Olympic Driving School, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do

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It was a late-July afternoon in 2018, and we were on the Trail of Tears heading back to Gwangju after a full day of exploring rural Jeollanam-do. Isaiah suggested we stop at the Olympic Driving School, a place he had discovered years ago during his first stint in Korea. I’m glad we did; this was well worth the visit. I wish I had captured it on film. By that time, I was all out of rolls, so I shot these images on my iPhone.

Study the traffic signs while you wait for the driving test.
There have been plenty of visitors before us. This place is in the middle of nowhere; I wonder how young (I presume) vandals get out here.

It had a surprising amount of stuff still inside, including application forms with people’s personal information lying around scattered on the floor. The rest of these pictures are the highlights of what we found inside the three-story building.

Judging by the calendar, the Olympic Driving School closed in early 2012.
“Driver Education”
Be free, Butterfly!
I’m not sure why this was here. Maybe someone saw this place as an opportunity to dump their shit.
An acupuncture doll with pressure points labeled.
A further close up shot of the pressure points written in hanja.
I find this child’s torso unusually disturbing.
Oh the Jackpot!
They are Hyundai branded simulators with manual transmissions!
The roof offered a pleasant view of the surrounding area.
Beyond the trees is the practice street course.

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