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Underground living

Posted September. 24, 2016 07:45,   

Updated September. 24, 2016 08:24

한국어

Poet Kim Ji-ha’s real name is Kim Yeong-il. He chose to write using a pen name Ji-ha when he was about 22. When he had an exhibition of illustrated poems at Haklim Dabang (Haklim coffeehouse) in his early college days, he felt the need to change his name by facing many other writers who had the same name. As he walked down the street towards Haklim Dabang under the influence of alcohol in the daytime, he noticed signs such as “Underground Coffeehouse” and “Underground Barber Shop” in a row (the meaning of underground is "jiha" in Korean). That was the moment he chose his pen name. However, he might be cursed by the name. He confronted the dictatorship with his pen and had to go through the dark ages for over 30 years.

It is common that a person who just starts out in a career or newly married couples live in a single room in the basement due to their poor financial conditions. When they save some money, their living standards are slightly raised by moving up to a semi-basement room where they can see the legs of people passing by over the window. Or, it is also possible to directly move to the top or a rooftop house if they fail to endure fungus and dust. COEX Mall, the largest shopping mall in Asia located in southern Seoul, is also in the underground. However, the atmosphere is completely different. Interior lightings brighten up the space, and refreshing air allows people to enjoy shopping regardless of the weather outside.

The Pyongyang Metro is located in 100-150 meters below the ground in preparation of nuclear attacks. Pyongyang's subway system is connected to the military facilities is not a mere mean of transportation, but a function of a mega bunker. Going under another 150 meters, there is an underground tunnel connecting the city like a spider’s web. Hwang Jang-yop, former secretary of the North Korean Workers' Party, confirmed this when he was alive, saying that he saw clear spring water and green grass in the tunnel, which is connected to Mt. Jamo, 40 kilometers away from Pyongyang. Considering that, the leadership of the North could stay underground days or more in case of emergency.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will build an underground passage linking City Hall to Gwanghwamun subway station from 2020 to 2025 with a wide range of public and commercial facilities. The whole size of the area equals to four times of soccer field. It is similar to Montreal’s Underground City that was built to avoid extreme cold, and New York’s Lowline project, which is underway to turn an abandoned trolley terminal into an underground park. Living poor and living underground might be harsh for a person. However, money and power can exert a magic spell to change a dark and damp basement into a comforting place.