It is said that collecting is the oldest hobby in human history. Human beings have a lingering affection for things around them, despite monk Beop-jeong’s appeals to them to practice non-possessiveness.

People collect various things including everyday items such as stamps, coins and bills, styled tones, potted plants and shells, and even collectors of telephone cards, cellular phone accessories and CDs are not unusual any more. In addition, there are some people who collect weird items: instant cup noodle lids, subway tickets, even pieces of cut toenails and fingernails, and empty toilet rolls.

In fact, most collectors have no serious reason to collect things. They choose items simply because they think they are beautiful or interesting. That is why they collect them. In the eyes of other people, it is hard to understand.

It comes as a surprise to them when they see the efforts and passion of the collectors. For example, there is a peculiar person who feels happiness watching an empty caramel box filling up with her fingernails. It makes us wonder where the limits of human eccentricity are.

Anyway, nobody wants their collection to simply go to waste in a box. By collecting one by one, they can make a bigger and bigger collection. It may start off just as gathering, before becoming true collecting. Later, they may develop a desire to achieve something more.

In other countries, many people have set up individual museums using a little room in their own home. This is not for commercial gain. Instead, they display things neatly and just want to share them with others.

In general, collectors are extremely proud of their collections and want to share them with others, because they think that they have found special things that others could not find. The UOS Times would like to introduce one of these people who opened up her own place for others to enjoy her collections with them. She is Bae Myung-hee, also known as the owls’ mom, the curator of the Owl Museum which is the first homelike museum in Korea.

INFORMATION

10:00 a.m. ~ 8:00 p.m. (closed on Monday)
An admission fee : 5,000 won (drinks offered)
Tel : (02)3210-2902
The way to the Owl Museum: Take bus No.45 (Maeul Bus) at the bus-stop between Kwanghwa-moon station and the Kyobo bookstore, then get off in front of the Myeong-seong Mart. Walk along the sidewalk, passing by a shabu shabu restaurant, then you can’t miss the sign for the Owl Museum. Calling in there, you can listen to the owl mom’s friendly explanation.
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