The joseonjok community at home in Garibong-dong
It was my first time to Garibong-dong, western Seoul — or “Chinatown,” as they call it. The first sight that caught my eyes were the red lights illuminating the streets, a clear sign that I was somewhere foreign.As I entered a Chinese restaurant, I sensed an exotic smell. People were chatting in Chinese. I ordered a hot noodle soup called toudaowenmian. The seasoning was quite strong, a taste I had never before experienced. I couldn’t put my spoon down. I instantly became addicted.
Garibong-dong in Guro District is home to thousands of ethnic Koreans with Chinese nationality, known here as joseonjok.
According to government statistics, there were 6,561 residents in that group last year, 35.2 percent of the entire Garibong-dong population. When including Chinese nationals, close to half of all residents are linked with the neighboring country.
The growing Chinese influx in Garibong-dong dates back to the 1970s, when the Guro Industrial Complex attracted blue-collar laborers who flocked in for better-paying jobs.
The complex eventually closed after 2000, but by then the Chinese population had risen to enormous numbers, and the neighborhood was so heavily influenced by the foreign culture that Chinese felt “too comfortable” to leave for anywhere else, as some Korean merchants put it.
The adjacent district of Daerim 2-dong experienced a spill-over effect when the joseonjok population grew so large in Garibong-dong over the years, that they began hanging out there as well.
Daerim 2-dong has the largest joseonjok population in Seoul today: 8,373 people, which accounts for 35.7 percent of Daerim 2-dong residents.
Lee Kyung-won, 49, is a Korean office worker who says he enjoys visiting Chinatown due to the “unique vibe and culinary culture.”
“I love its malahuoguo [a type of spicy soup],” says Lee. “Newcomers might feel awkward there, but I’d strongly recommend a visit just for the sake of an exotic experience.”
Lee confides that he doesn’t hold any sort of animosity to the area, or to the joseonjok community in general. But the Korean general public often thinks differently.
According to a survey from the Peace Asia and Korea Research Center, 94 percent of Koreans think negatively of the ethnic group.
A banner in the middle of one street in Daerim 2-dong warns that foreigners will be deported if they’re fined 3 million won ($2,570) or more.
BY SEO JIN-CHEOL [7317jc@naver.com]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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