London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

One thought on “Whatever happened to the shoe-shine boy? Korea, 1952

  1. RE-YOUR STORY-WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SHOE SHINE BOYS I LIKE YOU HAVE OFTEN THOUGHT THE SAME ALL GROWN UP BUT ONLY IN THEIR SIXTIES UNLIKE MOST OF US WHO ARE THAT MUCH OLDER,WE HAD A RESIDENT SHOE-SHINE BOY PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT CALLED MONKEY SO CALLED BECAUSE HE REALY LOOKED LIKE ONE I CAN SEE HIM NOW WAITING AROUND OUTSIDE THE WIRE FENCE FOR A JOB I THINK I STILL HAVE THE PHOTO OF HIM AGAINST THE FENCE HE HAD PLENTY OF WORK AS I WAS LIVING WITH AND SHARED A TENT WITH OUR FELLOW AMERICANS AS RTO POST AT YONGDONGPO RAILWAY STATION 1950/2 I LIKE THEM WORE THE HIGH GI ISSUE SOFT BOOT WHICH WE DID LIKE TO KEEP POLISHED I REMEMBER HIS WOODEN BOX THAT YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON AND WHATEVER PASSED AS POLISH I NEVER DID FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS MADE OF NO BRUSHES OF COURSE PUT ON WITH HIS FINGERS WHICH WERE PERMANTLY BROWN AND POLISHED WITH RAGS MADE FROM I DONT KNOW WHAT ALL FOR A THOUSAND WON-I WONDER IS HE STILL ALIVE DID HE HAVE A FAMILY-WE WILL NEVER KNOW I DO HOPE HE SURVIVED AND MADE SOMETHING OF HIS DISMAL CHILDHOOD SO LONG AGO, YOUR PICTURE BROUGHT IT ALL BACK TO ME AND MADE ME THINK HOW LUCKY I HAVE BEEN IN MY LIFE.
    I.W.BAILEY.
    22385281

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