Vivid and Rare Colour Images of Prewar Seoul

[unreal.livejournal.com]

The following series of photos show post-division prewar Seoul in the months leading up to the devastating Korean War that flattened most of the country and took the lives of millions of people.

Taken in 1949, they reveal quite a different country, a world away from the Seoul we all know today with many people still wearing traditional dress and not a high-rise or Starbucks for miles. The tranquility and relative calm in these shots is nearly the polar opposite of the chaos and carnage that ensued during the war.

































































Source: koreabang

Comments

[miki-831.livejournal.com]

It's really amazing how quickly Korea rebuilt and developed after the war.

[aleexnews.livejournal.com]

Wow. really interesting. Kinda makes me wonder if South Korea would have developed the way, and to the point it has up until now had the war not occurred though.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Depends on the circumstances of war not happening. If the North had stepped down (unlikely) and agreed to the same state of democracy we'd see similar results. But if the South didn't rally for their freedom--culminating in the war--and bowed to the Communist North things would probably still look like this, if not worse.

[periodpains.livejournal.com]

wow these are old... look closely and you can see Kahi in one pic

[ryrymini.livejournal.com]

omg

[taecish.livejournal.com]

lmfaooo

[bi-bing-ka.livejournal.com]

omg lol

[asth77.livejournal.com]

lol

[jonghyunf.livejournal.com]

omg

[chunsakuma.livejournal.com]

LOL OMG I AM IN TEARS

[birdofpray09.livejournal.com]

just here to say hi and Higuain's eyes are beautiful in your icon. Almost makes me consider changing my vote for 'best eyes'

[hellafun.livejournal.com]

lawl

[kellygreen.livejournal.com]

These are incredible. It's mind-blowing to imagine that this massive, hypermodern metropolis that I call home looked like this just 60 years ago. It's really amazing how much has changed and how far the Korean people have come in less than one lifetime.

[bumie.livejournal.com]

wow , amazing

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

Really? In a lot of shows they tend to refer back to historical figures, I always assumed they were all up on their own history. Do they not go back and identify specific trends and movements, though? That seems so odd, all things considered they probably have so much information to expand upon and educate about from their past 100 years alone.

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

LOL no, you did answer my question though! There is a difference between knowing your country's history and knowing when change is occurring and documenting it, if that makes sense? As if they didn't have any Harriet Tubmans or Anne Franks in their midst. Like on the History Channel you can watch a show about the Pyramids but the documentation of civilians and leaders that add richness and culture to the history. It's weird to think that a culture is completely devoid of personal accounts or leaders that progressed change.

Now I haven't done research to stand behind this statement completely so I could be wrong but given the constant occupation and repression, it doesn't seem out of line to say. Which is sad because then they really would have to look outside of their own culture to look back at their own history.

[sayufied.livejournal.com]

It's so inspiring and admirable, a country that was SO POOR, pretty much no economy, on the brink of war (also after the war it was in a horrible state) has come so far.

Hopefully the Middle-East will do the same .__. gives me hope to know that this might happen back home!! *crosses fingers*

[bumie.livejournal.com]

mmm in middle east there are countries in the right path but if you mean Saudi Arabia ...... idts but we can only hope.
اشوف هذي الصور ويعورني قلبي , في لقطات منهم تذكرني بمناظر في السعودية يعني ما ادري شقول

[sayufied.livejournal.com]

في الرياض في مناطق تكسر الخاطر...ما تصدقين إنك في السعودية! :(
الفقر غير طبيعي....قال ايش قال عايشين في خير...امحق خير :(
It's really heart breaking!! bss I wish the countries that went through a revolution will get back up their feet and become better then they ever were.

[bumie.livejournal.com]

ah my country ah , it's too painful to think about it .
الناس الطيبة في البلد واجد لكن النصابين اكثر , الله يعينا

[modernabsurdity.livejournal.com]

These pictures are incredible. It's so rare to see color photos. This makes me want to visit SK even more.

[weerainbow.livejournal.com]

These are really interesting. It's fascinating to see how much has changed. Many parts of the world have changed a lot since then with the growth of technology but I guess South Korea is one of those places it seems most dramatic.

[djlancerock.livejournal.com]

it's not?

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

They're most definitely first world by today's definition. And the original, really.

[djlancerock.livejournal.com]

that's what i thought but i'm not a scholar on the subject lol

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

By definition first world is capitalism, second is communism and third are the countries that didn't want to choose sides in the Cold War. There's a fourth that's not even countries but like, nomads I think. So really, a third world country doesn't necessarily mean underdeveloped so calling a country so, isn't as derogatory as many believe. I think it's pretty safe to say South Korea lands in the first category though!

[fabledlamb.livejournal.com]

That definition has changed since the end of the Cold War, though. Today "third world" definitely has strong economic connotations (in terms of growth, wealth, technology etc.) and does refer to developing/underdeveloped countries.
But yes, the homeland of Hyundai and Samsung is definitely a first world country ;)

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

Oh, I totally agree that the definition has changed. I'm just saying even in the most conservative of definitions, they fit the bill.

Whenever I hear 'third world' I think of one of my friends from college. He was Filipino and proudly wore the tag as third world. Apparently when the term was coined the Philippines grabbed it and held strong to the fact they were an independent country, free from any occupation.

[lobotronic.livejournal.com]

True. But if you ask a random Korean, they will say Korea is "still developing". They don't see themselves as a developed nation yet. It's insane.

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

WEIRDOS

I guess in the grand scheme of first world countries, they are behind. They'll be the new kid until some other country becomes the next up and comer, right? lol

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

SK is most definitely a first world country now, and has been for about 15-20 years.

[deeinanutshell.livejournal.com]

That's insane to think they went from that to the high-tech high-gloss Seoul of today in just 60 years! Really impressive.

[oppa-did-meanit.livejournal.com]

Hanboks for everyday life? They're so pretty I couldn't even imagine that! They have this big roads but I wonder how many people had personal cars, looks really scarce for the capital. It's weird to imagine a country so innovative today being so far behind us, back then.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

This is a shining example of what it means to have democracy, freedom of thought/economics/press and general institutionalized liberty. Love seeing stuff like this.

Also makes me depressed as hell for my own motherland, which conversely lost its version of the war and thus has become frozen in this kind of landscape for the past 40 years. God, fuck communism.

[annhh.livejournal.com]

wow. looks like 100 years ago in some other country even

SKorea is still relatively new to the "1st world" concept and it's growing all the time, I think they're still adjusting to the transformation. it's like SK is at young adult mindset, culture hits sudden change, traditional gets accompanied with new ways that some learn and some don't (like laws slowly change and companies imitate western style). like someone gets new boobs and don't know how to use them, buys tshirts too small and just don't get it. (idk why I'm being half serious)

[ari-meh.livejournal.com]

not unlike modern days north korea.
it's pretty amazing to see how at one point the two regions were quite similar and how diverging political ideologies turned them into two completely different places.

[asth77.livejournal.com]

I would have loved to go on a trip there at this time
it's really beautiful and interesting.

[lilipute.livejournal.com]

gives me hope for my country ;__;

[yami-no-hoshi.livejournal.com]

great photos, thanks for sharing.

[tinkerballa.livejournal.com]

Woah mind=blown. SK has changed and developed so much in just a little over 60 years. Amazing pictures.

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

these are really interesting

[eina9.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. I smiled while looking at these knowing that this was the Korea my grandparents grew up in as young adults. I wish I could show these photos to them.

[sirhin.livejournal.com]

Whoa, it's different. Simply amazing how much changed since then...

On a side note, I love how I could understand most of the shop names. :D

[joy-twinz.livejournal.com]

these photos are old and amazing! SK developed greatly after the war.
just random but the Philippine flag was displayed upside down in some pics.

[engraved-16.livejournal.com]

wow this is amazing to see :)
and that old man carrying that huge load on his back :O how?

[ilu.livejournal.com]

It's fascinating to see the extent to which Japanese occupation pervaded aspects of life in Seoul. I'm just beginning to learn Korean, but I could actually read a number of the signs because I have a background in Japanese. 1949 was not long after the Japanese forces left, and Japan had been exploiting Korea for decades...

Funny how it's taken less than a lifetime for Seoul/South Korea to completely transform itself. These pictures are startling yet somehow indicative, I think. SK has had rapid economic and technology growth and is trying to poise itself as an emerging first world power, but I feel that certain aspects of its culture and mindset haven't had the chance to "catch up", so to speak. People forget that up until fairly recently, they struggled with democracy and very unstable political conditions, and of course there's the whole censorship issue... as sobaek mentioned above, the government had the right to censor any creative output until 1987. 1987. And that's just creative output... ah, well.

[kaylapoo.livejournal.com]

this is fascinating. i love this kind of stuff.