Janghee Lee - Seouls Historic Walks in Sketches

The Korea Foundation has provided financial assistance for the undertaking of this publication project.

SEOULS HISTORIC WALKS IN SKETCHES

Copyright 2018 by Janghee Lee

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Published in 2018 by Seoul Selection U.S.A., Inc.

4199 Campus Drive, Suite 550, Irvine, CA 92612

Phone: 949-509-6584 / Seoul office: 82-2-734-9567

Fax: 949-509-6599 / Seoul office: 82-2-734-9562

E-mail:

Website: www.seoulselection.com

eISBN: 978-1-62412-114-2

Preface

The publication of an English-language edition of my book of sketches of Seoul stirs up old emotions. Seven years have passed since the original edition was released. During those years, readers have contacted me to share their encouragement and gratitude, as well as to point out errors. There have also been continuing inquiries about an English-language edition. Some readers have even translated sections of the book into English and Chinese and posted them on their blogs. Id been hoping that an English-language edition would come out, and Im delighted that this hope has finally become a reality. I dont expect this book to convey some definite idea of Seoul to foreigners visiting the city or residing here. Seoul is a much bigger and more complicated place than one might think. I only hope that the book will add a little depth to what theyve seen, heard, and felt here.

My primary motivation for capturing Seoul through sketches was my desire to learn more about the city. Constantly glancing back and forth from the sketchbook to the subject that Im drawing is, in my opinion, one of the best ways of getting to know the subjects physical appearance, at the very least. The book presents each neighborhood as if I had spent just one day visiting it, but of course I didnt complete all the related sketches in a single day. It brings together sketches I did in spare moments over a long period of time. There were too many sketches to fit in the pages of this bookso many, in fact, I could hardly believe Id drawn them all. While I did my drawings on the spot as much as possible, when this wasnt feasible, I took a photograph and did the work later. The crucial element in such cases was recreating the feeling of being there. I read a lot of books about Seoul to satisfy the curiosity that my drawings stirred up, and I would later return to track down the sights and stories I had heard about and do even more drawings. Along the way, I gradually became more familiar with Seoul. I got the feeling I hadnt really known much about it before.

Seoul isnt an antiqueits an ever-changing organism, which is why the companies developing car navigation systems are constantly revising their maps. Many old buildings have disappeared in the name of development. Most of what we see today postdates the Korean War, especially the tidy neighborhoods known as new cities. Seoul falls short as a historical city, which made me even more interested in learning about what has disappeared. I wanted to track down the old stories hidden by the new buildings. In so doing, I wanted to sketch Seoul, both past and present.

I was aware that the city in my sketches would continue changing as time passed by. Thats why my sketch tours of Seoul will continue for the rest of my life.

All thats left now is sharing this book with my foreign friends. Ive often felt frustrated by my poor command of English, which has kept me from saying as much I would like about Seoul. Im already excited by the thought of leaving those days behind and showing off my new book. To wrap up, Id like to express my sincere gratitude to the staff at Seoul Selection for their hard work during the long publication process and to David Carruth for his great translation.

Janghee Lee
Summer 2018

Ive lived in Seoul for a long time,
But I still dont know the city.
I was tossed on the waves of time,
Like a leaf trembling when the wind blows,
I drew pictures,
I wrote books.
Is that all there is, I wondered.
In an alleyway in Tongui-dong that I came upon by chance,
Sitting by the stump of a white pine tree struck by lightning.
Is it too late, I asked.
It was a tranquil scene, without a breath of wind.
The pine didnt speak.
I quietly pulled out my sketchbook and drew the scene.
In the cold, early spring,
An impatient butterfly came fluttering over
And left its shadow on the blank page.
Thats it!
Ill draw the places where Ive lived.

It could be that I already
Began this journey long ago,
Years ago, on the day
When I was born in Seoul.
All of a sudden, the spring wind whispers between the bookshelves.
The wind is
The loveliest thing in the world.

The wind is in Seoul.
I am in the wind,
And Seoul is inside me.
The time I spent in Seoul:
That is what I am drawing.

Gwanghwamun, you are younger than even our children.

But you will live much longer than they.

This message is for your future self, when you mean something quite different than you do today.

Its good to see you again.

Please take care of Seoul.

Gwanghwamun Gate

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Seoul

I knew it!

That was all my friend had to say when I told him about the draft of this book.

You knew what, exactly?

I mean, as soon as I heard you were working on a book about Seoul, I knew that Gwanghwamun Gate would be the first thing youd mention, he said.

Come to think about it, Gwanghwamun really is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Seoul. The gate has gradually become a part of me, just as street lamps come on with a buzz in a dusky alley as the sun sets. To those who complain that its always Gwanghwamun, all I can say is that theres no other way. Why does it have to be Gwanghwamun? Why is it this one gate that we keep thinking of, and not another part of Gyeongbokgung Palace? Why not Geunjeongjeon Hall, the main court inside the palace, or Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, which never goes out of fashion (possibly because of its presence on large-denomination bills)?

I guess its because of what the main gate symbolizes. Back in the days before photographs, regular peoplethat is, everyone but the royal family and the select few with access to the palacemust have been dying to know what was inside the palace. But their curiosity could not take them past the gate. Thats why people came to equate Gwanghwamun Gate with Gyeongbokgung Palace. But today, anyone can go inside, and still all I remember when I think of Gyeongbokgung is Gwanghwamun. I guess its not so unusual, though. While I do work inside the four gates of Seoul (in the old city center, where the palace is located), I could probably count on one hand the number of times I go inside Gyeongbokgung in a year. But I can see Gwanghwamun outside the bus window on my way home each day. The gate was hidden from view when it was being restored from 2006 to 2010, so it feels strangely comforting to have it back with us. That just shows how much it means to us, I guess.