Jo Hyun Jae

When my brother from England visited me a few years ago, I entertained him with Korean movies and dramas.  And he fell in love with Jun Ji-Hyun of  “My Sassy Girl” fame (and a couple of other Korean actresses too.)  He asked me where they find all these beautiful girls and handsome men and do they all look like this in Korea.  I said some looks might be manufactured but there is no doubt Korea has a wide array of beauties, both female and male.

Every time I visit Seoul, I am struck anew by the physical attractiveness and vitality of its youthful population, especially in the bustling areas like Myeong-Dong and upscale districts like Cheongdam-dong around the Galleria and trendy areas like Shinsa-dong, Samcheong-dong, and Hongdae.   All these places have lots of restaurants, clubs, cafes and bars for young people.   Some streets are dotted with cafes with interesting themes, and the interior designs of some of the restaurants and cafes are very striking.  There are many beautiful people in these places but I have not seen any movie stars.  Without exception the young women are better-looking than the young men.  Someone like our JHJ is one in a billion.

On this visit I noticed in particular that all the girls have long hair and short skirts — ultra-short skirts or hotpants, whether they have great legs or not (many have!)  I sat next to one such girl on the flight to Seoul.  She was wearing a halter and hotpants, and even before the plane took off, she had to ask the flight attendant for a blanket because it was freezing in the cabin.  Korean girls also wear very high heels, mostly sandals, and it amazes me to see them flitting by in those stiletto heels.

In Myeong-Dong there are many hawkers selling these high-heeled sandals, as well as flip-flops, hats, sunglasses, T-shirts, socks, sun umbrellas (as distinguished from rain umbrellas), cell phone accessories, etc.  One thing that fascinates me is: dog tunics — every brand name is represented, so you can dress your dog in Chanel or Gucci or LV, etc.  There are also food stalls that sell (among other things) sausages and other snacks (all deep fried so I can’t see what they really are), chips (very artistically arranged in a sort of spiral), hot pudding (fried), and fruit on a stick (the pineapple is so sweet!)

As I walk back and forth in Myeong-Dong every day, I can’t help but notice many big stars advertising a variety of products, mostly cosmetics.  I don’t know who thought up this clever idea of having a man advertise cosmetics for women.  But Bae Yong-Jun is the face of quite a few cosmetic lines (he is everywhere!), a life-size Kwon Sang-Woo stands in front of a tea-house/cafe, and Rain also sells cosmetics and even yogurt!  And of course there is Song Hye-Kyo who seems to be much in demand to advertise all sorts of beauty products. These are the ones I recognize; there are many more that I know are movie stars but whose names I can’t recall.  And I think of our JHJ who only wants to be a “pure actor”.

Seoul may be very advanced but, like many big cosmopolitan cities, it has its homeless.  In the pedestrian walkways under the metro stations the homeless take up their nightly positions as early as 8 p.m., with their makeshift cardboard shelters.  Every time I see them, I think of the JHJ character Jung Eun-Sup in “Sunshine” who has to spend a night among the homeless to escape from his father’s henchmen.

And every time I see those pedlars of assorted wares on the metro, selling everything from coloured stockings to torchlights to raincoats (on a fine day – most incomprehensible) to (my favourite) a plumbing gadget to unclog drains, I think of the Song Hye-Kyo character Ji Yeon-Woo in “Sunshine”.  This JHJ drama really reflects certain aspects of Korean society — art mirrors life.

Also on the metro and long-distance buses I see a lot of soldiers out on leave.  Every time I see one, I try to make out the insignia on his uniform.  For no reason at all, I am reminded of those flighty younger Bennet sisters in “Pride and Prejudice” whose hearts are set a-flutter at the sight of a military uniform.  And here this ajuma is staring at these young soldiers, all because of one called JHJ whom she will never see (in uniform.)

And every time I visit a church in Seoul or its outskirts, (and I’ve been to a few this time), all because of “Love Letter”, I say a prayer for our favourite soldier JHJ who is halfway through his tour of duty.  May God keep him in good health and good spirits through the remaining ten months of his military service!

Korea, I’ll be back!