Ajin Jo
Seoul, Republic of Korea
2023, Senior, Creative Writing

Climate Hero: Mr. Kim

The sound of honking cars and drunk people shouting outside our Seoul apartment windows acted as the morning alarm for our family. We lived on a busy street in the city, making the urban noise inevitable.

After a while, our family decided that the convenience of our location could not justify the discomfort of living there. It was time to move. My parents wanted to move to a relatively quiet neighborhood, and decided on a place referred to as the “countryside in the city.” The crowd of people and tall buildings would be replaced by the mountainside, a nice park, and the Yangjaecheon stream. Although the apartment itself was a bit run-down and old, our mornings were filled with the sound of birds chirping and a direct view of the mountain through our living room window.

Not long after we moved in, I found out about a “castle” being built right next to our apartment. The construction of the 20-story building began to block our view of the mountain, one of the key reasons for our move.

In Korea, advanced apartment complexes mostly start or end with the word “castle” or “palace.” They consist of numerous high buildings for residency and various facilities for the residents. Before new developments for these complexes take place, the neighborhood can have a say in allowing such developments. In the case of our apartment complex, ​​the members of the council of occupants’ representatives and the security guard of each building had a vote on whether they should let the new “castle” complex be built.

After the vote, the results were broadcasted to each apartment resident’s unit: “We agree with the upcoming construction of the new apartment.” For those who missed the broadcast, a written notice was hung inside the apartment elevators. I looked at the paper to find out that only two had voted against the new apartment complex. They were the security guard and the representative of our building. Although I was not fond of the new construction, either, I wondered why they had disagreed. Most people seemed to welcome new developments with the nice facilities they would bring, such as sports centers, libraries, a large supermarket, and more.

The security guard of our building typically stays in the tiny security guard post, surrounded and overshadowed by the tall apartment buildings. It looks as if he lives in his own scale of space.

His small post looks peculiar at first glance, with rocks all around its rectangular perimeter. If you look closely, the rocks have patterns and paintings of trees. There is a handwritten sign above them: “Do not touch the rocks!” Occasionally passing by his rock fortress, I became curious about the security guard and his collection.

On one of my daily walks, I happened to run into the guard and took the opportunity to continue the conversation beyond a polite “Hello.” He introduced himself to me as Mr. Kim. When I asked him about the rocks, he told me about how every rock has a story, and went on to talk about how he loved our natural environment. Excited by my interest, Mr. Kim went inside his post and brought out a small, rusty notebook. As he flipped through the pages, I got a sneak peek of the stories he crafted about each of the rocks he had collected. He chronicled how each rock came to be, and how nature had brought the rock to where he had found it. Each rock was given a unique name and a drawing in the notebook.

Recalling that I had seen his name on the list of voters against the new construction, I asked him about his vote. He was on the same page with me about the mountain view being blocked, but he seemed to be more concerned about the environmental damage of the construction process. He strongly believes that the push for aggressive construction projects should slow down to reduce the direct and indirect costs to residents and the environment, such as gentrification, pollution, and waste production. He described how construction has been shown to be a large contributor to climate change.

As we continued our conversation, I realized his dedication to the safety and well-being of the residents and our environment. Mr. Kim also mentioned the importance of recycling properly. The residents in the apartment building sometimes do a poor job of recycling different materials. Putting glass bottles into the plastics bin could lead to injury for the people who pick up the trash late at night. Forgetting to remove the plastic wrap around plastic bottles can degrade the quality of recycled materials. Mr. Kim feels responsible for the recycling process here, and he spends his time reorganizing the recycling bins.

Residing in the small post throughout the day and going around the apartment premises, Mr. Kim never travels far beyond his rock collection. He lives at his own pace, caring for his surroundings and neighbors. After my conversation with Mr. Kim, I was reminded of the story of Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver, the main character, travels around the world and comes upon a place where only small people live. The physical difference in size causes Gulliver’s footsteps to be deadly to the small people and detrimental to their environment.

Perhaps Gulliver can be likened to the people and corporations pushing for the development of new buildings. People like Mr. Kim serve as the small people, attempting to erase the big footsteps left by others, while leaving smaller footprints on their environment through their slower-paced lifestyles and habits. Mr. Kim plays with the children, takes care of the trash on the road, goes on walks to the Yangjaecheon stream, and collects rocks. Out of a sense of duty for his surroundings, he tries to minimize his negative impact while helping others do the same. And he is content, regardless of whether or not he receives recognition.

Share Gallery

A Hero Inside a Guard Post