Desperate Measures

Desperate times looking for a blip this evening as I spent my free time in the day fast asleep on the sofa.
I managed to go for my first run in quite some time, and I'm pretty certain I coughed up a fair portion of what appeared to be lung, as well as having a very mild heart attack. That said, I felt no pain from my dodgy knee and shin splits so maybe this is finally the beginning of the end for the pot belly I so willing acquired whilst touring North America.

Above is a street behind my neighbourhood lined with scrap yards and recycling centres, a dodgy looking place that would definitely be avoided at night where I'm from. Korea feels unbelievably safe compared to The UK though, hence two young girls not thinking twice about their surroundings as they stroll home from school, expensive smartphones in hand.

Despite it being well after 10pm, the two girls are indeed on their way home from school. In a country truly obsessed with education, high schoolers unbelievably attend school from eight in the morning until ten at night. Many also attend private academies known as hagwon for an hour or two after that, arriving home close to midnight in time to complete the days homework assignments before finally getting to bed.

It's a tricky system for a foreigner to even begin to comprehend, and many would point to the high child suicide rates in Korea as evidence of the desperate need for it to change.
Education is prized above all else in this part of the world though, and it seems for now at least, the system is here to stay.