On the outskirts of a city in Chungcheongnam-do, there is a small abandoned construction site which consists of two apartment blocks with 6 individual flats on each floor. With my friend, Kevin, we headed out early in the morning to explore this site. There was a gate which blocked the entrance, but since there were no fences, we easily walked onto the site. There were two container structures which were supposed to be the guard house. On our right, there was a white one story building, which we speculated was the storage since there was a large pile of charcoal blocks used for heating. After we explored the building, we made our way towards the first apartment block. One of the first two units that were on the first floor was what used to be a display unit, judging by the fact that most of it was furnished. However, it was littered with pots, pans, and even a blanket and some pillows, so we knew someone was either currently living or used to live here after construction came to a halt. Making our way up to the roof top, the units starting on the second floor were more or less the same: bare concrete walls with wiring sticking out and window frames and construction materials scattered on the floor, waiting to be installed. 

As some of you may not know, I’m currently teaching in Taean, located in the province of Chungcheongnam-do, off the west coast of South Korea. One thing I love about my job is that on Monday mornings I head off to a small elementary school in the fishing village of Uihang (의항/蟻項) which is situated in a small peninsula north of the well known Manripo beach. Right beside the school there is a trail called the “Haebyeongil (해변길)”

“Haebyeongil,” which literally means “The path by the sea,” is a trail system which more or less follows the coastline of Taean. The Uihang peninsula is part of the “Sowon” section of the trail, which allows hikers to walk along the shores of the peninsula.