I have a new article in a monograph published by mediabus. This was my “fun writing project” for the year — an essay on capitalist development and logistics landscape in Korea. It wasn’t easy to write about a topic I knew so little about, but I ended up learning a lot in the process of research and writing. And now I have some ideas for follow-up projects on narrating the political economy of progress through the landscapes of development. My essay accompanies photographs by the Seoul and New York-based artist (and old friend) Joo Hwang. Her solo exhibition was at Gallery Plant in Seoul from March 3 to April 2, 2011.
J. Han. 2011. “Vacant warehouses as placeholders of fortune.” In Korean: “재산ì¦ì‹ì˜ ìžë¦¬ë§¡ê¸°” (Korean translation by Kwon Insook). Temporary Storages: Joo Hwang, Seoul, Korea: mediabus.
Excerpt
As the popular Korean idiom goes, ten years are enough to change even mountains and rivers. This is no more evident than in contemporary South Korea, where decades of rapid industrialization and economic development have transformed vast landscapes and countless lives, with enormous fortunes made and unmade in transactions both spectacular and speculative. Given the compressed modernity experienced firsthand by the majority of the present populations in South Korea, it is no surprise that the physical changes in the landscape and rural-urban transformation are important aspects of narrating the political economy of progress. Tunnels are blasted through mountains, and rivers are dammed and dredged ostensibly for industrial expediency and recreational convenience. Rolling fields of rice, barley, and grass have been replaced by towers made of steel, concrete, and glass. Traditional single family housing structures and open air marketplaces have given way to apartment megaplexes and indoor shopping malls, and social lives are increasingly organized around underground subways and highway overpasses, stack parking lots with hydraulic lifts and mega-structures that serve up religion and consumption in bulk. Day after day, profit-driven development projects obliterate and displace entire neighborhoods to make room for new buildings that sprout up relentlessly on razed grounds.
í•œêµ ì†ë‹´ì— ì‹ ë…„ì´ë©´ ê°•ì‚°ì´ ë°”ë€ë‹¤ê³ 했다. 지난 ìˆ˜ì‹ ë…„ê°„ í•œêµì€ 산업화와 ê²½ì œë°œì „ì„ ë¹ ë¥´ê²Œ 겪으며 ê°•ì‚°ì´ ì—¬ëŸ¬ 번 변하는 ê²½í—˜ì„ í–ˆë‹¤. ì—„ì²ë‚œ ë¬¼ëŸ‰ì˜ íˆ¬ê¸°ì 거래를 통해 ìž¬ì‚°ì„ ëŠ˜ë¦¬ê±°ë‚˜ 잃어버리는 ê³¼ì • ì†ì—ì„œ ì‚¬ëžŒë“¤ì€ ë³€í•´ì™”ë‹¤. êµë¯¼ì´ 겪어낸 압축ì ì¸ ê·¼ëŒ€í™”ì˜ ê³¼ì • ì†ì—ì„œ ë„시와 ë†ì´Œì´ 어떻게 변화해 ì™”ê³ ì‚¶ì˜ í’ê²½ ë˜í•œ 어떻게 바뀌어왔는지 들여다 보는 ìž‘ì—…ì€ ì •ì¹˜ê²½ì œí•™ì˜ ì¸¡ë©´ì—ì„œ 매우 중요한 ì£¼ì œë‹¤. 급ì†ë„ë¡œ 진행ë˜ì–´ì˜¨ 산업화와 ë ˆì € ì‚°ì—…ì€ ì‚°ì„ í„°ë„ë¡œ ëš¦ì–´ë²„ë¦¬ê³ ê°•ì€ ë‘‘ìœ¼ë¡œ 막아 ë°”ë‹¥ì„ ë“œëŸ¬ë‚´ê²Œ 했다. 곡ì‹ê³¼ 채소를 í‚¤ìš°ë˜ í‘¸ë¥¸ ë°ê³¼ 들ì—는 ì² ê·¼ê³¼ 콘í¬ë¦¬íŠ¸ì™€ ìœ ë¦¬ë¡œ 세운 ë†’ì€ ë¹Œë”©ë“¤ì´ ë“¤ì–´ì„°ê³ , ì „í†µê°€ì˜¥ê³¼ ìž¬ëž˜ì‹œìž¥ì€ ëŒ€ê·œëª¨ì˜ ì•„íŒŒíŠ¸ 단지와 쇼핑몰로 바뀌었다. 종êµì™€ ìƒí’ˆì˜ 대량 소비를 가능하게 하는 복합 주차건물과 대형빌딩, ê·¸ë¦¬ê³ ì´ë¥¼ 그물ë§ì²˜ëŸ¼ 잇는 ì§€í•˜ì ˆê³¼ ê³ ì†ë„ë¡œì˜ í™˜ê²½ì†ì—ì„œ ëŒ€ì¤‘ì˜ ì‚¬íšŒì ì‚¶ì˜ ë°©ì‹ë„ 재조ì§ì™¸ì–´ 왔다. ë” ë†’ì€ ì´ìµì„ ë‚´ë ¤ëŠ” ê°œë°œì „ëžµë•Œë¬¸ì— ë™ë„¤ 하나가 순ì‹ê°„ì— í”ì ë„ ì—†ì´ ì‚¬ë¼ì§€ê¸°ë„ í•˜ê³ ë‹¤ë¥¸ 곳으로 ë³€í•´ë²„ë¦¬ê¸°ë„ í•˜ëŠ” ì¼ë“¤ì´ ë§¤ì¼ ë²Œì–´ì§€ê³ ìžˆëŠ” 것ì´ë‹¤.
And just for kicks, an earlier version of the translation. It’s a little more awkward because it’s more faithful to the English text, but I prefer certain parts of this version.
ì†ë‹´ì— ì‹ ë…„ì´ë©´ ê°•ì‚°ì´ ë³€í•œë‹¤ê³ í–ˆë‹¤.  엄ì²ë‚œ 투기ì 거래로 ìž¬ì‚°ì´ ìƒê¸°ê±°ë‚˜ ìžƒê¸°ë„ í•˜ë©´ì„œ ìˆ˜ì—†ì´ ë§Žì€ ì‚¬ëžŒë“¤ì˜ ì‚¶ê³¼ í’ê²½ì´ ìˆ˜ ì‹ ë…„ê°„ì˜ ë¹ ë¥¸ 산업화와 ê²½ì œë°œì „ ë•Œë¬¸ì— ë³€í™”ëœ ê²ƒì„ ë§í• ë•Œ í•œêµë§Œí•œ 사회는 ì—†ì„ ê²ƒì´ë‹¤. 현 남한 ì¸êµ¬ì˜ 대다수가 ì§ì ‘ 경험한 압축ì í˜„ëŒ€í™”ì˜ ê³¼ì •ì—ì„œ ë„시와 ë†ì´Œì´ ë³€ëª¨í•˜ê³ ì‚¬ëŠ” í’ê²½ì´ ì‹¤ì§ˆì 으로 ë°”ë€ ê²ƒì€ ì§„ë³´ì˜ ì •ì¹˜ê²½ì œí•™ì„ ì´ì•¼ê¸°í• ë•Œ 중요한 부분ì´ë‹¤. ì‚°ì—…í™”ì˜ íŽ¸ì˜ì™€ 오ë½ì‚°ì—…ë°œì „ì„ ìœ„í•˜ì—¬ ì‚°ì—는 í„°ë„ì´ ìƒê²¼ê³ , ê°•ì—는 ëŒì´ ì„¸ì›Œì§€ê³ ë°”ë‹¥ í‘œë©´ì„ í›“ê¸°ê³ í–ˆë‹¤.   쌀, 보리 경작지나 목초지는 ì² ê³¼ 콘í¬ë¦¬íŠ¸ ìœ ë¦¬ë¡œ ë§Œë“ íƒ‘ìœ¼ë¡œ 대체ë˜ì—ˆë‹¤. ì „í†µì ì¸ ë‹¨ë…주íƒê³¼ ìž¬ëž˜ì‹œìž¥ì€ ëŒ€ê·œëª¨ 아파트 단지와 쇼핑몰로 ë°”ë€Œì—ˆê³ , 사회ìƒí™œì€ ì ì ë” ì§€í•˜ì² ê³¼ ê³ ê°€ë„로와 ê³ ì¸µ 주차장, 대량소비와 종êµë¥¼ ì œê³µí•˜ëŠ” 대형구조물 중심으로 ì¡°ì§ë˜ê³ 있다. ì´ìµì°½ì¶œì—만 몰ë‘하는 ê°œë°œì „ëžµì— ì˜í•´ 온 마ì„ê³¼ ì´ì›ƒë“¤ì´ 사ë¼ì§€ê¸°ë„ ì™„ì „ížˆ 변형ë˜ê¸°ë„ í•˜ê³ ìƒˆ ë¹Œë”©ë“¤ì€ ê·¸ ìžë¦¬ì— 잡초처럼 ëˆì§ˆê¸°ê²Œ ê³„ì† ìžëž€ë‹¤.