A holiday, but not religious: Commercial only. Almost nothing is closed.

We left the house for Insa-dong, my favorite street in the city. Shops have changed some since I’ve been gone and the street is more popular than ever. When we first arrived here nearly three years ago, the art district was run-down and supported mainly by tourists. The locals disinterested in the old, authentic culture. In the last two years, however, there has been a revival of Korean cultural heritage and this area is a boon for the young who wish to spend their won on cheap fakeries of traditional necklaces and baubles; many of the trinkets not Korean at all but from places like India or Bali -- the same cheap ethnic items sold globally. Antique and art dealers can’t compete with the junk dealers, and I see that in the last half year, these stores have started to sell junk out front with the authentic valuables tucked inside. The street is too crowded to negotiate easily any longer: like a market. Nevertheless, to me it is the most interesting street in the city.

We ate kimcheechon and drank tea in a new teahouse that is like all the other new teahouses trying to look traditional, doing so in a half-hearted, contrived way. They don’t know the art of tea either, which disappoints me most. The chon was good though and we ate it all quickly.

Headline from yesterday’s Korea Herald brought me unexpected Yuletide giggles:

Police Storm Chogye Temple, End Standoff Between Monks

Highlights: The photograph made the front page. It shows policemen falling to their serious injury from a ladder they were using to try to "storm" the temple. This is not a place known for safety precautions, so it is not difficult to imagine a group of officers storming up a ladder without a second thought of what catastrophe might befall them. Great photograph, however.

Best quote:

"Some 100 monks inside the five-story building hurled Molotov cocktails, bottles and pieces of glass to repel the police who forced their way through the barricaded entrance using tear gas and water hoses."

Peaceful monks hurling Molotov cocktails and pieces of glass. Pieces of glass? Oh, I love this. And what were they using for the cocktails? Half drunk bottles of soju with socks stuffed through the neck? So we speculated.

I tried to find the article that describes all the political background (thus sparing me the effort) on the Korea Herald website, but couldn't. Did see an editorial about it humorous enough for a link, however.