Goshiwon has grown enormously in recent decades and has one of the most expensive cities to live in in the world. Seoul, the capital of the Asian nation, is characterized by its expensive way of life, living in a small apartment is synonymous with luxury, however, not everyone has the purchasing power to rent one and for this reason an alternative called goshiwon, tiny rooms with barely enough space for a bed.
Goshiwon, as the small affordable rooms are known, are a reality in Seoul. Not finding affordable or moderately priced housing, citizens have opted to live in utter overcrowding. A lifestyle that little by little permeates more in the capital of South Korea.
To show these situations to the world, the photographer Sim Kyu-Dong made a photographic series that captures the reality of the people of Seoul. Kyu’s work shows the contradiction of living in one of the most expensive and modern cities in the world. Since the modernism of large buildings and high-tech advertisements remains in the public, while in the private life can be very different.
Why live in Goshiwon?
Goshiwon are often an option for students or as housing for people who cannot afford an entire apartment. No deposit is required to live in one, unlike apartments where savings are required before moving. In exchange for an affordable rent, the Goshiwon offer you a bit of privacy, usually a small room. in it fits a simple bed, a desk and a wardrobe necessary for the guest to organize his life. However, the bathroom is a separate matter, as it is shared with other neighboring tenants.
infiltrating the private
Although it is an extremely small space to live, the atmosphere inside the place depends on who inhabits it. There are those who live in a very organized way despite the precarious space. But there are also those who neglect order and feel comfortable with it. They are not places where the air intake is a main feature, although for an additional price you can challenge a Goshiwon with a small window.
The decoration is not one of the strengths of these rooms. But if desired and for an additional amount, Goshiwons are also offered with wallpaper on the walls to give a little more comfort to the eye. In this way, each person has different options in the event that they do not have the necessary means to rent an entire apartment, which, it should be said, are not large enough either.
Sim Kyu-Dong offers us a visual chronicle of the Seoul lifestyle. It allows us to go far beyond the public, leaving the big cities outside to enter the small rooms and infiltrate the private.
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