The Last Gulps of the Canary in the Itaewon Coal Mine

After climbing a dusty, graffiti-strewn staircase to the entrance to Seoul Pub, one encounters a handwritten sign hanging on the glass door: “No drunken, fighting, sleeping, bothering, picking up.” Inside the bar, owner Jung In-chul explains that the sign is an expression of his desire to maintain a family-like atmosphere in Seoul Pub. Anyone who has heard Seoul Pub’s reputation, or set foot in the place, might be surprised to hear it described in this way. Most people familiar with Seoul nig