| Maybe it's Korea's Shamanist traditions that place changseung (totems) on guard at the entrances to towns and important places. The anatomically correct characters above watch over Seongyojang, the House of 100 Rooms. I guess part of their job is to make sure that no one gets in without paying the 5000 won (about US$4) admission fee. As an aside, that tariff shows you where inflation is headed in Korea. Back in 2000, each of us paid just 1000 won to get in. But Korea's per capita gross national income has increased too, from US$11,030 in 2000 to US$33,790 in 2019. So while Seongyojang's admission price is 4 times what it was in 2000, Korea's income is ... 3 times what it was then. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something seems a bit off there. |