The 54th parallel

摘要

Sitting in seoul's Tapgol Park under the bronze statue of a patriotic hero, an elderly gentleman reads his newspaper with the aid of a pocket magnifying glass. When asked, he spells out his name ("Mr Jeon") in the Chinese characters familiar to Korea's pre-war generation. In his younger days Mr Jeon worked as a carpenter and builder. Now 87, he is a regular member of the park's greying congregation: "There's no other place to go for an old person like me." He and his companions spend their time complaining about their ailments and corrupt politicians. "In the daytime this spot is packed."