My Dad and Uncle Visit Korea, Part 2

Early Friday afternoon my dad ad uncle flew from Osaka to Seoul.  I had to teach until 6:40, so the plan was for them to look for a hotel or come back to my apartment if they didn’t find anything.  At around 4:30 I got a call from them telling me that they had booked a hotel in Myeongdong. After work I went to the hotel and spent the night there too.

The Seoul metro map...crazy huh?  Myeongdong is centrally located
(Jamsil is in the southeast, where the green and pink lines meet)

Myeongdong is a busy shopping area of Seoul north of the Han River.  My apartment, south of the river, is not as centrally located.  Myeondong is close to downtown and the attractions that I wanted to show my dad and uncle, so it made more sense to stay there as opposed to Jamsil.

By the time we got dinner and walked around the narrow, packed streets in the shopping district of Myeondong it was already after 10 pm.  The following morning we had to get up early for a DMZ trip with the USO, so we called it an early night.  You have probably heard of the USO through the entertainment that they organize for US troops.  The organization also gives tours for both military personnel and ordinary citizens.  They are located in central Seoul at one of the US army bases, a few kilometers from downtown.

The Myeongdong shopping district

the USO offices, on the Yongsan army base in Seoul

Although the DMZ is only 30 miles from Seoul, the bus ride took an hour from USO headquarters.  Of course traffic can be heavy in the city, and as you approach the demilitarized zone there are a series of checkpoints and roadblocks to pass.  Our first stop was outside of the DMZ itself, but still within the zone of restricted access.  We visited a tunnel constructed by North Korea which could have been used to transport troops across the border during an invasion.  When the South discovered the tunnel the North first denied that it had built it.  Then it sprayed the walls with black soot and tried to claim that it was a coal mine!  If you run your hand along the rock walls you can still see the soot.

The South has discovered several of these tunnels along the border.  The one we walked in was less than two meters tall (ranging from 5 to 6 feet) and 2 meters wide, but it could supposedly be used to transport 30,000 troops across the border per hour.  That number seems hard to believe – the North Koreans are typically short and thin, but not that small!  At the farthest point where we could walk in the tunnel we were less than 100 meters from the border.

one of the tunnels that the South discovered
which led to North Korea

the four tunnels along the DMZ (the red area
is a no-man zone between North and South

To make this easier to understand I’ll try to give you a concise overview of the DMZ layout.  Along the border between North and South Korea there is a 4 kilometer stretch of land (2 kilometers on each side) that is off limits for troops or weaponry.  This buffer is called the DMZ.  In the south the military controls another few kilometers past the DMZ and civilians have limited access.  The part of the DMZ we were visiting was a special meeting point along the border where negotiation and exchanges can take place between the two sides.  There are both American and South Korean troops there, but the US has gradually been giving the Koreans more autonomy guarding and monitoring the area.

After a tour of the tunnel we went to a lookout point on a nearby hill with views of the DMZ and the north.  The weather was a bit hazy, but I could still see past the border fences into North Korea.  Within the DMZ there are two towns, one on the south and the other on the northern side of the border.

Some 200 people live in Freedom Village, the nickname given to the South Korean town.  The townspeople grow and sell rice for a living, and their incomes are tax free.  The government guarantees that their harvest will be sold, and men are exempted from military service (all males in Korea have to serve 1.5 years in the military).  Propaganda Village, the name given to the town in the north, is mostly hollow buildings that are simply made to look appealing from the outside.  For years nobody actually lived in the town except for a few caretakers whose job was to keep the buildings looking nice and freshly painted.  Recently the military has observed more activity in the town, which may mean a few people have moved in.

Each town has a huge flagpole towering over the small buildings below.  In the 1980s the South constructed a 130 meter flag pole in Freedom Village.  Not to be outdone, the North built a 160 meter (525 feet) one in their town.  The North Korean flag weighs nearly 600 pounds and must be taken down during heavy rains because if wet it would tear under its own weight!

a few of "Propaganda Village" and its enormous flagpole
- most buildings are simply uninhabited shells

We spent a short time at the lookout point and then stopped at a restaurant for lunch.  In an effort at reconciliation Hyundai, a South Korean company, in concert with both governments, constructed an industrial complex in the North during 2003-04.  There is a visa processing center and checkpoint with a restaurant near the DMZ where workers are checked before going to the North.  At the restaurant I tried North Korean beer.  It was 10,000 Won for a bottle, but my dad figured we would probably never have the chance again to try it.  The beer was actually pretty good – better than the light stuff that I’ve had here in the South!  But who knows if it was legit; could’ve just been bottled in China and then they slapped a North Korean label on it and marked up the price by 300%!

The Kaesong Industrial Complex

north Korean beer!

Our next stop was a US / South Korean military camp just outside the DMZ.  We heard a presentation from a US soldier and had to sign releases.  We switched from our civilian tour bus to a military one and went into the DMZ.  Our soldier guide took us to the meeting rooms that lie directly over the border, where high ranking officials come to negotiate.  Half of the building was in the South and half in the North, so technically I have been to North Korea!

We also could see the North’s welcome center from our side of the border.  I’m not sure that it’s very welcoming, although the North does give occasional border tours.  Soldiers were peaking out of the building studying us with binoculars.  Our soldier/guide told us that sometimes the North Korean soldiers will come right up to the windows of the negotiating building during tours, but we didn’t see any up close.

The constant North-South standoff

Over the border you can see the North's welcome center.
Chinese tourists do occasionally visit via the North.

On the way back to the base we got a good glimpse of Freedom Village, and our guide told us that the average salary for the villagers is $82,000!  They have large rice fields and like I mentioned the government guarantees their harvest will be sold.  Plus it is all tax free!

We had free time to look at the museum at the base, and after that we started the trip back to Seoul.  On the way back we stopped at a train station which was built in hopes of connecting a line to the North.  It would be the last stop before entering North Korea, although now it is just used sparingly by military personnel and the workers at the joint North / South industrial complex (ordinary citizens cannot ride that far on the train).

one day the tracks may be opened to
the public and to the North

We arrived back at the USO office before 5 pm.  In the morning we had checked our bags at the hotel in Myeongdong, but they didn’t have any vacancies for Saturday night.  I decided to check out Itaewon for hotels before going back to get our bags.  Itaewon is a foreigner hotspot which draws many tourists, military personnel (it is close to the main US army base in Seoul), and young Koreans as well.  There aren’t any other places that feel quite like Itaewon – cosmopolitan, a bit dirty, and lots of Western bars and restaurants.

During my first few months in Korea I avoided Itaewon, opting for a more authentic Korean experience on a night out.  Other areas of Seoul attract tourists and foreigners too, but I felt that Itaewon was fake in the sense that it didn’t fit in with the rest of the city.  You also tend to meet foreigners there who don’t know much at all about Korean culture or the language.  Recently though I have warmed up a bit to Itaewon.  I still don’t want to go there every weekend, but can appreciate its unique flavor.  There are a lot of good restaurants with ethnic cuisines that are hard to find anywhere else in Seoul.  It is also easier to meet people there at the Western style bars – as opposed to Korean ones where people generally just socialize with the people they came with.

You will see more Westerners and hear English spoken often
in Itaewon, but Koreans visit the area for shopping and
nightlife too (more now than they used to even 5 years ago)

We decided to book the Hamilton Hotel, which is right next to the subway entrance and near many bars and restaurants.  The Hamilton also has a famous hotel pool where young Koreans and foreigners come to party.  Our room, on the 9th floor, had a great view overlooking the pool and the bikini-clad swimmers.  Now I have ‘attend the Hamilton Hotel pool party’ on my to-do list!

The Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon

pool party!

My uncle and I went back to the hotel in Myeongdong to grab the bags while my dad used a computer in the lobby of the Hamilton.  When we got back the three of us were all hungry, so we checked out our options near the hotel.  We eventually settled on a Korean style barbecue restaurant.  By barbecue I don’t mean the sauce.  In Korea barbecue typically refers to a restaurant with grills at the center of each table.  Your meat is brought out raw and then cooked in front of you.  Most restaurants have scissors to cut the meat (scissors are commonly used in Korean restaurants instead of knives) and serve lettuce to wrap the meat in.  We also ordered rice, and with the free side dishes it was a feast!

Korean barbecue - with a grill in the middle of the
table and side dishes galore!

I also ordered a bottle of Soju for my dad and uncle to try.  Neither of them are big liquor drinkers, but they had to at least taste it.  Soju, fermented from rice, is basically Korea’s national drink.  The alcohol content is typically in the high teens (special kinds can be 40% or higher).  The best way to describe its taste is like watered down vodka.  Needless to say my dad and uncle didn’t find it very palatable, but it was worth a try.

Gotta try Soju and barbecue together!

After dinner we stopped in an Irish pub for beers.  We had a couple of drinks and moved on to another place where I had been in the past.  I was thinking about playing darts, but as it turned out the bar was going to show the gold metal football match between Brazil and Mexico.  I was excited to see the game and my uncle and dad were fine with it (even though they aren’t really soccer fans).

All of the sports channels were showing the replay of Korea Japan from the night before and they had to stream the live match on the internet.  There was a huge projection screen and lots of chairs set up for viewing.  The place was packed with fans, mostly for Brazil.  I figured that many were not from Brazil, but most of the supporters I talked to were actually Brazilian.  Before that night I had met a total of probably 5 Brazilians in Korea.  There were even a few Mexicans too.

A football match was a fitting setting to meet Mexicans in Seoul
- probably the first since I arrived over half a year ago

My uncle was super tired and left for the hotel at halftime, but my dad stayed to watch the end with me.  Feeling bad that Mexico didn’t have many fans, I cheered for them and was happy to see them pull it out 2-1 for the gold.  My dad was worried that I my loud cheers for Mexico would get me into trouble with the pro-Brazil crowd, but thankfully the atmosphere wasn’t very hostile.

I think my dad had a bit too much to drink and in the morning I could tell that he wasn’t feeling so hot.  I believe his first words to me were “I shouldn’t have had that last beer.”  He didn’t have any breakfast and seemed quiet, but as the day went on I think he felt better.  Unfortunately it was raining, so I decided to go to the Seoul history museum downtown.  The museum traces the history of Seoul from its founding as the Joseon Dynasty capital in 1394 to its metamorphosis into the modern metropolis of the 21st century.

It rained for most of the time we were in the museum, but thankfully it let up when we left.  For nearly their entire visit we had seen no rain, which was lucky considering late July and August is the rainy season.  We had gotten a later start on the day, and by the time we were finished at the museum it was already close to 4.  We walked around the downtown area some more and saw part of Gyeongbokgung Palace.  The palace is the largest of the Joseon Dynasty era and one of Seoul’s major landmarks.  It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over its 600+ year history, so unfortunately it has lost some of its authenticity.

Despite lacking some authenticity (since the current
structure is still new) Gyeongbukgung Palace is
still one of the top tourist attractions downtown

Inside the palace grounds

We were scheduled to meet one of my co-teachers (Matt) for dinner in Jamsil, so our time at Gyeonbokgung was limited.  By the time we picked up our bags back at the Hamilton Hotel and made it over to Jamsil it was almost time to meet him.  Matt took us to an all you can eat barbeque restaurant near my apartment.  It was 10,900 Won (about $10) for all the meat and side dishes you could handle!  I was glad my dad and uncle met Matt and got to chat with another teacher about life in Seoul.

Matt and I ate more than our fair share at the restaurant, and after dinner I walked with my dad and uncle to their love motel.  The next morning (on Monday) they met me there and we walked together to my school.  My dad took the large suitcase that I had packed back with him to the US, along with my laptop case.  Since I will likely be traveling after my contract is up at the end of November I don’t want to have to lug a huge suitcase around or ship it back home.

My dad and uncle were able to store their bags at the school, and while there I gave them a tour of the building.  None of the kids were there yet, but during my lunch hour they came back to say hi.

On Mondays I have a break for lunch (three days a week I have lunch with the kids), so I ate out with my family.  I introduced them to my lunch spot, a cheap Korean place called Food 2900.  Most of the dishes are priced between $4-5 and the menu has a great selection.  I think my dad enjoyed his chicken omelet with rice and my uncle his curry.  They got to see the kids back at the school, but I only had a few minutes to show them around until my next class started.  Their flight left in the evening, so they took their bags with them.

A Korean omelette with chicken and rice
was safe and not too spicy for my dad

As was the curry for my uncle

It was definitely sad to say goodbye.  The next time I see them won’t be until the spring or summer of 2013 because I have close to four months left here and then hopefully at least several more of traveling too.  But I was really glad that they could come visit me and hope that they also enjoyed their time in Korea!