Innocuous Sign or Commentary on Modern Love?
Written by Kyle on Saturday, February 06, 2010 in Korea, Republic of
Feelin' thoughtful
Just outside the entrance and surrounding the outdoor viewing entrance of the Namsan tower, there is a fence convered with locks. These aren't just any locks. They're not designed to keep you out (or keep you in); instead they're there because lovers put them there.Feelin' thoughtful
If you look closely, you can see that all of the locks are connected in pairs, usually with some love notes scribbled on them. The symbolism here is quite blatant. The locks represent each partner in a pair of lovers. They are locked together forever, representing their eternal bonds of love that will forever link the couple together.
But, as we walk a little more trying to guess at what the writings on the locks mean, we see this sign:
Interesting. This sign could be totally innocuous. Maybe once a year, people are asked to get their locks such as to not clutter the fence with too much metal. That would make sense, given that every inch of the fence is covered at the present moment.
But, what if it's not innocuous? What if these locks are meant to be there forever in support of the loving couples and this sign is a statement agains this purpose? Buoyed by the possibilities, I started thinking about what kind of person would put up a sign like this and what it could really mean. I came up with several possibilities:
The heartbroken -You better keep that key. She's just going to break up with you anyway. This way, at least you can get your lock back.
The player - Keep the key, man. When she's not looking, you can move your lock to be with another lock, if you catch my drift. Make sure you put it back when you're done, though!
The super feminist - The locks are next to a giant tower. A huge phallic symbol. Are you going to entrust your love next to a huge penis? No? Me neither. Keep that key.
The nihilist - Why do you believe in love? Why does it really matter? This is just a selfish expression of a bastardized concept, so you should probably just take off the lock tomorrow.
The cynic - Really? Can you be any more lame? Keep the key, you're going to realize how rediculous this thing is when you get home.
The klepto -That key probably works in some other locks. It's like stealing love! And it's less noticable than bolt cutters.
The parent - You're to good for him anyway. Why don't you just give me the key?
The pycho ex-lover - Please keep it so that I can steal it and take your lock back. I need to put it under your picture and in the middle of my circle of candles to make my shrine complete.
Am I being overly analytical here? Either way, did I miss any possibilities?
Comments on "Innocuous Sign or Commentary on Modern Love?"
Hmmm...it must just be a non-american thing. I thought it was just another odd Korean way that people show affection to each other, like buying matching underwear.
I'm so glad I picked today to catch up on your blog, guys! This post makes me all kinds of smiley. I'm definitely sharing it, especially with my semi-bitter single girlfriends. Maybe it's a sign of how long I was a semi-bitter single girl that the only possible explanation that occurred to me when I first saw the pic was "The heartbroken." I MISS YOU MISS YOU SO SO MUCH!
Well, you will soon join the ranks of the happily married! I'll teach you the secret handshake once you're an official member. We'll see you soon(ish)!
It could just be one of those weird Korean quirks or a mistranslation of the Korean. I'm all for keeping the key and making a funky necklace/bracelet charm but that's just me.
You're a total sap :)
Kyle you are calling ME the sap...which one of us is married eh? ~giggles~
I think you missed, keep the key because if you lose your love....you can always get a gym membership and you can use the lock to secure your belonging while you go on the "hunt" for a new love while you are pumping iron as society's current "pickup palace." :)
Not sure if this helps or not, but after seeing these locks near us in Bolzano/Bozen (unfortunatley no picture up yet on my blog, but soon!) I investigated and discovered that in Italy it's based on a book and a movie, where the locks symbolize neverending love - and throwing away the key (in the river, in the movie) is part of the deal. (Of course, the "hero" in the book is a bit of a cad, but that hasn't stopped it from enduring in Italy).
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/world/europe/05iht-rome.4.6991537.html?_r=1
Nice to see that this has somehow made it all over the world!
Well, in that case, Koreans don't believe in never-ending love, because they ask you to keep the key. Either way, it's an an awesome new perspective!
A perfect pre-valentine post! The head scratching and possibly ironic sign just makes this perfect. You could spend hours debating that one!
by Aly at February 10, 2010 09:57 PMP.S. I've never noticed this before but the locks thing must be universal, Craig over at Indie Travel Podcast noticed locks on fences in NZ as well!