Travel Korea Day 3: “Placelessness”

In my undergraduate Cultural Geography class, we studied a theory called “Placelessness.” This pattern of thought essentially states that, due to increased globalization, there is no more completely unique place left on the Earth: What you have here is what’s found over there. Instead of having different places, you end up with areas that, in an effort to offer a little bit of “everything,” actually peddle to their guests nothing of real cultural value, like some sort of geographical Wal-Mart. These become for the traveler “placeless” places, effectively leaving him with a sense of cultural deja-vu.

Part of the impetus for this theory of placlessness is a rise in companies vying for a spot in the global economy. For this reason, you find Costco in Seoul, Dunkin’ Donuts in the Incheon Airport, and Converse vendors in Chungju. I found a Burger King and TGI Friday’s in Gwangju, but I also found shops that didn’t participate in the global economy, and therefore seemed immune to the assembly-line approach to tourism and mass-produced experiences. Seong Yup’s nail salon, Lonesome, is one such shop. It operated out of a deep sense of honesty and hospitality. Its highly individualized service appealed to the whole person, offering tea while you enjoy the manicure. The proprietor of the store even attended to me personally! Though one could find shops in Gwangju that are also in other areas, it wasn’t a placeless place. The service I found was unique for one reason alone: the people serving. There is no other shop like Seong Yup’s in all of Korea because there is no other Seong Yup. To say that he was friendly understates his warm, welcoming personality. He attended to my needs as a close friend might.

I took this cross-country journey in an effort to disprove this theory. What could I experience in the places that I visited that would be found nowhere else? Gwen complained to me Saturday night [Dec. 19] as we toured downtown that she thought Gwangju was a bit boring. It was just a big city with no real attractions—in effect, a placeless place. However, I sent her a text message today [Dec. 21] that said, “I experienced something here that I couldn’t find in Chungju.” Indeed, I could not have found it even 6,000 miles away.