>>>Best South Korea Selection – Sept 2003

Welcome to the photos from my September 2003 visit to South Korea, my first overseas trip since moving to Japan and the first outing with my Sony Cybershot camera (you’ll have to excuse the odd bit of dodgy composition and soft focus here and there.) If you like these photos then you can check out my Best Seoul Selection (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=155355) and Best North Korea Selection (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=200578) , which has photos from the north side of the 38th Parallel at Panmunjom.

I’ve divided these photos into four sections: Out And About In Seoul, Panmunjom and the DMZ, Traditional Korea and Extras. Enjoy.

Out And About In Seoul

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/1961/picturebsks02re9fh.jpg
01
Seoul at sunset taken from Seoul Tower (apparently one of the top five tallest towers in the world)

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/2192/picture031re3an.jpg
02
Seoul Tower, as seen from time capsule area of Namsan Park. Like in Japan, conformity is drilled from an early age, as you can see from the mandatory uniforms worn by these kindergarten kids.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/9885/picture047re6ha.jpg
03
Seoul’s 61,000-capacity World Cup Stadium, where the 2002 tournament’s opening ceremony was held. I was only 16 months too late, although I was lucky enough to be able to check out the Yokohama stadium (the outside only though) on World Cup Final Day.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7629/picture039re2vr.jpg
04
The MLB63 Building, Korea’s tallest skyscraper, which is located in the Yeouido island business district.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/8990/picturebsks01re0cl.jpg
05
The South Korean flag in front of Yeouido island skyscrapers.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/3645/picture050re3it.jpg
06
People enjoying a game of changgi (like chess or Japanese shoji), a pastime you see being enjoyed in parks throughout South Korea in warm weather.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/2827/picture030resh7cz.jpg
07
Me eating boshintan (dog soup). The bewildered look on my face is more to do with the state of the restaurant (extremely skanky) rather than the idea of eating ‘man’s best friend’ (OK taste but admittedly pretty skanky meat). Any restaurant where you find three of the proprietor’s hairs in one meal is just wrong!

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/1238/picture035re8es.jpg
08
Gravestones and tombs on sale in front of the twin Samsung towers on Yeouido island.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/6493/picture037re2ll.jpg
09
“Go on, you know you’ll need one.” A gravestone salesman giving the elderly the hard sell.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/4405/picture044re1fi.jpg
10
The War Memorial Museum, which provides a detailed account of Korean military history. It’s interesting to note the absence of any reference to World War II (of course due to the fact that the country was occupied by the Japanese until the end of the war) and that, as key allies of the US, South Korean soldiers fought the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/3048/picture041re9xj.jpg
11
The Korean peninsula’s military past (and indeed present) is well documented at the War Memorial.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5631/picture046re2bp.jpg
12
Statue outside the War Memorial Museum. I can’t remember well, but I suspect it’s some kind of commentary on reunification.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7829/picture045re3sf.jpg
13
Magpie outside the War Memorial Museum.

Panmunjom and the DMZ

Here are the pictures from my DMZ tour with the USO (United Services Organization), which provides entertainment for US military personnel and their families. It’s the only full tour of the south side of the DMZ and is highly recommended, although ironically you actually get more propaganda and hostility towards the enemy on this tour than you do on the tour the North Koreans run for tourists on the other side of the border.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/9950/picture023re6bl.jpg
14
All aboard! After signing a declaration that my family wouldn’t sue the US military if I should step on a landmine or get caught in the crossfire of an impromptu gun battle with North Korean border guards, and after pinning on a sky blue UN badge that identified me as being unfair game to pick off with a sniper rifle should any trouble arise, it was time to board the UN bus and head off to ‘the frontline’

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5947/picture005re4sp.jpg
15
The House of Peace with Gijeong-dong (Propaganda Village) and the world’s tallest flagpole in the background.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7513/picture004re1kt.jpg
16
Amongst the few surviving icons of the Cold War are these sky blue huts where negotiations between the two Koreas sporadically continue to this day.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/8118/picture002re2rq.jpg
17
People have remarked that in this picture it looks like I’m standing next to a wax model but I assure you this guy’s real. In order to (supposedly) intimidate the North Korean border guards, South Korean border guards stand motionless in this Taekwondo pose, wearing mirror shades to avoid eye contact.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7309/picture010re2af.jpg
18
Another shot of the negotiation huts.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/6448/picture008re5ik.jpg
19
North Korean watchtower. The American soldier giving the tour made out that we were likely to be shot if we made sudden movements, but I discovered this (and a lot of other stuff on the USO DMZ tour) to be untrue when I visited North Korea in 2004. I guess they have to hype up the hostile atmosphere though, since almost everyone on the tour was US military-related and therefore needed to be reassured about the need for American military presence there.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/2077/picture009re5tl.jpg
20
The main building on the North Korean side.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/457/picture021re7xm.jpg
21
Billed as ‘the world’s most dangerous golf course’, this green is surrounded by landmines (as is much of the DMZ)

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5964/picture015re9kv.jpg
22
This flagpole is billed as the world’s tallest.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/3669/picture017re5nl.jpg
23
The ‘Bridge Of No Return’, where POWs (such as the crew of the USS Pueblo) have been exchanged in the past. Our guide was happy to list all the ‘Commies’ who defected to the South across the bridge, though no mention was made of all the South Koreans and Americans who defected the other way and I didn’t like to ask, being as I was in the non-American minority.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/4660/picture013re7zt.jpg
24
Check out all that erosion. As with so much of North Korea’s landscape, trees have been hacked down for fuel causing irreparable damage to the land.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7096/picture025re1vh.jpg
25
Comedy monument pose outside the 4th tunnel of aggression, one of several tunnels constructed under the DMZ by North Korea to invade its southern neighbour (though obviously these were discovered and the plans were foiled)

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/4721/picture027re0rj.jpg
26
When I went to the DMZ there were huge propaganda speaker banks on both sides of the border (the North’s focusing on its military capability and the South’s focusing on its wealth), as well as neon signs displaying messages encouraging opposition soldiers to defect; I believe the two nations later signed an agreement to cease this kind of propaganda.

Traditional Korea

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/887/picture033re2xb.jpg
40
Traditional house in Namsan Hanok Village at the base of Mount Namsan. Note the chimney for ondol, the indigenous Korean heating system for buildings. As in the case of this house, ondol used to consist of fires lit in an area below the floor but these days is more like a giant radiator, resembling the Western idea of central heating only with hot water pipes heating the floor.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/4360/picture032re2br.jpg
41
Namsan Hanok Village consists of old buildings relocated from other areas of Seoul and is a great location for film and TV crews who don’t want to trek a couple of hours south to Hanguk Minsok Chon (the Korean Folk Village)

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/8550/picture034re9pj.jpg
42
Urns for the fermenting of kimchi, Koreas national dish.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/2489/sk2re6fi.jpg
43
House at Hanguk Minsok Chon with maize drying outside. As with the DMZ tour, I went to the Korean Folk Village with the USO and it was another good tour.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/1086/picture054re5tr.jpg
44
A lot of old Korean houses are elevated, with half the space under the floor walled off for the ondol furnace while the other half of the house has an open space under the floor (as you see here) to allow cool air to circulate under the floor and cool rooms down during the humid summer. Note also the ‘bamboo wife’ hanging from the wall; apparently until the C20th Korean men and women slept on separate futons (really?) and to remain cool during the night men used bamboo wives to allow air to circulate under the covers. Maybe they should have just removed the covers, but I suppose the ‘bamboo wife’ is a practical idea too (though not as much fun as the Japanese ‘Dutch wife’)

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/1678/picture052re5oy.jpg
45
Outdoor cooking facilities with rice silo and kimchi urns.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/1452/sk5re4cj.jpg
46
Another old house, with maize and wood supply for ondol.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/6074/sk12re5sp.jpg
47
The Korean equivalent of totem poles. I can understand the individual Chinese characters but I don’t know exactly what they mean together. Does anyone know?

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/160/sk4re4ck.jpg
48
An old pharmacy with remedies hanging outside. This shot gives you a good idea how thick the thatched roofing is.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/5223/sk1re7ed.jpg
49
Old house with gourds growing on the roof.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/9738/sk10re2zv.jpg
50
Rustic house with logs for ondol.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/5969/picture053reshredo0zi.jpg
51
Traditional kitchen set-up.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/2451/sk6re8vi.jpg
52
Temple at Hanguk Minsok Chon.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/5280/sk8re6gl.jpg
53
Elaborate corner of the temple’s roof.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/9801/sk9re9ax.jpg
54
A drum and a fish in the temple annex.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/9565/sk11re9oz.jpg
55
Traditional costumes and dance.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/8251/sk7re6os.jpg
56
As with totem poles, masks appear to have played a significant part in traditional Korean culture and they make great souvenirs so appear in abundance at all major tourist spots.

Extras

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7580/picture007re3po.jpg
57
My accommodation of choice in Seoul, the Hilltop Motel in Itaewon. It’s not exactly the Hilton but I like it.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/7986/picture001resh8rm.jpg
58
My companions for the week.

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/6398/picture020re6ey.jpg
59
Mmmm, Whoppers… To a burger connoisseur deprived of Burger King in Japan (apparently the handful that opened in Tokyo were bought out by South Korean company Lotteria), Itaewon was a good place to set up camp for the week.

very nice photos ;)

hope you enjoyed your stay in S.Korea :)

btw, did you buy many fakes in Itaewon ? :D

btw, did you buy many fakes in Itaewon ? :D

No, I didn't buy any fake goods, I only bought a load of overpriced kimchi seaweed. That stuff is awesome!

kimachi seaweed???? :D

never heard of it, r u talking about Seaweed with salt on it?

http://img59.exs.cx/img59/474/pht041020586jb.jpg

This stuff Sunni. If you've never had it you're missing out! It's awesome.

Whoa nice pictures. Never heard of Kimchi Seaweed either.

A couple corrections to make...

08
Gravestones and tombs on sale in front of the twin Samsung towers on Yeouido island.

Those are the LG Twin Towers ;)


04
The MLB63 Building, Korea’s tallest skyscraper, which is located in the Yeouido island business district.
The DLI 63 Building was the tallest skyscraper until 2004, so you are technically correct since the pic was taken in 2003. Though it's now the third tallest in Seoul.

A couple corrections to make... Those are the LG Twin Towers ;) The DLI 63 Building was the tallest skyscraper until 2004, so you are technically correct since the pic was taken in 2003. Though it's now the third tallest in Seoul.

Cheers London. I wasn't really sure about those Twin Towers, so your corrections are appreciated.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/6074/sk12re5sp.jpg

The right one says: 天下大將軍 Tianxia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Sky/The World)
The left one says: 地下大將軍 Dixia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Earth/Ground)

They don't really make much sense to me as a native Chinese speaker, I suppose one is a general that rules the sky while the other rules the earth? <shruds> :(

How old are these totem poles? The font used for the carving is 凱體 Kaiti which is a relatively new one (300 - 600 years old?) so these poles can't be too ancient.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/6074/sk12re5sp.jpg

The right one says: 天下大將軍 Tianxia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Sky/The World)
The left one says: 地下大將軍 Dixia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Earth/Ground)

They don't really make much sense to me as a native Chinese speaker, I suppose one is a general that rules the sky while the other rules the earth? <shruds> :(

How old are these totem poles? The font used for the carving is 凱體 Kaiti which is a relatively new one (300 - 600 years old?) so these poles can't be too ancient.

天下大將軍 means the general who rules the world. On the other hand, 地下大將軍 is the general who rules the underworld.

I think those totem poles are probably brand new (I'm assuming they were rebuilt after the Korean war), though I'm not totally sure when the Korean villagers started building them.

@Dr Nick: np ;)

great pics, Dr Nick. Your commentary is interesting and fun to read. :okay: However, I just want to point out that there's no such stance or pose in Taekwondo. I feel sorry for the guy having to stay put in that pose though.

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/6074/sk12re5sp.jpg

The right one says: 天下大將軍 Tianxia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Sky/The World)
The left one says: 地下大將軍 Dixia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Earth/Ground)

They don't really make much sense to me as a native Chinese speaker, I suppose one is a general that rules the sky while the other rules the earth? <shruds> :(

How old are these totem poles? The font used for the carving is 凱體 Kaiti which is a relatively new one (300 - 600 years old?) so these poles can't be too ancient.

Those two don't look very old.

And the kind of poles in the pic is still produced.

However, I just want to point out that there's no such stance or pose in Taekwondo. I feel sorry for the guy having to stay put in that pose though.

Isnt that the basic stance before you go into 무궁화1단 or whatever?
Basic form (http://imagesearch.naver.com/search.naver?where=dt_iphoto&query=%C5%C2%B1%C7%B5%B5+%C0%DA%BC%BC&c=4&qt=df&sort=0&scp=0&xc=&fr_res=-1&to_res=-1)

@Dr.Nick
I loved your pictures~^^ I was wondering if you were Nick(from Austrailia) in the Japanese forum?

^^ that is 'Junbi' jaseh. Your fists are supposed to be in front of your body. That military police dude's pose looks like he's powering up in dragonball z or something.

^Ahhh, I quit Taekwondo when I was only at a yellow belt so I dont know anything about it. -.-;;;

nice pics Dr.Nick! hope u enjoyed your visit!!!

btw pangu! u changed your avatar! its less threatening! :)

great pics, Dr Nick. Your commentary is interesting and fun to read. :okay: However, I just want to point out that there's no such stance or pose in Taekwondo. I feel sorry for the guy having to stay put in that pose though.

He looks constipated.

天下大將軍 means the general who rules the world. On the other hand, 地下大將軍 is the general who rules the underworld.
Thanks, that makes sense.

How do you write 天下大將軍 and 地下大將軍 in Hangul?

http://img175.exs.cx/img175/6074/sk12re5sp.jpg

The right one says: 天下大將軍 Tianxia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Sky/The World)
The left one says: 地下大將軍 Dixia Da Jiangjun (Great General Under-The-Earth/Ground)

They don't really make much sense to me as a native Chinese speaker, I suppose one is a general that rules the sky while the other rules the earth? <shruds> :(

How old are these totem poles? The font used for the carving is 凱體 Kaiti which is a relatively new one (300 - 600 years old?) so these poles can't be too ancient.

天下大將軍 is a common word used to encourage little kids to be ambitious or to compliment their strength, while this is the first time I saw 地下大將軍.

Thanks, that makes sense.

How do you write 天下大將軍 and 地下大將軍 in Hangul?

天下大將軍 -> 천하대장군(chun ha dae jang gun)
地下大將軍 -> 지하대장군(ji ha dae jang gun)

The DLI 63 Building was the tallest skyscraper until 2004, so you are technically correct since the pic was taken in 2003. Though it's now the third tallest in Seoul.

Which are the top two tallest buildings?

great pics, Dr Nick. Your commentary is interesting and fun to read. :okay: However, I just want to point out that there's no such stance or pose in Taekwondo. I feel sorry for the guy having to stay put in that pose though.

To me it looks like the punching stance, except that his fists are a bit loose and his knees aren't bent. It would be such torture if he should bend his knees for sever hours.

Which are the top two tallest buildings?

I belive they're the Tower Palace and the Hyperion, which are both residential towers.

I just want to point out that there's no such stance or pose in Taekwondo. I feel sorry for the guy having to stay put in that pose though.

Yeah, I also felt sorry for him, especially since the way the South Korean guards jump into position when told to by the American soldiers makes them seem like dogs performing tricks for the benefit of American tourists.

Cheers for the translation services Pangu, London and Cydevil.

To me it looks like the punching stance, except that his fists are a bit loose and his knees aren't bent. It would be such torture if he should bend his knees for sever hours.

if he kept his fists to his sides and knees bent, it would've looked like the kima stance... Good for him that he's not torturing himself though :)

^^ Well on Discovery Channel they had their knees bent ;)

I loved your pictures~^^ I was wondering if you were Nick(from Austrailia) in the Japanese forum?

No, two different people but he's actually the person who introduced me to SkyscraperCity. Maybe I would have been 'Nick' instead of 'Dr Nick' if he hadn't taken the name first.

Great pictures, Dr Nick!

http://img59.exs.cx/img59/474/pht041020586jb.jpg

This stuff Sunni. If you've never had it you're missing out! It's awesome. its not called Kimchi Seaweed :D

in actual fact, im not sure what you would call it in English :)

its not called Kimchi Seaweed :D

in actual fact, im not sure what you would call it in English :)

I was just going by the English on the packet, although it's described as kimchi flavored seaweed not kimchi seaweed as I said. I know Korean seaweed is sometimes called laver, which is a bit more specific (though I doubt many English speakers know what laver means anyway, so maybe the generic 'seaweed' is OK)

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5631/picture046re2bp.jpg
12
Statue outside the War Memorial Museum. I can’t remember well, but I suspect it’s some kind of commentary on reunification.
Great pictures!! This picture, I think I read somewhere, actually represents two brothers (or two people related to each other and very closely related to each other) meeting on the battlefield and hugging. One of them is part of the South Korean military. The other is part of the North Korean military.

Isn't war such a tragedy. My Grandpa's hometown in South Korea was taken over when he was 14 and at the age of 14, I reiterate, he was forced to fight for the North Koreans. His hometown, by the way, is right next to the DMZ: Now it is part of North Korea. All five of his brothers were killed in the battlefield, and He barely survived. He has a number of bullet wounds. For three years he fought and he finally became a POW. He suffered greatly as a POW also. According to him, people would jump for a single grain of rice on the ground, and they would fight over it.

Unfortunately, because he fought for the North (well he was forced to) he was conscripted into the South Korean army because he never fulfilled his mandatory 3 years of military service for his own country. He had to fight in Vietnam because of that. Whew!! Just terrible. My grandpa's seen too much.

I've got a question, by the way. I'm a Korean citizen, but for most of my life I've lived in the U.S. Am I to be conscripted to the Korean army, because according to the law every man must serve in the military? I actually think it's a great honor to serve my country, but after my grandpa told me about all the battles he's been in, I am sort of scared to go to the army. I mean, the North and South relationship is so fragile.

YES !!! if you return to Korea (not for a short visit but to settle down)
you are conscripted....

I know it is a personal choice but my sugestion to you is that it might be
worth your while to go to the military service...

S.Korea always gives me an impression of the "tacky version" of Japan but still it looks like an awesome place!

S.Korea always gives me an impression of the "tacky version" of Japan but still it looks like an awesome place!

That was the least impression of Korea I wanted to hear from a foreigner. Not saying Tokyo is unworthy of being compared to, but we want to be unique from our own colour.

Amazing pics!

Yes Ricz what do you mean by tacky?

The supposedly-taekwondo stance that the army guard is at in the panmunjom is not a taekwondo stance.
The stance was designed for the army guards so that they are quick to pull out their pistols in response to any threats/attacks from the northern side of the border.

I realise that the pronunciation of korean words are somewhat similar to chinese ones.. Chun ha dae jang gun ( tian xia da jiang jun)...

^Good observation
From hearing Chinese talk, they sound more loud and sharp.