Ahnyonghaseyo, the standard Korean hello, translates literally as "Are you peaceful?"
Pushing and being pushed into the subway car up against two-dozen people watching television on their phones, from somewhere a vendor calls out his wares, the subway TV reports on traffic, the intercom announces our gate, and I try to remove a woman's umbrella from my face. Two friends recognize each other across the way: "Are you peaceful?"
Under a cacophony of K-pop music and animated advertisements, dodging street vendors and sidewalk motorcyclists in a whirlwind of speedwalkers in Myongdong, weaving through idlers and cell-phone photoshoots, the chestnut salesman calls out "Are you peaceful?", the beauty shop girl, "Are you peaceful?", the music store rep "Are you peaceful?". Pushing my way through I manage to hop on the city bus as it's pulling out. The cars behind honk impatiently, the bus lurches forward and the driver says "Are you peaceful?"
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