Beyond K-Dramas, a Korean Man Finds Beauty in the Ordinary Moments of Seoul

Fez — Before heading to work, Tristan Kim sometimes stops to notice the small things outside his home in Seoul. A traditional tiled roof, a persimmon tree carrying orange fruit, and the familiar houses lining his street.

Nothing extraordinary happens. But for Kim, that is precisely the point.

The Seoul resident, who works in architecture, construction, and interior projects, has been documenting his everyday experiences through photographs and personal reflections.

His online journal, “PG Global Insight,” offers an alternative to the polished images of South Korea that international audiences encounter through television dramas, films, and social media.

In an interview with Lifestyle Magazine, Kim shared the family memories, neighborhood routines, and friendships that shape his understanding of home.

“Nothing extraordinary needs to happen for a day to matter,” he said. “These repeated, ordinary moments make up much of my life. They are also the side of Korea I want overseas readers to see.”

The little things that make a family

One of Kim’s most meaningful recent memories involves a birthday cake.

His family had gathered to celebrate his father’s 81st birthday. His father chose the cake himself, a detail Kim later preserved in his photo diary.

Looking back at the photographs, Kim found himself reflecting on gratitude and the passage of time.

“I love him, I am grateful to him, and I hope we can spend many more years together,” he said.

Another memory takes him to Gimcheon, a city outside Seoul, where his father prepared firewood for a rooftop stove.

As winter approached, Kim used the wood to roast sweet potatoes. The gesture was simple, but its significance stayed with him.

“In mine, affection is sometimes expressed less through grand declarations than through small, practical acts of care,” he explained.

Kim is careful not to suggest that his experiences represent every Korean household. Instead, he wants to show how ordinary family moments can carry emotional meaning.

The Itaewon tourists rarely see

International audiences often associate Itaewon with nightlife, restaurants, and Seoul’s multicultural atmosphere.

For Kim, it is simply the neighborhood where he lives.

His mornings involve walking along steep residential streets, passing older houses and trees, and catching a bus to work near Yeoksam.

From his home, he can see N Seoul Tower rising above the city.

In a November 4 diary entry, he photographed traditional roof tiles beside a persimmon tree, capturing the coexistence of older architecture and contemporary urban life.

But Itaewon also carries a painful memory.

Kim’s bus stop stands near the Hamilton Hotel and the alley where a deadly Halloween crowd crush claimed 159 lives on October 29, 2022. <Cite ref=”turn858173search1″/>

“During an otherwise normal commute, the memory of that loss sometimes returns,” he said.

For him, the neighborhood cannot be reduced to its entertainment venues. It is also a place where people work, remember, and continue their daily routines.

His professional background makes him particularly attentive to the built environment.

He notices the enclosed waiting areas at some Seoul bus stops, which provide shelter from winter cold and summer heat.

“A city is not only defined by famous landmarks,” he explained.

“It also shapes people’s lives during the five or ten minutes they spend waiting for a bus.”

Friendship, familiar places, and an unexpected Moroccan connection

Kim’s life also extends beyond family and work.

He enjoys social dancing and spending time with friends at Macondo in Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood, where Kizomba gatherings offer opportunities to connect through music.

His interest in sharing these experiences with Moroccan readers comes from a small personal encounter.

A former colleague working for Qatar Airways once introduced him to her Moroccan boyfriend.

During dinner, the man spoke enthusiastically about his country and mentioned how people sometimes confused Morocco with Monaco.

“He spent part of our dinner explaining what made Morocco such a wonderful country in his eyes,” Kim recalled. “I remember how much his country meant to him.”

The conversation stayed with Kim, giving Morocco a personal significance long before he began sharing his stories with Moroccan readers.

He now hopes his photographs will encourage people to discover the everyday experiences that rarely attract international attention.

His journal includes reflections on family celebrations, neighborhood streets, workdays, food, and friendship.

Readers can explore his personal photo diary, which also offers translations into several languages.

For Kim, documenting ordinary life is not about challenging every portrayal of Korea on screen.

It is about making room for another perspective.

Behind the romantic storylines and dramatic encounters that have helped Korean entertainment reach global audiences, people still catch buses, celebrate birthdays, maintain friendships, and notice the changing seasons.

And sometimes, the most memorable story is simply a father preparing firewood so his son can roast sweet potatoes.