Re-rooting

A village in Korea attempts to keep up with heavy migration

- Steven Borowiec

On the main street in Mugeuk, a mountainous village around 90 minutes from Seoul, there are two markets a few hundred metres apart. The older of the two, which has been around for over 100 years, is a traditional bazaar, a high-ceilinged labyrinth of stalls and restaurants selling Korean dishes and produce from nearby farms. It was the centre of village life for decades, but nowadays it is mostly quiet, open only one out of every five days.

Down the street is Asia Mart, a store in operation for the last 15 years, which caters primarily to the area’s growing population of migrant workers. Inside, there is a table with fruits from Southeast Asia, packets of instant Indian curry, shelves of Chinese grain liquor and canned fish with Russian language labels. Next to the store’s entrance is a table where customers can buy SIM cards and lottery tickets. When I visited on a crisp autumn afternoon last year, there was a near constant flow of migrants going in and out, buying cold fruit juice, cigarettes and snacks.