SEOUL
Hmmmm what to write about Seoul. I really, really liked Seoul at first. After two months in China everything seemed new, fresh ideas, a burst of creativity...things were a little more modern, a little more glitzy. But...the more I was in Seoul the more I started to think that everything was the "same different". That is to say - when you first look at restaurants and cafes they all have themes, and you're initial thought is wow that's an interesting take on a coffee shop. Then you realize they all have themes and if they are all doing the same thing differently, then they are all doing the same thing.
My view of the city could be completely skewed by the fact that I stayed Hongdae area and was constantly in the presence of students at nearby Hongik University - so I will avoid writing anything too disparaging other than to say the "cuteness" in Seoul seems odd. That's Gangnam to the left and Hongdae to the right.
My view of the city could be completely skewed by the fact that I stayed Hongdae area and was constantly in the presence of students at nearby Hongik University - so I will avoid writing anything too disparaging other than to say the "cuteness" in Seoul seems odd. That's Gangnam to the left and Hongdae to the right.
|
|
My South Korea visit fell between a two-month trip through China and a one-month trip through Japan. My South Korean itinerary was light - I was mostly looking for a city to rest and recuperate before beginning the final leg of my around the world adventure. From a tourist perspective there's not too much to see in Seoul which was quite alright with me. The one attraction I made sure to visit was Gyeongbokgung, the palace complex of the Joseon Dynasty.
|
|
It's a large, sprawling complex, not quite on the same level as the Forbidden City but I thought equally beautiful and fun to walk around. Parts of the complex are being rebuilt and restored. The Japanese destroyed many of the palace buildings during the WWII occupation.
|
|
|
The different palaces served different purposes. That's the Grand Banquet Dining Hall and a statue of King Sejong below.
|
|
There were lots of students staying at the hostel and they practices debate on Friday and Saturday nights. I felt like there was more going on underneath the service in Seoul that I couldn't explain or figure out. After two months in China I felt like I had a pretty decent understanding of the Chinese but a week in Seoul and I was more confused than when I arrived. Nothing exemplifies my confusion more than the K-Pop "Gangsta Rap" scene - as far as I know, there's no 8-Mile Section of Seoul, yet that doesn't stop eighteen year old kids from impersonating Eminem. The few times a chorus was in English, the lines sounded like they should have been from a Christian Rock Band - "I'm going to fly...". I don't know if the guy was upset because he had too much homework or what - there just didn't seem to be too much to get angry about in Seoul. It just seemed like everything was manufactured by the same process to be different. I'll leave it at that.
To try and better understand the Korean Pop Music scene I went to KLive, a museum dedicated to the Korean Pop Phenomenon. I left even more confused. Those guys below - that's Big Bang, the greatest Korean pop band ever. These "Kings of Korean Pop" are lead by G-Dragon who's ruthless lyrics cut the fabric of society. Or something like that. Korean Pop Bands are the equivalent of taking the NSYNC guys, giving them NWA's lyrics, then dressing them up like Abba. Photo to the bottom right is Dongdaemun History and Culture Park as viewed from the KLive museum. Seoul certainly has no shortage of cool, modern buildings.
To try and better understand the Korean Pop Music scene I went to KLive, a museum dedicated to the Korean Pop Phenomenon. I left even more confused. Those guys below - that's Big Bang, the greatest Korean pop band ever. These "Kings of Korean Pop" are lead by G-Dragon who's ruthless lyrics cut the fabric of society. Or something like that. Korean Pop Bands are the equivalent of taking the NSYNC guys, giving them NWA's lyrics, then dressing them up like Abba. Photo to the bottom right is Dongdaemun History and Culture Park as viewed from the KLive museum. Seoul certainly has no shortage of cool, modern buildings.
|
|
When I was tired of the modern, glitzy, and cuteness of Seoul I went to Noryanjin Fish Market and a few older areas of town that stood in a sharp contrast to Hongdae.
|
|
|
In an older section of town I had a bowl of naengmyun. Take that G-Dragon!
|
|
On to the creepier, underbelly side of Seoul / South Korea. Cuteness aside, the country is intense. Students studying in hostels on Friday and Saturday nights intense. There's a high level of competition for relatively few jobs in a slow growing economy. Then, once you have the job you work crazy hours. South Koreans work an average of 2,069 hours a year, third highest in the world. By comparison the U.S. is at 1,783. Nearby Japan is at 1,713. Many believe this intensity has contributed to South Korea having the third highest suicide rate in the world with rate of 26.9 suicides per 100,000 per year. Again by comparison the U.S. is at 15.3 and Japan at 18.5. When walking through Seoul's subway stations, I saw a cute bunny, and thought ugh, here's the cuteness theme again. Then I read the "You are not alone" caption beneath and went yikes. Seoul's subways also include gas masks in the event North Korea attacks. So maybe it's not surprising there's also cafes and coffee shops residing in Seoul's subway stations. It shows that for as much style and exuberance that South Korea has on the surface, there is some darkness lurking underneath, both figuratively and literally.
|
|
|
For additional Seoul photos see FLICKR ALBUM.