Seven Months.
We only have seven(ish) months left in Japan. Realizing that our time in Asia is getting shorter and shorter, Bryan and I sat down this summer and planned out all of my school breaks to make the most of these last few months of travel. We knew South Korea had to be on the list, being that it's literally an hour flight from Fukuoka to Seoul, and Thanksgiving Break allotted us three full days in the city, so we booked it!
Wednesday, November 23, 2022: Traveling to Seoul
I took half a day off of work so we could catch a bus up to Fukuoka Airport for our 5:30 pm flight. We arrived at Fukuoka's international terminal and checked into our flight with Jeju Air!
As our plane took off, we admired Fukuoka's city lights and, mere minutes later, we were admiring the city lights of Busan, South Korea! I've seen tons of maps, but I didn't realize how close Japan is to South Korea until our flight landed in Seoul! We're actually closer to Seoul here in Sasebo than we are to Tokyo.
After passing through customs and immigration, we found the taxi stand and booked a ₩58,000 ride to our military hotel, Dragon Hill Lodge, in the middle of downtown Seoul!
By 8:30 pm, we arrived at our hotel and were happy to learn that the Dragon Hill Lodge had several bars and restaurants on-site, so with grumbling bellies, we found Dragon Hill Brewing for a dinner of burgers and french dip sandwiches! Bryan was in heaven with their beer selection and the giant screen playing the Japan v. Germany World Cup Game!
With a World Cup win for Japan in the books, we headed to bed, eager for an exciting Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!
Thursday, November 24, 2022: The DMZ
Our 6 am alarm went off way too early, but we shuffled down to the lobby for a breakfast of champions, coffee, and an apple fritter to share, before heading outside the base gate to wait for our tour guide pickup.
As the bus drove north for about an hour, we had to fill out a contact form and give our tour guide our passports so she could book us tickets to enter the DMZ. I was shocked to see our fellow tourmates were literally from around the world- Singapore, Phillippines, Romania, Germany, Switzerland, Colombia, and Morocco were all represented on our tour!
Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park: 임진각 평화누리공원
While our guide got in line to book our entry into the DMZ, Bryan and I explored the monuments and memorials in Imginak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park. I found the Stones of Peace Wall sculpture to be the most powerful depiction. This sculpture included stones from famous battlefields and war-torn locations around the world and was meant to symbolize the suffering and grief of war that the Korean people are still facing today. The sculpture contained rocks from Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War, Normandy during WWII, Nagasaki from the atomic bomb, and Afghanistan from the Gulf War. To see this visual representation of history was a powerful display and really left Bryan and me speechless.
Another powerful statue was that of The Statue of Peace Toward the Reunification of Korea, which depicts two young Korean "comfort women" sitting on chairs. During the Asia-Pacific War, when Japan was busy invading Korea and spreading its power across Asia before the start of WWII, Korea took the brunt of the Japanese attacks. Japanese troops captured Korean women, what they called "comfort women," and turn them into wartime sex slaves. This memorial has been taken to Japanese embassies around the world and displayed outside their gates as a symbol of recognition and as a continual ask for an apology from the Japanese government for their treatment of women during this war.
There were other powerful memorials in Imjingak Park that South Koreans visit annually to pray for their family members on the other side of the border in North Korea. With the current political climate, many families have never been able to contact their family members in North Korea, leaving a heartbreaking and devastating impact on Koreans on both sides of the demilitarized zone...
The final display we visited in Imginak Park shows a steam locomotive riddled with more than 1,000 bullets. This train engine was abandoned during the Korean War by the South Korean army when it was attacked by North Korean soldiers on its way to deliver war materials to the United Nations troops fighting along the border. The bullet-torn exterior and mangled wheels provide a bleak image of the devastation left behind by this brutal war.
In the final photo below, you can see the Freedom Bridge, the last standing bridge connecting North and South Korea, and is famous for its final crossing, where South Korean prisoners of war were returned to the United Nations.
Around 10:30 am, we were granted permission to enter the demilitarized zone (DMZ,) so we boarded a different bus and prepared our passports as South Korean soldiers checked our credentials.
As we rode farther north, our tour guide gave us a quick history lesson about the Korean War. Remember that Japan invaded South Korea and took their women as "comfort women?" This Asia-Pacific War continued up into World War II and officially ended when Japan surrendered to the allied nations in 1945.
At this point, Korea didn't have any form of government, so the United States began advising the south, while China and Russia guided the north. With the rise of the Cold War, Korea was being pulled in two directions by opposing political climates- democratic and communist. As tensions rose, the country split and war broke out from 1950-1953 between North Korea and South Korea. In 1953, the two countries agreed to the development of the demilitarized zone, known as the DMZ, which is a 2.5-mile-wide strip along the 38th parallel that serves as a buffer between the two countries.
Technically North and South Korea are still at war to this day, and the DMZ has endured various incidents involving deaths from both sides of the border. Even more recently, North Korea launched missiles over South Korea and Japan in retaliation for Vice President Kamala Harris' recent visit to South Korea.
The Third Tunnel: 제3땅굴
With all this being said, South Korea does allow tours into the DMZ and we are crazy enough to want to visit! As we neared the third tunnel, our guide explained that North Korea has dug tunnels into South Korea, and so far, four tunnels have been discovered with the help of numerous North Korean defectors. The tunnel we visited is called the third tunnel because it was the third (and largest) one discovered; the first and second tunnels were discovered in 1974 & 1975 respectively while the fourth tunnel was discovered in 1990. Many North Korean defectors have informed the South Korean government that there are anywhere from 10-20 tunnels, so there is a possibility that there are many other tunnels, still undiscovered, connecting North and South Korea.
We visited the Third Tunnel, which was discovered in 1978. This third tunnel had been dug by hand and dynamite by the North Koreans and had progressed 1,427 feet into South Korea before its' discovery. At first, the North Koreans denied digging the tunnel and then later said it was a coal mine (although no coal has ever been found near the area.) Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take our cameras or cell phones into the tunnel for security reasons, but the memory of this eerie landscape will stay with us forever.
As we entered the Third Tunnel, we had to place our belongings in lockers and were handed yellow hard hats. Then we began our extremely steep descent into the tunnel. At the base of the tunnel, Bryan nor I could stand straight up and the tunnel was barely wide enough for two people to walk. According to our guide, this Third Tunnel was by far the widest tunnel discovered (thus far) and it was clearly designed for an underground siege.
As we neared the North Korean underground border, there were three cement barriers closing off the tunnel. (You can see a visual of the tunnel below in my photos.) We were able to peer through a built-in window and see into the North Korean side of the tunnel. Being 200 feet underground and peering into North Korea brought about a solemn silence from both Bryan and I as we realized the "current history" we were witnessing in such a strange, dark place.
You know it was hard for me to hear we couldn't take photos in the Third Tunnel, but boy, was it memorable. Another thing I won't forget was the dreadful hike back out of the tunnel! The 400-yard ascent back to ground level was exhausting and had me huffing and puffing...
Dora Observatory: 도라전망대
Our final stop of the tour was to Dora Observatory, where we could peer down at the border and see into North Korea! We learned that part of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement declared that both countries were required to have a village within the DMZ. South Korea's Daeseong-Dong Village is located right along the treeline border and is home to 200 people. Knowing this town is in a very dangerous location, Daeseong-Dong villagers are exempt from the 1-year mandatory military commitment all South Korean males must do and are not required to pay any taxes.
Across the border, we could see North Korea's Kijong-dong village within the DMZ zone, but unlike South Korea, no North Korean citizens actually live here. When looking through the binoculars, we could see cutout silhouettes of villagers from this fake village, but they weren't very convincing.
A little farther back, we could spot Kaesong, the closest inhabited village in North Korea. In 2020, the North Korean government blew up a South Korean Liason building that was used as a communication point between the two nations; this explosion signifies the evergrowing tensions between the Koreas.
This lookout observatory had amazing binoculars that allowed us to view up-close the North Korean cities near (and in) the demilitarized zone. Knowing how isolated North Korea has been for our entire lives, it was an unreal experience for us.
Inside the observatory were several informational plaques that discussed recent historical events between the two countries. Bryan and I took note that President Trump was the first sitting US President to step into North Korea back in 2019 when he visited the DMZ and JSA areas, with the hopes of opening nuclear peace talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.
We left the observatory and went back through South Korea's security checkpoint, where we had to show our passports again to soldiers, before being dropped off at Seoul's City Hall. As we exited the bus, a traditional Korean ceremony was being performed, so you know I had to make up for lost photos!
As we made our way back toward our hotel, Bryan and I learned that Google Maps isn't useful in South Korea. Being directionally challenged myself, I wasn't any help, but I did find us a convenience store where we could buy T-money cards for the city bus system AND Korea's versions of chu-hais. So with bus passes in one hand and a "gin-soda" in the other, we began our journey back to the southern part of Seoul!
War Memorial of Korea: 전쟁기념관
With a few hours to kill before our dinner reservation, Bryan and I decided to devote today to history and visit the War Memorial of Korea Museum.
I won't lie, I thought this was going to be a quick visit where we glanced around and could knock this museum off our list of "must-dos," but I was shocked by how much I learned and appreciated about the Korean War and the influence WWII and the Cold War had on this country.
We learned that the UN was established in 1945 to uphold international peace and is open to global country participation. On June 25, 1950, communist-backed North Korean troops invaded South Korea, and within five weeks had pushed South Korean forces to Busan. On June 27, 1950, the UN decided to fight on behalf of South Korea and democracy whereas Kim Il-sung partnered with communist nations China and the Soviet Union.
Sixteen countries dispatched ground troops and five countries sent medical units to Korea, while an additional l42 countries sent supplies and relief goods to help the nation that was destroyed by war. In total, the United States sent 1.7 million Americans to help fight in the Korean War.
This museum was uniquely designed: the first floor taught about the Korean War from the South Korean perspective, and the second-floor dove into the UN's influence and how there would have been no South Korea without the United Nations assistance. The third floor of the museum showcased how South Korea has since lent its help to nations abroad to aid in United Nations fights around the world.
I had no idea that South Korea aided in the US war in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and other world events like piracy along Africa's Sudanese Coast and the Vietnam War. South Korea's War Memorial Museum did a fantastic job of educating us on the Korean War and its global impact. I can honestly say that the older I get, the more I appreciate learning about history. I also think traveling and experiencing the country helps me realize how small our world really is!
Now it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and lucky for us Dragon Hill Lodge held a Thanksgiving buffet with turkey, ham, pumpkin soup (that I would KILL to eat again), and all the fixings that we are used to! Did we eat our weight in Thanksgiving food? Yes. Are we ashamed? Nope. (Other than our pants fitting a little tighter the next day!)
Itaewon: 이태원동
Feeling extra thankful for American hotels in foreign countries and good food, we ended our night by heading to Seoul's Itaewon district to find a pub to watch the South Korea v. Uruguay World Cup Game! Bryan's only request for our entire trip was to find a bar to watch the World Cup Game with locals, and even with a late start of 10 pm, I made sure to sneak in a quick nap so I could cheer alongside him!
The pub we ended up stumbling into, Fat Albert's, celebrated South Korea's first game of the 2022 World Cup by giving out light-up devil headbands. Between the cold beers and the many close calls of opponents scoring, we had a great time cheering on the South Korean team while surrounded by other serious fans! Bryan was in his element! While the game ended in a tie, I would say we were the real winners tonight!
On our way back to our hotel, we remembered the horrific events that took place in Itaewon last month. On Halloween, 156 people died when the crowded streets of Itaewon turned from party-going into panic as the crowds swelled and people were crushed in the chaos. As we walked down the alleyway where the horrific event happened a mere month ago, we were saddened to see the display of flowers, notes, and photos of those lives lost.
While our first full day in Seoul was jam-packed, I can honestly say it was by far my favorite day in the city! Bryan and I learned so much about Korea, enjoyed an amazing "American" meal, and ended the day surrounded by locals for a global sporting event! I can honestly say this was a memorable Thanksgiving Day for us Johnsons!
Stay tuned for our next post about the rest of our time in Seoul!
Katie
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