A commuter walking away along a subway platform under fluorescent strip lights

Society

The structure under the surface

Work, family, hierarchy — visible and invisible. Every room in Korea has an order to it, and most of that order is never stated out loud. This is where the unspoken structure gets described plainly.

Photo by Hoyoun Lee on Unsplash

What this section covers

  • Work An office floor lit at night with a few people still at their desks, the floor below dark

    Work

    Company as extended household, the after-hours table, and why leaving on time is a statement.

  • Family Black and white photograph of an older woman working a street chestnut stall in Seoul

    Family

    Obligation that outlives the household, and how one generation’s sacrifice became the next one’s expectation.

  • Hierarchy A narrow hanok alley in Ikseon-dong packed shoulder to shoulder with people

    Hierarchy

    Age as an organising principle, and the questions strangers ask before they know what to call you.

Photos by Bruno BD, Yohann LIBOT, rawkkim on Unsplash

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