From Beijing, we flew a little more than two hours to Seoul, South Korea. We stayed in a really nice Army hotel, where we were able to get our fill of American food and amenities. Seoul is a thriving, beautiful city with a lot of Western influence with respect to style of dress and the number of English speakers. We felt quite comfortable there.
On our first full day in Seoul, we took a tour to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between South Korea and North Korea that was established by the Armistice Agreement in 1953, but technically the war is not over. It is more of a stalemate. Throughout the day, we were really surprised to learn of the aspirational nature of the South Korean attitudes, structures, and monuments. Our tour guide spoke in terms of when (rather than if) the North and South reunify. It was really enlightening. Text from signs throughout our tour are italicized below.
Dorasan Station: Starting Point of the Transcontinental Railroad
Following the June 15, 2000, South-North Joint Declaration made by two Koreas, both agreed to connect the Gyeongui Railraod Line on July 31 the same year. Under the military control, the barbed wire and mines were removed, and Dorasan station was opened on April 11, 2002. Finally South and North Korea connected the Gyeongui Railroad Line on June 14, 2003 at the Military Demarcation Line in the DMZ...The roof of the building shows a figure of clasped hands...as an expression of sincere wishes that Dorasan station will play a decisive role in linking South and North Korea...Dorasan station became well known at home and abroad as a place in an aspiration for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula and world peace...this Dorasan station is the first station toward the North, not the last station from the South.
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| Not the last station from the South, But the first station toward the North. |
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| Posing with South Korean soldiers in Dorasan Station. |
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| End of Separation, Beginning of Unification. |
The point at which we were able to see North Korea is pictured below. It was quite easy to tell the difference between South and North Korea, because South Korea is covered and trees and North Korea has cleared nearly all of the trees to burn for fuel. We were not allowed to take pictures beyond a yellow line drawn on the ground, or the South Korean soldiers would erase the photos on our camera.
On our bus ride to the DMZ area we saw a river that separates North and South. On the North side of this river the North Korean government has built fake villages to try and show prosperity. The South calls them "propaganda villages."
The final portion of our DMZ tour was to visit a museum about four infiltration tunnels found by South Korea. North Korea claims that they were built by the South, while South Korea alleges that they were built by the North with the purpose of invading South Korea. South Korea sights evidence that the direction of explosives and the slope of the tunnels show that they are made by the North. The first tunnel was found in 1974, a second tunnel was found in 1975, a third tunnel was found in 1978, and a fourth tunnel was found in 1990. The South Korean military was informed of the third tunnel by a North Korean defector. The third tunnel is considered more threatening than the first and second tunnel as an estimated 30,000 armed-soldiers could have gone through this tunnel per hour. Matt was able to go down into the third tunnel which is only 2 meters high, which meant that he had to crouch down (North Korean people are shorter due to poor nutrition, so they would not have as much trouble walking through the tunnel). (Note from Matt: 2 meters cannot be accurate, I was bent so far over I don't think there was 5 feet of headroom.) At the end of the tunnel, there is a concrete blockade to prevent usage by the North. Most everyone that went into the tunnel resurfaced quite sweaty and winded. Hazel slept and I sat comfortably in the lobby. Photography was not allowed in the tunnel, but below are photos of a model of what the North Korean soldiers may have looked like while building the tunnel as well as a diagram of the tunnel and a reunification inspired sculpture outside the third tunnel complex:
The next day, we visited the Changdeokgung Palace (or Palace of Illustrious Virtue), a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site praised for preserving a unique traditional Korean style. It was originally built in 1405 as a secondary palace, but served as the primary palace for nearly 300 years when the principal palace was destroyed.
From the palace, we walked to Insa-dong, a popular shopping district, were we had a Korean lunch (grilled smoked pollack and some delicious rice dish with mushrooms). Then we walked to Cheonggyecheon Stream, a beautiful promenade right in the middle of the city, evidence of some impressive city planning.
It is clear that we saw only a very small portion of all this vibrant city has to offer. Visiting Seoul was a great end to our vacation.
On our bus ride to the DMZ area we saw a river that separates North and South. On the North side of this river the North Korean government has built fake villages to try and show prosperity. The South calls them "propaganda villages."
The final portion of our DMZ tour was to visit a museum about four infiltration tunnels found by South Korea. North Korea claims that they were built by the South, while South Korea alleges that they were built by the North with the purpose of invading South Korea. South Korea sights evidence that the direction of explosives and the slope of the tunnels show that they are made by the North. The first tunnel was found in 1974, a second tunnel was found in 1975, a third tunnel was found in 1978, and a fourth tunnel was found in 1990. The South Korean military was informed of the third tunnel by a North Korean defector. The third tunnel is considered more threatening than the first and second tunnel as an estimated 30,000 armed-soldiers could have gone through this tunnel per hour. Matt was able to go down into the third tunnel which is only 2 meters high, which meant that he had to crouch down (North Korean people are shorter due to poor nutrition, so they would not have as much trouble walking through the tunnel). (Note from Matt: 2 meters cannot be accurate, I was bent so far over I don't think there was 5 feet of headroom.) At the end of the tunnel, there is a concrete blockade to prevent usage by the North. Most everyone that went into the tunnel resurfaced quite sweaty and winded. Hazel slept and I sat comfortably in the lobby. Photography was not allowed in the tunnel, but below are photos of a model of what the North Korean soldiers may have looked like while building the tunnel as well as a diagram of the tunnel and a reunification inspired sculpture outside the third tunnel complex:
The next day, we visited the Changdeokgung Palace (or Palace of Illustrious Virtue), a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site praised for preserving a unique traditional Korean style. It was originally built in 1405 as a secondary palace, but served as the primary palace for nearly 300 years when the principal palace was destroyed.
From the palace, we walked to Insa-dong, a popular shopping district, were we had a Korean lunch (grilled smoked pollack and some delicious rice dish with mushrooms). Then we walked to Cheonggyecheon Stream, a beautiful promenade right in the middle of the city, evidence of some impressive city planning.
Next we made our way to the Myeong-dong neighborhood where we visited the Myeong-dong Cathedral. This Gothic style church is a pillar of the Catholic Church in Korea.
Finally, we made our way through the crowded Myeong-dong shopping district, which I would not recommend trying to navigate with a large stroller.
It is clear that we saw only a very small portion of all this vibrant city has to offer. Visiting Seoul was a great end to our vacation.
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