Interview with John Cowie
Yeongjeong Island's Longtime Veteran Expat

John Cowie and hIs daughter pose for a photo.

 

Yeongjeongdo, or Yeongjeong island as it is called in English, is a part artificial island that is home to one of the world’s top international airports, Incheon International Airport. The island has rugged expanses, vast marshes and grasslands, secluded beaches, and spectacular views of the daily container ship traffic to the world’s busiest port. The place is home to villages, a Buddhist temple, the small cities Sky City and Unseo, rail lines, the airport line, and vast parks. Officially called the Jung district of Incheon, it is connected to the mainland and Incheon city by two bridges and a ferry. It also has the nearby islands Muuido and Sindo within reach. Yeongjeong island has a casual, cozy beach atmosphere at times, in stark contrast to the rugged, serious urbanism of nearby Incheon and Seoul. The place is somewhat of a mystery, and one person who might both shed light on aspects of Yeongjeong and add to its hidden allure is John Cowie. Cowie is a teacher at local high school and likes to run marathons in his spare time. Rooftop on the Hanok interviewed Cowie in late September and the interview can be found below.

 

People walk on a track in the center of Sky City.

 

Rooftop on the Hanok: How many years have you spent on Yeongjeong island? How much has it changed?
John Cowie: I’ve lived here since 2008, I think. It’s changed a great deal in terms of the population booming. It was only about 25,000 when I moved here, no idea what it is now, but it’s significantly larger and more developed. [ED.’s NOTE: The population of Yeongjeong and Muuido was 122,000 in 2022.]
RH: What’s unique about living in Sky City?
JC: The most unique characteristic is that you can be in a seemingly urban area, drive less than five minutes and be lost in the sticks. I think that’s pretty cool.
RH: What are the hangout spots in Sky City, Unseo, and the rest of the island?
JC: I assume you’re talking about foreigner hangout spots, there aren’t any, the western diaspora is just scattered about with no cohesion. There’s a western bar in Haneul Doshi, but they’ve made it exceedingly clear they want to cater to pilots and not others, so basically nothing. When I meet friends, we just hang out at the mini mart. Life is just cheaper that way.
RH: Do you have a favorite part of Yeongjeong island? Any cool spots off the beaten path that you can share about?
JC: There’s quite a few peaceful and quiet spots here that I feel are well secluded and undiscovered. My favorite is a road along the salt marsh near the sea. It’s quite peaceful and at this point relatively undiscovered.
RH: I’ve heard that some locals believe that anyone who moves to Sky City either moves forward and goes back to the mainland, or falters and leaves Korea. Do you believe this saying? Do you have any examples of it?
JC: I disagree with that, everyone has their own thing. That’s just one of those weird elitist things that comes from the ESL teaching community in Korea, they’ve made these hierarchies among themselves that don’t seem to make much sense to me, like making this rule that you should live in Seoul if your life is to have any meaning or value. What a bunch of crap. I’d light myself on fire if I had to live in that crowded, overpriced, piss-smelling hellhole.
RH: Do you have any views you would like to share concerning your rather unique position in the community on Yeongjeong island? Any stories you would like to tell?

JC: My unique position? I suppose I’m well known for being the only foreign teacher at my high school, which is considered prestigious. Most people know who I am but it doesn’t mean anything. It just means they are watching me closer, probably also means I wouldn’t get away with robbing a bank here too.

RH: Do you think foreigners get the typical expat experience living in Sky City?
JC: Again, this trope of the ‘typical expat experience’ which I don’t buy into. I guess the stereotypical expat experience is working a hellish academy job all week, then blowing all that money at a bar in Seoul, so I’d say yeah, that experience is available in Sky City.
RH: What are the positives of living in Sky City? Are there any negatives?
JC: I like the somewhat suburban feel of it though the charm is rapidly declining through over-development, there’s actually significant traffic in the morning now. The positive for me is living only a 10 minute drive from work and being near a wonderful park near the sea, just marvelous for my running
RH: What kind of people do you meet living in Sky City? Are they different than folks in Seoul, be they foreigners or Koreans?
JC: I don’t go out of my way to talk to strangers so I have a very small social circle. I hang out with an LPGA caddie sometimes, he has a very good sense of humor and it’s fun. There’s a Korean American guy I hang out with also, he’s a nice dude and we mesh well in conversation. Again, I don’t know how they might differ from Seoul people, never lived there myself.
A photo of Sky City prior to all the recent development.
To share feedback with Cowie or get in touch with him, please email this blog.
Photo Credits
1. All photos by Rooftop on the Hanok and John Cowie.
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