The cafes along Yeonnam-dong close at midnight. The people inside them do not. Mapo-gu's freelance economy — writers, photographers, video editors, podcast producers — operates on a temporal schedule that commercial real estate has not adapted to and medical infrastructure has never acknowledged. A
The Broadcast Spine: How Korea's Television Industry Destroys Its Technicians in Ilsan's Studio Belt
Ilsan's CJ ENM, JTBC, and MBN studios produce the variety shows, dramas, and news broadcasts that 50 million Koreans consume daily. The on-screen talent receives makeup artists, personal trainers, and occasional chiropractic visits funded by management agencies. The off-screen workforce — ca