Bansong-dong, Busan, South Korea : a photo essay

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The enthusiastic students of Sungsim College are often seen in Bansong	Bansong nestles in steep valleys	This is where most Koreans live in the 21st Century: 25 story apartment blocks. The whole country is dotted with them.	Buses are frequent, but there are often traffic jams. The drivers seem to exist in a state of suppressed fury, braking and accelerating violently.
This street is steep, narrow and usually crammed with vehicles. No footpaths.	Lower Bansong's main intersection. The public library is on the right.	The main road through Lower Bansong. Convoys of buses charge along here, and pedestrians take their chances: no sidewalks	Bansong may be only around 15 years old, but the narrow crowded lanes seem Old World. Romantic, or zero city planning?
Traditional Korean diets are low-fat, but now fast food stalls are everywhere.	There are many small bars in Bansong. Some, like this one, are quite modest.	This bar is more upmarket, and plays heavily on a nostalgia theme.	Humphrey Bogart, Korean style? Hard liquor, romantic heroes...
Busan is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but the Christians are well represented in Bansong.	A small, much built-over river runs between the town and the highway. Sometimes after summer rains it becomes a foaming brown torrent.	The swastika is an ominous symbol in Europe, but in East Asia it is an ancient religious sign. Bansong abounds with swastikas.	The friendly arm of the law is found in every dong (suburb). There's probably not one legally parked car in Bansong, but they have other concerns.