The three plagues

The Korean skyline typically tells you a lot about the pursuits of many of its citizens. The motel, which I've already featured, is prevalent: used as it is for young couples to spend some time alone.

This shot may be the worst (aesthetically) that I've taken, but I've included it at the expense of some better ones because of what it symbolizes. To the foreground of the picture, you will see a couple of barber shop candystick poles.

Quite often, these mean that the building contains a brothel (especially the double poles). There are three on my street, next to schools and private academies. It's something I found absolutely alien when I got here.

Just behind that is the KB Bank logo. Korea's economy has grown exponentially in the past 20 years and it's now the 15th largest in the world. This sign is (I guess) a symbol of that growth.

And at the very back, blurred using the miniaturize function on my camera, is a neon cross. These are everywhere. I never knew Christianity had such a foothold in Korea before I came here. Twice today I was approached by folks who tried to preach to me on the street. The neon crosses are, for me, the symbol of Korea's gradual embrace of Western values, including its religion: spliced with a bit of Korean luminance.