This is Bill Tsutsui with another Postcard from Asia from the Center for East Asian Studies.

It was Douglas Adams who said that among the ailments of modern society –ennui, low birth rate, love of trivia – the obsession with shoes is most indicative of the End of History. If this is true, then it might be time to bid South Korean society farewell. Shoeaholism among Korean women has reached epidemic proportions. Enamel pumps, gem-studded sandals, Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos have replaced traditional shoes. But not traditional shoe etiquette: designer name notwithstanding, they still have to come off when entering a house. Successfully avoiding cheap puns using “sole” and “Seoul," let us end with a maxim, slightly altered: shoes goeth before the fall.

With thanks to Randi Hacker for this text, from the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Bill Tsutsui. Wish you were here.