfere with the freedom of expression of the cartoonists. (The cartoonists are mostly salaried employees in newspapers.) Now Kim Sông-hwan or Mr Kobau (who was actually his cartoon character) has published a pictorial work of the life in the shantytown or "board shack village" (p'anjach'on) next to Cheonggyecheong, to reflect his own memories of living in one after the Korean War and titillate the need for nostalgy of many (me included: nostalgy for things seen only on pictures and read in books). (고바우 김성환의 판자촌이야기 in Youngpoong Bookstore)
From the Ohmynews interview of the artist: 하필이면 판자촌? 그가 특별히 판자촌을 그리는 이유는 자신이 직접 판자촌에서 살아봤기 때문이라고 김 화백은 말했다. Update. For the historically invaluable photographs by the Japanese photographer Kuwabara Shisei of Cheonggyecheon and its people in the 1960s before the covering of the river, see the gallery in the photography portal Zoom In (click the icon in the page to go to the gallery). Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: books ∙ contemp.history ∙ urbanspace ∙ photography |
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