Page 23 - Mapo District News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Fifty years ago, prominent American Christian evangelist Rev. Billy Graham came to Korea to hold a five-day crusade and preach the Gospel to its people. About 4.4 million Koreans came to the crusade, held in different cities in the country from May 30 to June 3 in 1973. For the final service, over 1.1 million people gathered at Yeouido Plaza in Seoul, setting the record as Graham's biggest crusade.

Take a trip through the winding labyrinth of alleyways in a slowly deteriorating section of Gongdeok-dong in Mapo District of western Seoul and you may come across an unexpected sanctuary. Baik Soo-hye's compact outdoor garden abounds with some 150 potted plants, trees and herbs that were once thrown out or left for dead in urban redevelopment zones across Seoul as their former owners were pushed out of their neighborhoods to make way for new apartment complexes.

Thai tourist Rob Gorman, 34, visited Mangwon Market in Mapo District, western Seoul, three weeks ago when he came to Korea. “I saw my friend post a picture of this Korean tradition market on social media before and I wanted to go there so bad,” Gorman said.

Producer Lee Eun-kyung, who is known for co-creating Netflix's talk show “Paik's Spirit,” shared that her latest show on the platform, “Siren: Survive the Island,” will offer a new perspective on male-dominated professions.

For an estimated 2.5 million Koreans identifying themselves as sexual minorities, the annual Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) is the long-awaited “national queer holiday,” a rare occasion where they feel safe and encouraged to gather and express their identity.