Korea

대한민국!

OKAY OKAY...Updates...

Let me start with Dr. Fish, which is this cafe in Seoul Isis took me to. For 8,000 won, you get a drink, a cake and the opportunity to stick your feet in a pool filled with little fish that eat the dirty skin off your feet. It's really gross. Don't read this if you're eating...





GROSS huh? It was really scary putting my feet into the pool. It took me awhile to actually do it. It really tickles, but it doesn't hurt. It's just really freaky and weird.

Now that you're nice and grossed out, check out what we ate that day at 시골밥상 (Shi-gol Bap-sang):

YUM! Korean food rocks!

I've been here for now 15 days, and I have no idea what I've been up to. Just been hanging out with Isis and wandering around Korea and stuff. And since I've been so lazy with the blogging, I can't remember what I've done on most days, but this past weekend (Sunday and Monday), Isis didn't have work so we were pretty active going on daytrips.

Sunday, we went to the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone), which is the 4 km border between the two Koreas at the 38 parallel. I can't find a good map showing of the DMZ, so I'll try my best to explain. Basically, there is a demarcation line at the 38th parallel that divides North Korea and South Korea. The area 2km north and 2km south of this lin is the DMZ. Inside this area, there is Panmunjun, which is the building where the ceasefire was signed and there is a building there which is used when the two sides meet to discuss relations. Panmunjum is open to tourists, but only on certain days and there isn't an exact schedule. I was unable to go because they weren't allowing tourists while I was in Korea. South Korean citizens have to go through a 6 month background search before being allowed, but non-Koreans can go when they want.

So where I actually went wasn't within the DMZ, but the area right outside the DMZ. On the South Korean side, the 2km area beyond the DMZ (so 4 km from the demarcation line) is also restricted by military personnel, but is open to tourism on most days. US soldiers have left this area recently because the troops were withdrawn to go to Iraq. The US will for another specified period of time pay for the additional Korean military presence required to protect this zone in place of the Americans. The DMZ area is still very dangerous because there are landmines scattered all over the place, most of which have not been found, so you have to be really careful where you step because you can be blown up.

So Isis and I went on the tour because I wanted to see Communists. (Damn Magda wouldn't take me to Brest, Belarussia to see the crazy Communists while I was in Poland.) Unfortunately, it was raining, but the view to North Korea was okay that day.


Isis in front of the Freedom Bell at Imjingak Park.


Me on Freedom Bridge (자유의 다리). This is where prisoners of the war were exchanged after the Korean War.


People write messages of peace here.


And if there's someone to leave my mark, I'm always on it...


It says: "통일 (Unification) Jennifer H Chang 8/12/07." Unification is actually becoming a bit controversial. On the tour, our tour guide kept telling us that South Korea hopes to one day reunite with North Korea, but I know that can't be the truth because for one, my uncle is very anti-unification. The country is becoming more and more split on issue of unification. The rich are actually strongly against unification because they're afraid of what it'll do to the thriving South Korean economy and of the Communist influences it'll bring. Absorbing a Communist country is never an easy task, and a growing number of South Koreans don't want to deal with it. Also, the war generation is dying out and the post-war generation doesn't have any memories of North Korea or any ties with family members on the other side of the border. Personally, I am for unification out of romantic notions of reuniting Korea and world peace, but I also realize that as an American citizen, I'm very distant to the reality of the situation. But I do hope to one day in my lifetime visit Pyongyang since that's where my maternal grandparents (who are actually anti-unification) grew up.


Isis with 아이시스 (Icis) water.


Then we went to the Third Infiltration Tunnel. Since the end of the war, North Korea has made attempts to attack South Korea through a series of tunnels which they dug under the DMZ. Four of these tunnels have been discovered, this particular one being the third, but there are many more which have yet to be found. North Korea has denied digging these tunnels and then admitted to digging them but claiming it was for mining reasons, which is ridiculous. They didn't allow cameras in here, but basically, it's a really long tunnel you just walk along until you hit the DMZ where the South Koreans have blocked it.


North Korea! We went to Dora Observatory where you're allowed to take pictures in front of the yellow line. Unfortunately, from the yellow line, I can't actually even see North Korea because I'm too short, so I got a tall guy to take this picture for me. But once you pass the yellow line, you can see clearly into North Korea and there's telescopes you can look through to see the city of Kaesong, which is the second largest city in North Korea and in recent years, South Korea has worked with the North Korean government to set up factories to create jobs for North Koreans as well as provide South Korean companies with ridiculously cheap labor since North Koreans make less than even the Chinese. You also see Propaganda Village, which is this little village of nice homes where no one lives, but the North Korean government set up to attract South Koreans to defect. Yeah...I was tempted...just kidding.


Me and Ice at Dorasan Railroad Station, which is the end of the line for the South Korean railroad. But, in hopes of reunification, the sign says that the train is bound towards Pyongyang.

After the DMZ, I dragged Isis to visit my family with me. My mom happened to be in Seoul the same time as me, so I got to see my Mommy. I haven't seen here since I went home for her birthday in March. My mom's really funny because she's never ridden the subway before and she was super impressed I knew how to get around by public transit. She's so LA. So we took the subway around and my mom felt really cosmopolitan. We went to see Nanta, which is this Korean show where they bang on kitchen pots and stuff like Stomp. It's actually really good.




Me and my mom at Nanta.


My mommy in Seoul.

The next day, Isis and I went to Suwon, which is a city just south of Seoul. My paternal grandfather is from Suwon. It seemed fitting, since the day before, I went as close as I could to my paternal grandparents' hometown of Pyongyang. I'm tracing my roots!

We went to 민속천 (Korean Folk Village). There's a bar in Garden Grove that we used to go to called Minsokchun, and I never knew what it actually meant. Now I know. Anyhow, this is where they film Korean movies and dramas that take place in the olden days, which I thought was really cool. It was super tacky, and similar to Skansen in Stockholm, except this one was more interesting since I'm actually Korean.




I've always wanted to do this. The girls who were doing the seesaw looked so unhappy. I swear they're North Korean.


After each act, the two girls go into this little shack and two other girls come out. But I bet all the foreigners thought it was the same girls and were wondering why they kept going in the shack. Yeah, I thought they were the same girls, too...


Old guy walking the tight rope.


They were shooting a commercial here.


The horse-riding show...me and Ice think they were Kazakhs. But they were cute and smiled.


I got yelled at by a halmunee for walking into the house with my shoes on. See, they provide the authentic Korean experience.


I thought it was funny that these people are sitting in this old school Korean mahdang and working on their computers. I think they were with the production company, but still.


This is the Jejudo house, so I'm thinking Jeju people used to be really short. Maybe that's where I come from?


Me on the swing. I kicked the little kids off the playground.


Me at Minsokchun.

The reason I was in Korea to begin with is because it was Isis's birthday on the 15th. Isis is my best friend in the world. We've been best friends since we were 11, and when we were 11, we didn't have personalities yet, so it made sense we were friends, but we've grown up into complete opposites. Still, we're best friends and that'll never change.


Me and my BEST friend. We went to a jazz club in Apgu the night before Ice's birthday...it wasn't that great. And I embarrassed her by doing a birthday countdown when it turned midnight and screamed HAPPY BIRTHDAY. :D Poor Isis has me as a best friend. She wasn't actually planning on telling any of her friends in Korea that it was her birthday, but I announced it at her church and so then people started bugging her to celebrate it. What are friends for?


Isis and her friends Tina and Miriam.


HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY ISIS!

Isis's birthday also happens to be Korean Independence Day, the anniversary of when Korea became free from the Japanese. So ALL of Korea celebrated Isis's birthday. Look what they did to city hall for Isis's birthday:

It's a national holiday!

The next day, I hung out with my mom. We had a REALLY busy day and my mom was practically dead by the end of it.


My mom at Seoul Museum of Art, where we went to see the Monet exhibit. It wasn't that great. Especially after you've lived in Europe for a year and been to Musee D'Orsay.

My last night in Seoul, I hung out with Isis and my friend Sholah who's in the US military and based out in Seoul.


Pineapple soju! I love soju. Hehehe...Julie, aren't you sad? Soju tastes better in Korea.


Sholah aka the Brick Wall wearing Gangster Kim's girly glasses. Aren't you glad this guy's on our side?

This trip to Korea was great since I actually got to do stuff and because I got to see my bestest friend in the whole wide world.


THANKS ISIS. I LOVE YOU!