The Painted Picture

Well today wasn't very exciting. I spent nearly 12 hours at work...and I am really tired. So what I intend to do here is paint you a picture of what Osan AB/Songtan City was like 10 years ago the last time I was here. First, let me start off by saying that 10 years ago Songtan City was nothing like it is today. You had vendors everywhere which sold virtually anything you could think of, and if you couldn't find it...you could get it made for you. All at very reasonable prices. Now, there are still vendors but, from what I can tell many of the old ones have went out of business due to more western businesses moving in.

The night life in Songtan City the last time I was here was very exciting. You had approximately 175 bars in the Sinjang shopping district ranging in size from large closets to large master bedrooms you would find in the average American household. The streets glistened with the neon lights of all the bars which played virtually any kind of music you wanted to hear. Nearly every bar that was here was considered a juicy bar. Juicy bars are essentially clubs that had several women of varying nationalities, most of whom were either Filipino or Russian however there were some Korean women as well. These women's jobs were essentially to sit with the male patrons and get them to buy them a drink called a "juice" which cost around $10 U.S. of which the bar made around $8 and the woman made about $2 of the cost of the drink. (Kinda crappy huh?) The worst treated of these women were the Russians. They would come to the country and lose their passports and visas...be forced to live with a host family in a room just large enough to hold a bed and a vanity dresser with approximately 6 to 7 other women. They were made to be home within 1 hour of the bar closing and could not leave until 1 hour prior to bar opening. Essentially they were slaves. The Filipino women weren't treated nearly as bad but had similar restrictions. Their other duty as bar mistresses was to try and get men to "bar fine" them...this was essentially what the woman was believed to be worth in one night to the bar...usually around $200 to $300. The man "bar fining" could then take the woman out of the bar and the women were "strongly encouraged" to go have sex with the man. (Organized Prostitution) all of which was ran by the Korean mafia. Nowadays there seem to be only Filipino women and there are considerably fewer bars...maybe around 50 to 75 now. Not nearly as lively as it once was. I'm not advocating the old ways but, just posting it as an observation.

The streets are still littered at night with the vendors who sell the Korean foods to the drunk and hungry men and women as they come out of the bars. Mostly, Yak i Man Du or chicken on a stick or maybe a Miss Kim burger. All of which are very tasty when drunk! But, I don't recommend them if you have a weak or intolerant stomach...especially to oils and greases. And...especially the Miss Kim's burgers. These are the most unchanged of everything that I can remember from my last visit...the street vendors at night. From my dorm I can smell the street vendors cooking their wares. All of which is home made and a definitive taste (in my opinion) of what life in South Korea is like. I will try to take some pictures of the night life on my next trip down town at night to show everyone.