TEENAGED STUDENT (MALE)

% of population: 9%
favourite hang out spot: computer gaming room ("PC Bang")
brand of ugly jacket: the north face

DESCRIPTION:
Ever since the male celebrities on the big hit Korean variety show "Family Outing" ("패밀리가 떴다") began wearing ugly puffy jackets to keep themselves warm during the cold winter, teenaged boys all over South Korea have been wrapping themselves in these unflattering bubbles. The North Face is the brand of choice among these highly pop-cultured boys. These boys also wear skinny pants to accentuate the fatness of the tongues of their "Big Bang" (Korean hip hop boy band) style shoes. During their free time, which is hardly ever because they are pressured by severe academic competition to study every waking moment, these boys like to spend their time playing StarCraft in the computer gaming rooms.

THE SUBWAY CD SALESMAN

% of population: 0.7%
item for sale: "classic soft pop favourites"
demonstration track: abba - i have a dream

DESCRIPTION:
Anyone who takes the subway here in Seoul is bound to meet the subway CD salesman at some point in their travels. As innovativeness is an underdeveloped quality in many Koreans because of their adherance to their by-the-book approaches to learning, many Korean business people tend to copy each other's sales strategies. All subway CD salesmen are equipped with a stereo mounted on top of a rolling travel bag. They roll along from one subway car to the next as they make their sales presentation to the passengers.

THE PASSED OUT OFFICE MAN

% of population: 7%
usual hang out spots: in the middle of the sidewalk around 1:00am
contents of puke: samgyupsal and soju

DESCRIPTION:
These workoholics are our nation's number one money making resource because of their charitable attitude towards giving their workplace free labour. They work longer hours than they have to because the actual quality of efficient work is not so much rewarded in Korea as is the quantity of work hours and the appearance of hard work - they call this "Noon-Chi." With all that free labour, the company produces a surplus in its spending budget, which the men can then splurge it all on frequent hweshiks (office outings) that usually consist of samgyupsal, soju, and a whole lot more unspent time with the family back at home.

THE HIKING HALMONI (grandmother)

% of population: 5.8%
usual hang out spots: they're everywhere! but higher concentration of these people around hills and mountains
what's inside their bag?: gim bap (sushi for koreans)

DESCRIPTION:
Hiking Halmonis are everywhere in Korea and they travel in packs. They may look like harmless gentle old ladies, but in reality they are the ones who have the vigour to run you over like a train if you're in their way. They prefer to wear a visor or bucket hat on their head. The stylish ones match the colour of their headwear with the colour of their hooded vest. Since their entire outfit is made of nylon, they make a repeating whish-whoosh-whish-whoosh sound as they scurry around the city. The degree of ugliness and ruggedness of their hiking shoes is in direct correlation with their seriousness as a hiker. The uglier the shoe, the tougher the hiker.

Introduction

It's been eight months since I moved to Seoul, South Korea and I've realized that my people aren't that different from each other. Each people group within the korean race is quite unified in their behaviour, values, tastes, and clothing. I thought it would be fun to start an illustrated collection of characters that you would most likely come across here in Seoul. I will try to draw at least one new character every week.

As I would like to keep open the option of future publication of my work, please if you are an english teacher in korea do not use my illustrations in your lessons that you submit for publication in education guidebooks. Thank ya!

caricatures and empirical research by Daniel Kim