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Why are there so many homeless people around Seoul Station?

 You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station. A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?” One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis . A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income. Some people eventually lost their homes as well. And many of them came to Seoul Station . Why here? Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs , and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns. But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station. That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis. Then another thing happened. Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here. Th...

Seoul World Cup Stadium

 

World Cup Stadium


World Cup Stadium in Seoul.

 Location : 240, World Cup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. 

The Seoul World Cup Stadium was constructed in 2001 for 2002 FIFA World Cup and is the largest stadium in Asia. The stadium hosted the opening match between France and Senegal (0:1) and match between Germany and South Korea(1:0) which is the semi-finals Korea made for the first time. During the semifinals, Korea's cheering squid the Red Devil played the card section that said dreams come true but South Korea lost the game against Germany. The stadium is currently used as the home base for FC Seoul. 


About the Stadium Design 

The exterior of the stadium has a special shape. It was designed like Bangpae Kite(=shaped like shield) and the cable structure is shaped like the sail of a Hwang po sailboat which was a means of transportation in Joseon Dynasty. It was designed with many traditional aesthetics and the shape of the roof attracts attention from afar. 




How to go 

It takes you directly to the World Cup Stadium Station on Seoul Subway Line 6. 





Photo: Music Festival 2014 Super Concert Rehearsal. 

It is the largest stadium in Asia with a capacity of up to 66704 people, the color of seats in the stadium is all grey, so when there are no games or fewer spectators during the concert or events, the large stadium feels desolate. 






 In the stadium, there are various convenience facilities such as Spa&Sauna, wedding hall and food court and mega shopping mall (Homeplus). Moreover there are five World Cup Park near the stadium where people take a rest or enjoy the leisure time and Mapo Agro-fishery product market where you can buy fresh vegetables and fish with cheap price. Due to the these kinds of big markets, people are crowded all year around near here. 

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