Re: "Going Seoul-searching"

["J.E. Ballow" <bballow@motion.net>]

Pretty accurate from what I observed in the early 70's.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Love Shack" <Home@DanSources.com>
To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 12:43 PM
Subject: Re: "Going Seoul-searching"


> Washingon Times hmmm.
> Never been able to believe anything they print.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike Yared" <mikeyared@yahoo.com>
> To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu>
> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 12:44 PM
> Subject: "Going Seoul-searching"
> 
> 
> Going Seoul-searching
> By Willis Witter
> THE WASHINGTON TIMES
> http://www.washingtontimes.com/travel/20030530-084030-5756r.htm
> Published May 31, 2003
> 
>     SEOUL - Many Americans spend time in Seoul with
> the U.S. military or on business. Only now is Seoul
> beginning to realize its potential as a draw for
> tourists as well. 
>     For those making their first trip to Asia - this
> is the place to begin exploring the other side of the
> world. 
>     The city is clean and free of street crime; people
> have little need to worry about terrorists blowing up
> buildings full of people; and there is no SARS. In one
> week, a writer and a photographer saw no face masks
> worn anywhere in the city, and that includes crowded
> markets, restaurants and entertainment districts that
> teem with people day and night. 
>     Seoul, like the rest of Northeast Asia, is off the
> beaten path for the militant Islamists. Of course, the
> ever-hostile North Korea lies just 30 miles to the
> north of Seoul, the sprawling capital of 20-plus
> million residents and commuters that offers living
> proof that South Korea won the Cold War. 
>     To appreciate how lopsided that victory was, the
> first-time visitor must join the 150,000 or so
> tourists who visit the demilitarized zone each year.
> Tours in English are readily available to several
> sites, including a peace park, mountain overlook and
> North Korean infiltration tunnels big enough for a
> two-lane highway. A visit to the truce village at
> Panmunjom tops them all. 
>     It isn't much of a village, just a bunch of simple
> one-story huts, scrubbed and freshly painted in the
> shade of baby blue that matches that of the U.N. flag.
> They sit in a tiny valley surrounded by guard towers
> and observation posts manned on the other side by real
> North Korean soldiers. In crisp, pressed olive
> uniforms, with pictures of North Korean leader Kim
> Jong-il on the lapel, they stare at visitors with
> furrowed brows, snarled lips and scowling eyes. 
>     When the guide takes visitors into one of the
> huts, sometimes a North Korean soldier will stroll up
> to the window and glare inside. Try taking a picture
> of the North Korean, but be quick. As soon as he sees
> a camera pointed in his direction, he runs away. 
>     The tours are well-organized. Tennis shoes,
> bluejeans, shorts and other casual wear are forbidden,
> lest they provide images for North Korea's propaganda
> machine to illustrate America's decadence. The tours
> come with a briefing from an American soldier, and
> there are plenty of opportunities to peer at North
> Korean guard posts atop rolling hills outside. 
>     There's a fake North Korean village, dubbed
> "propaganda village" by U.S. and South Korean troops.
> No one lives there, but sometimes the North Koreans
> bring in a busload of people to hang up some laundry
> and otherwise hang out to fool the VIPs they bring
> down from Pyongyang. 
>     A loudspeaker above the village blasts insults at
> the South, or classic communist propaganda. "Our great
> leader Kim Jong-il has done so much for us," it blared
> during a recent morning visit as pairs of white
> Manchurian cranes frolicked overhead. The species is
> said to be extinct everywhere except along the
> 150-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide demilitarized zone that
> divides the peninsula. No one walks through the DMZ
> except wildlife, except at Panmunjom - until recently
> the only land crossing between North and South Korea
> along the entire length of the DMZ. 
>     Here, huge letters decorate mountain slopes facing
> south. "Our victory is for our sunshine general, Kim
> Jong-il, hurray," says one mountain. Each boasts a
> giant flag on a skyscraper-size flagpole. North and
> South used to compete, building bigger and bigger
> poles and flags until, presumably, the South decided
> things had gotten out of hand. 
>     The North won that battle and today displays the
> biggest flag on the tallest pole. The problem is that
> the flag weighs more than 600 pounds, meaning it just
> hangs like a wet dishrag unless a typhoon happens to
> blow through. 
>     On the other side, the South Korean flag unfurls
> in the gentle morning breeze. 
>     Panmunjom has a history of ax murders, defections
> and shootouts, but the last serious incident was 20
> years ago when a defection by a Soviet officer, who
> stepped across the line, triggered a firefight. One
> can leave for Panmunjom early in the morning on a tour
> bus from Seoul and be back with plenty of time to
> spare in the afternoon. 
>     The experience is guaranteed to be so grim that
> Seoul will feel like paradise, and that's a good way
> to begin exploring. 
>     Five royal palaces ring downtown Seoul, each
> undergoing a massive restoration amid a nationwide
> renaissance of appreciation for the country's ancient
> history. The walled compounds, with towering wooden
> gates and curved tiled tops, defined the city a
> century ago, when kings ruled and the aristocracy
> lived in gilded splendor. 
>     At night, Seoul provides the cosmopolitan flare of
> dining, theater and nightclubs. There's also a
> futuristic side of Seoul. Check out the area around
> World Cup Stadium containing a power plant between two
> giant man-made mountain mesas - both former garbage
> dumps. Atop one dump sits an 18-hole golf course, and
> atop the other is a public park. The green is so lush
> it's hard to believe garbage lies underneath, and this
> is where the power plant comes in. 
>     The plant makes electricity by burning off the
> extracts from pipes deep underground. It supplies
> power to the adjacent World Cup soccer stadium, which
> is being converted into an upscale retail mall with
> luxury high-rise condos nearby. 
>     The 2002 World Cup - in which South Korea became
> the first team from Asia to make the final four -
> inspired the Seoul metropolitan government to begin an
> aggressive campaign to lure Western travelers. The
> campaign, with the slogan "Hi Seoul," focuses on the
> past, the present and, as with the reclaimed garbage
> dump, the future. 
>     Seoul City Hall, an imposing gray building from
> pre-World War II days when Japan ruled Korea as a
> colony, is a good place to start. 
>     Inside the front door, the tourist can pick up
> information on just about everything there is to do -
> written in English. 
>     A good subway guide and several maps are
> available, including one that shows the location of
> every public, self-sanitizing toilet in Seoul. The
> toilets are like giant portable commodes except that
> the entire interior gets sprayed with disinfectant
> after each customer. 
>     Look for the yellow pamphlet titled Foreigner's
> Favorite 10 Best Korean Foods. The brochure has color
> photos of all the delicacies so one can carry it into
> any restaurant and simply point to the picture. 
>     Topping the list is bulgogi, a sweet beef
> barbecue, and somewhere in the middle is kimchi, the
> fiery dish of pickled cabbage, cayenne pepper and
> garlic, which is served with every Korean meal. Other
> favorites include galbi, in which meat from prime beef
> ribs is grilled over charcoal, and samgyetang, a
> chicken dish without the hot spices. There also is a
> sushilike dish called gimbab, and Korean-style
> dumplings known as mandu. 
>     Though Seoul sprawls in all directions, its
> ancient palaces and teeming markets lie within a tight
> circle just several miles wide, which framed the city
> as it existed at the turn of the 20th century. Back
> then, a king ruled and royalty lived in splendor.
> Confucian scholars had special digs reflecting their
> high status. 
>     A wall enclosed the circle, with gates to the
> north, east, south and west, connecting Seoul to the
> outside world. 
>     The recently opened Seoul History Museum gives one
> a feel for old Seoul. It features scenes from the old
> city with a mix of scale models and computer graphics.
> Royalty moved about on litters carried by servants,
> merchants plied their trade in bright silk robes, and
> commoners in rags toiled with rickshaws on the dusty
> streets, hauling the day's catch from the nearby Han
> River through the city gates to market stalls. In
> visiting the museum, be sure to sign up for the
> English-language tour. 
>     Seoul is world-famous for its shopping. For
> Westerners, the Itaewon district offers one advantage
> in that most shopkeepers speak English. By day,
> Itaewon is a shopping district featuring the typical
> fare of leather goods, handbags, luggage, souvenirs
> and casual Western-style clothing. Tailors will make
> shirts for about $20 and suits in the $300 range. 
>     At night, Itaewon's bars, clubs and restaurants
> take over with a largely foreign clientele. It
> features live music - jazz and blues - on weekends.
> Though one can still find traces of red-light sleaze,
> the neighborhood largely has moved beyond its tawdry
> image to become an international shopping and wining
> and dining district. 
>     For a relaxing dinner there, try Gecko's Garden,
> which offers a multilevel bar and restaurant in a
> converted villa, with a wide range of beers and wines
> served on outdoor terraces that make it popular with
> expatriates and visitors. 
>     Myongdong was perhaps the city's first modern
> shopping district. Today, it is largely
> pedestrianized, wall-to-wall with cafes, restaurants,
> small boutiques, mid- and high-end department stores,
> restaurants and karaoke rooms. 
>     Just five minutes away on foot lies the restored
> South Gate of the old city wall, and across the
> street, bartering between merchants and customers
> continues at Namdaemun or South Gate Market as it has
> for the past 500 years. 
>     It is one of Asia's largest open-air markets, a
> place where one can lose oneself for hours. A good
> time to visit is in the afternoon, when the main
> retail buyers arrive, or in the early morning hours,
> when the wholesale customers appear. 
>     Insadong is Seoul's artsy shopping district, known
> for pottery, Buddhist paraphernalia such as clothing,
> prayer beads and statuary, paper craft such as fans
> and screens, and calligraphic sets. 
>     It also has many furniture shops specializing in
> antique or high-quality reproductions of antique
> chests, desks and cabinets. The area is
> pedestrian-only on Sundays, with street stalls and
> performers. It also has many good traditional
> restaurants, one of the most popular being Sancheon, a
> Buddhist restaurant. Located at the end of a narrow
> ally, it features authentic Korean Buddhist cuisine.
> The menu is based on mountain vegetables, a legacy of
> the time when Korean Buddhists were driven from the
> city by Confucian rulers during the Chosun dynasty
> (1392-1910). 
>     Buddhist cuisine, while lacking the fire and spice
> of typical Korean fare, did exert its influence on
> modern Korea's use of many vegetable and bean-curd
> dishes. The restaurant, opened by a former Buddhist
> monk, also offers traditional music and dance
> performances in the evenings. 
>     From downtown, one can take a chairlift to the top
> of Namsan Mountain, which rises 1,500 feet from the
> middle of the city. On top, Seoul Tower's observation
> deck, soaring high above the city's skyscrapers,
> includes displays to help visitors pick out spots
> along the old walled circle and view most of the
> shopping areas just described. 
>     On the northern edge of downtown lies Kyongbak
> (also spelled Gyeongbuk) Palace, nestled on the
> south-facing slope of another mountain. When
> restoration work is complete, the palace, with its
> long approach through three massive gates on a path
> leading up from the city streets, undoubtedly will
> rival Beijing's Forbidden City. 
>     Only recently did South Korea begin to rediscover
> its past. Until the nation achieved First World living
> standards and put away military rule - something that
> didn't happen until the late 1980s - reflecting on its
> recent history was just too painful. 
>     Nearly 40 years of Japanese colonial rule evoked a
> sense of shame. Then, just a few years after Korea won
> its freedom, the Korean War left the country in ruins.
> The restoration work being done on Seoul's palaces
> reflects a newfound pride in the past, an appreciation
> of an ancient culture and a desire to show it to the
> outside world. 
>     "The biggest charm of Seoul is that there are lots
> of beautiful tourist sites that are in tune with
> tradition and modernism," says Cho Sang-meyong,
> manager of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's tourism
> promotion division. 
>     Seoul is full of four- and five- star hotels,
> including two from the Intercontinental chain, a
> Marriott, Shilla, Hilton and Lotte. At the Hyatt, with
> its panoramic view of the Han River, one can mix at
> the health club with captains of industry and future
> presidential candidates. 
>     Lately, a number of lower-priced guesthouses are
> becoming popular, especially with younger tourists. 
>     The Seoul Guest House is one of a number of small,
> family-run facilities in the old, quiet district of
> Anguk Dong. Rooms built around a quiet courtyard in
> the style of old Korean houses go for about $30 a
> night. One sleeps on a mattress on the floor, and a
> common room provides a computer with a high-speed
> Internet link. 
>     A few blocks away lies another of Seoul's palaces,
> Changdeok, the only one to survive burning by the
> Japanese in a late 16th-century invasion. Though the
> architecture is not as spectacular as at Kyongbak
> Palace and it lacks the exhibits of another palace,
> Deoksu with, its museum, the peace and quiet in the
> wooded landscape gives a sense of what much of Seoul
> must have been like in ancient times. 
>     Changdeok Palace boasts the Royal Secret Garden,
> or Biwan, one of Seoul's best-preserved palace
> gardens. Here, one must sign up in advance to be part
> of a tour, with excursions in English offered daily
> except Tuesdays. The Royal Changing of the Guard is
> re-enacted at 2 p.m. daily at several palaces
> throughout the city. 
>     Guksadang, the national shaman shrine, sits atop a
> mountain with the ancient Spirit Tree outside. It is
> set on the slopes of Mount Inwhang, a site of great
> geomagnetic power. On the way up the mountain is a
> village with 16 Buddhist temples. This is not a
> tourist site yet, although it is a quick taxi ride
> from central Seoul. In the evening, one can find
> shamans praying at the Womb of the Earth Mother, a
> spring near the mountaintop. Shamans also perform
> rituals near an unusual rock formation, known as Son
> Bawui, or Zen Rocks, which resembles praying monks. 
>     A bit outside of central Seoul, Samjeonggak, a
> former Kisaeng or Korean-style geisha house, was once
> reserved for high-ranking Korean government officials.
> Now it houses a restaurant, teahouse, guesthouse and
> performance area open to the public. 
>     The traditional-style building complex lies on a
> wooded hillside in Seoul's most exclusive old-money
> district. Food in the restaurant Asadal is expensive,
> but it is authentic Hanjeongsik, or traditional Korean
> food: a mix of royal court, aristocratic and Buddhist
> cuisines. 
>     For nightlife, try Samcheong Dong, a funky pub
> with live music in this otherwise quiet area near
> Samjeonggak. After a couple of drinks, it is worth
> walking down through the quiet, tree-lined Samcheong
> Dong district, which is full of old houses,
> restaurants, galleries, small bars and cafes. 
>     Some other sites to consider include: 
>     . Yeoiudo Park in the center of the financial
> district on Yeouido island. Consider that the park was
> built over what once was an airstrip designed to
> evacuate lawmakers from the nearby National Assembly
> in the event of a North Korean invasion. 
>     . The Noryangjin Wholesale Fisheries Market
> features many blue-collar restaurants selling some of
> the freshest and cheapest hoe (pronounced "hway"),
> which is raw fish, or sashimi, anywhere. Figure on
> spending about $25 a person for a night of eating and
> drinking. One also can buy live fish from the market
> and have a restaurant prepare it for dinner. For
> entertainment, "Nanta," a musical featuring crazy
> rhythms and known by the name "Cookin' in the West,"
> has gained glowing reviews abroad. 
>     Despite the modernity of the concept, there is a
> lot of traditional Korean involved: percussive
> rhythms, martial arts and plenty of slapstick humor on
> bosses and bums. 
>     It keeps the audience in stitches, and there is no
> language barrier. One recent performance had a
> 3-year-old laughing along with the rest of the
> audience. The performance provides a good example of
> the loudness, dynamism and exuberance of Korean
> culture, which is not particularly known for subtlety.
> 
>     The plot is simple: The boss of a restaurant
> orders his three chefs to prepare a wedding banquet by
> 6 p.m., then foists his incompetent nephew on them as
> a fourth chief. The play constantly evolves, so it is
> worth seeing more than once. It is possible to meet
> the performers after the performance. 
>     "Nanta" has spawned a whole subgenre of plays,
> including "Goblin Storm," based on Korean folk
> legends; "Show Taekwon," based on tae kwon do; and
> "UFO," based on aliens. 
>     For trendy foreign cuisine, try Wood and Brick. A
> Parisian-style cafe downstairs complements a converted
> loft upstairs that features Italian cuisine amid a
> gallery of modern art. 
>     Yongsan Electronics Market features block after
> block of computer and electronics stores. Bargains can
> be found, but one should have a product in mind and a
> good idea how much the item would cost at a discount
> store in the West. 
>     Dongdaemun market features so-called "bag traders"
> from as far away as Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
> The Gyeongdong Herbal Medicine Market is full of the
> sights and smells of Oriental medicine. 
>     The War Memorial of Korea museum, like the DMZ
> tours, adds a sobering touch to any visit. Outside are
> planes, tanks, guns - even a submarine. Inside are
> displays that range from exhibits of prehistoric
> weapons to a video war-game room. 
>     The 13,000-plus exhibits include a reconstruction
> of a Turtle Ship, the world's first ironclad warship,
> which was used by Adm. Yi Sun-shin to defeat Japanese
> naval forces in the 1590s. Other exhibits include a
> Korean War gallery and a Vietnam gallery. 
>     A statue outside represents a real incident, when
> a North Korean and a South Korean soldier - brothers -
> met by chance on the battlefield during the Korean
> War. 
> 
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