서울시대｜Seoul Times

"Seoul Times": The birth of "real Seoul" through customs from the 1960s to the 1990s

From the 1960s to the 1990s, South Korea experienced a critical period of rapid growth from the ruins of the post-war era. As rural populations poured into cities and industrialization and urbanization went hand in hand, Seoul became a stage where tradition and modernity, rural and urban areas intertwined and collided. In that chaotic and energetic era, various "mixed customs" belonging to that era were born and disappeared.

This book, "Seoul Times", explores the true face of the people of Seoul from the 1960s to the 1990s through their daily lives and customs. It starts from the details of the market and ponders how the changes of the times of industrialization and urbanization are specifically manifested in the space of "Seoul". The book includes 115 precious historical photos preserved by institutions such as the National Archives, many of which are previously undisclosed materials, allowing the scenes of Seoul in those years to be more vividly reproduced in front of readers.

As you read, you will see how Seoul, during that period of "growing pains", gradually built up its present appearance, and you will also have a deep understanding of how history is transformed into resonance and understanding between generations today.

The main themes and content of the book:

1. The interweaving of times and customs:
   The book takes "customs are the times, and the times also shape customs" as its core proposition, reviewing how cultural phenomena such as "달동네 (hillside slums)", "연탄의시대 (coal era)", and "마이카시대 (private car era)" reflect social development.

2. The rise, fall and reappearance of 달동네:
   달동네 (meaning hillside slums) was once a gathering place for urban poor, from tin houses and illegal buildings in the 1960s to a social symbol popularized by the TV series "달동네" in the 1980s. Although it has been replaced by urban renewal, modern 달동네 still exists under a new name in the shadow of the city.

3. Lifestyle changes and resistance:
   From details such as "연탄 (coal)", "옥상장례식 (rooftop funeral)" to "손없는날이사 (picking a good day to move)", it reflects how people in the early days of urbanization used traditional wisdom to cope with the new lifestyle.

4. Reflections on social class and inequality:
   Through the "복부인 (speculative female real estate investors)", "특수분양 (special housing)", and "학력고사와백지원서 (examination and application strategies)" in the 1970s and 1980s, the expansion of class gaps and competitive pressures at that time was revealed.

5. The changes in women's roles and destiny awareness:
   In the process of women moving from family to society, their connection with topics such as divination and fate has also changed, from the traditional view of fate to the exploration of destiny as a modern female subject.

6. The tension between the view of life and death and urban space:
   The book ends by saying that even death has nowhere to go. The city’s cemetery has been outsourced to Gyeonggi Province, and 90% of the dead come from Seoul. This also symbolizes the extreme of urban expansion and the crowdedness of life.
   
   

Dimensions: 14 x 21.5 x 3 cm | 392 pages