Curious Canvassing

Next Wednesday is Korean Memorial Day (6/6), and the Wednesday after that is local election day. Both of these are national holidays, and while of course Memorial Day is a holiday in the US, I think Election Day should be, too. Instead of so much fighting over early voting, absentee ballots, etc, just have the day off and everyone (well, everyone who is legally eligible) can exercise the franchise.

My apartment overlooks a significant intersection in the Gang-seo district of Seoul, 등촌 삼거리, and the next two weeks are going to be a headache for the likes of me. For whatever reason, the electioneering tradition in Seoul (and elsewhere in Korea, I'm guessing) requires megaphone-style canvassing at such locations. Though I live on the twelfth floor, the sound carries ...

After work today, I came home, fired up the computer for some light ent. on the YouTubes, and then the yammering started. Rather than be annoyed, I thought of you, the lovely visitors to my little Patch of Seoul, and decided this might make a good post to share with you the joys and jollities of living in Korea. I have previously remarked on Korean electioneering, in 2010 and in 2014.

Anyway, I grabbed my iPhone and ran downstairs to snap a pic or three, shown in order below. The odd thing about this might escape the viewer on her initial perusal of the photos/video. After all, all the surrogates/electioneers/cheerleaders are all in blue. And they are all #1 (candidates are numbered here, so you don't need to remember a name, just a number). If you look carefully, there are actually three different candidates vying for the attention of potential voters at the Deungchon three-way intersection!


And video (turn the sound up all the way for some idea of the actual effect):