Incheon Baedari

Coming inside Space Beam, we found only two cats.

Better view of this one.

Heading outside, we went uphill until we found what I think is the last remnant of Sudoguksan Moon Village. The roofs are nice and the alleys between houses are even, so I have my doubts. But as we were walking by we heard some elderly locals talking about how they hope this area is removed soon.

The redevelopment of Baedari is predicated around the opening of an expressway through the area. This is what one of the related tunnels looks like presently: gated off and dark, with the land in front used as a big parking lot.

The other tunnel entrance has construction shacks, as well as a bunch of elderly people playing some sort of loud dice game. As I took this picture the old people with the carriage noticed me and started calling me over.

Probably the most butt-goaty butt goat picture I took this year.

Here's part of the exhibit of the Sudoguksan Museum of Housing and Living, an English translation which whitewashes away the "daldongnae" part of the original Korean name.

Some of the recreations of establishments here were modeled after real people living in this place.

I saw some kids playing Malddukbakgi but Kim Jong-un wouldn't let me join in.

We saw this exotic-sounding bird nearby.

Closer look. I'm clueless.

Presumably all this slope used to be moon village.

Back down on the flat land, the expressway cut a swath through the area, but that land sat empty for years, giving an opening for local artists and community leaders to transform it into an urban park.

This shows a map of the area. I believe Space Beam is that brown building on the lower right end of that bulge near the tracks. You can tell by the lines that this park is connected to a plot of land that stretches upward toward the tunnel entrances I photographed earlier, going under the Daldongnae Museum atop the hill. I suspect there must be tension between the people down here and the very slick museum.

The defender of this land.

And a different kind of defender, seen inside Space Beam.

Dongincheon Station has not changed since my last visit here, years and years ago. I originally thought they'd tear this down and build something new here, but it looks like the same building is sitting here unused.