Masked Ball/Protest



On my way to Seoul Square, I passed this lone masked guitarist practicing outside the convenience store.

And a bunch of monks outside a Burger King.



I got up to the usual roof, and when I got to the usual slot I saw two hotel workers coming after me. I pulled out my camera and got three shots, this being the best, then concealed my backup card.

Anyway, down in the protest. The only smoke was thankfully food.



The middle of the plaza was occupied by a skating rink under construction.

People wearing a variety of masks milled about.









I decided to get some food.



Textbook protester.

IS terrorist!

Anonymous protester.

More food.

Nearby was a maskdance performance.


The leaders in the truck taught everyone the right moves.





The main yellow sign is from a labour protester.

A Sewol protester.

Just a musical terrorist.

I like seeing traditional Korean masks next to Guy Fawkes masks and the Hulk.



Many people wore the masks on the back of their heads, not over their faces, because they're hard to see through.



Better shot of these guys.

I think the only man to ever enter UK Parliament with honorable intentions is suspicious of me.

And that chicken should be able to see me.



Pinwheels and masks.



Chickens join.

Another smaller chicken.

In other circumstances, this may have given me nightmares.



From this angle, the whole plaza looks super crowded.

Maybe not so much.

The flags help.



I found a group of physically handicapped people on the west end.


The Salvation Army was still in the middle of this. I wonder how much money they made this day.



There was a police line restricting us from the street. The cops were well behaved.



Wish I photographed this mask better.

A closer look at the facilities conveniently under construction.

Oh look, there are people up there. Journalists or spies, either way I bet I could get up there.


It is difficult to sum up such a diverse array of messages.



The cat people all seem to be about the textbooks.



Curious what these big translucent bags used as flags mean.

Among all causes present, yes, the anti-gay Christians were still camped in front of City Hall.

Probably not a good day to be a hate-filled Christian though.

Yep, roof was accessible for press, and my lanyard was enough to get me through. The view makes the protest look pretty restricted.

Carefully segmented off, but by fences and police lines, not fucking bus walls.

It's still pretty lively.

Looking toward Namdaemun.

My dad remarked it looks like they're doing work on Namsan Tower.



Looking toward Gwanghwamun and Cheong Wa Dae, not as much activity. There was one other protest happening just to the left of the road. And the Korean skinny Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to the right.

Here's what the old City Hall roof looks like.

While the reporters were focused on the protest, I was curious about the other views.

Anyway, they made us go back downstairs as the rally started marching.

The Santas standing in front of me passed out treats to kids.

Two sets of flags.

Shrek.

A sideways-headed mohawked drummer.

Another Anonymous.

There was a bag of protest signs for anyone to take. But what are all those people looking at?

Hey, the Kia car protesters are back up there!

A more interesting Korean mask.

A blindfolded yangban.

This guy held his sign specifically so I could see. It seems to say "Lee Myung-bak again! Park Geun-hye resign!" Not sure about the best way to translate "again." I took a couple pictures and gave him a thumbs-up, and he gave me a thumbs-down. I said "Lee Myung-bak" and gave him a thumbs-down and he seemed satisfied.

Father and pet bunny, or bear or whatever animal comes in pink.

More masks.

Bundling up the kids in case the police lie ahead.

Led by drums.

Following the yangban Janus.

I ducked away and decided to go home before it got dark and cold.

Doug visited me in my neighbourhood and devoured an entire pig right before my eyes. It was brutal.

Please remember that these photos are all copyrighted to me. If you want to use them in any way, there's a 90 per cent chance I'll give you my permission, and be able to give you a copy with a higher DPI.
Copyright Daehanmindecline 2015