11/24/2023 Mongolian Hot Pot,                        Controversial Topic: North Korea

Mongolian Hot Pot featured another Korean BBQ at lunchtime - one dish served by a robotic waitress, courtesy of Sunny providing my earlier request I had forgotten. 

Coals are covered, and oil is poured along the rim. Meat is placed around the opening in the center, and vegetables are cooked in the oil on top.

 

https://youtu.be/6O01K2i5goY

My robotic experience courtesy of Sunny!

For me, the most impactful memory I will have of this trip will be the controversial topic of life in North Korea and the second-class status of defectors. A remarkable young woman shared her and her parents' life-threatening escape to Seoul and their struggles with ongoing discrimination south of the border.  

11/24/2023 Korea and the DMZ

Old railway bridge and train.

Japan ruled Korea from 1910-1945, dividing the country according to its resources. Raw minerals and geographic and industrial advantages blossomed in the mountainous North, along with communists who clashed with the Japanese guerilla warfare.

South Korea focused more on farming rice and other crops involving lighter industry. 

A civil war between North Korea, aided by China, and South Korea, aided by the United Nations and the United States, raged from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953.

Four "guardian" mountains witnessed intensely brutal fighting and horrific devastation until an armistice, signed on July 27, 1953, stopped the fighting and put the war on hold indefinitely. No future plans were agreed to. And to this day, Korea remains divided due to that failure.

Finally, in 1953, North and South Korea, with prodding from the U.S. and China, agreed to a buffer zone between regions referred to as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) whenever they needed to negotiate. Unfortunately, South Korea's monitoring revealed 4 tunnels, one of which appeared to be part of North Korea's plan to attack Seoul. Monitoring has been constant ever since. 

We entered the tunnel by railway before exiting to explore inside on foot. It was one of my experiences when I was glad to be only 5'2" and not claustrophobic.

Mangbaedan Memorial Altar.  

The Peace Bell.

The Freedom Bridge.

The Comfort Women.

The first thing I noticed about this sculpture was bare feet. (Perhaps referring to women as being barefoot and pregnant?)

Then I found this monument to be disturbing on so many levels once I understood what it represented - military sexual slavery and forced military prostitution in Korea, systematically controlled by the state. Japan first used this tactic to allow Japanese to satisfy their "uncontrollable drives" and protect their soldiers from STDs. Unfortunately, more countries, including the U.S., employed these wartime tactics. 

 11/23/2023 UNESCO Oeam village

Oeam village is a historic community founded and dating back to the Joseon period in the early 16th century by the members of the Kang and Mok clans. Its current population is 192 people, most earning a living from agriculture. 

One local woman taught us how to make lotus wine (very woody), and provided us with a sample in a decorative bottle. Another helped us make gochujang, a sweet and savory red chili paste in a small container with instructions for fermenting it after we returned home.

I loved the detailed totems dedicated to protecting the village.

Small cemetery near the totems.

Lotus wine and lotus ball, which tasted like puffed rice.

(both acquired tastes).

One of my favorite meals was in one of Sunny's favorite dives, appropriately named Chinese Restaurant. We had sweet and sour pork, shrimp, noodles, and Cass and Terra beers. 

Not much left on the table.

 11/22/2023 

Jusarang Community Church (Baby Box)               Home-Hosted Lunch, Han River Views

One blustery winter morning, Pastor Lee Jong-Rak woke to find a baby freezing in a cardboard box on his doorstep. Horrified, he installed a temperature-controlled "drop box," entirely funded by private donations, in the wall of his home to provide a safe way to anonymously leave unwanted children. Since then, more than 1,600 newborns have been left.

The church also helps single mothers facing this problematic decision with temporary shelter, food, and monetary support. 

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Our Home-Hosted Lunch with a retired elementary school principal featured the traditional meal, bibimbap, combined with rice, mushrooms, seasonal vegetables, beef, kimchi, and fried egg served in a bowl. 

After much laughter, we finished our meal with a cup of tea. 

The Han River Cityscape Highlights

 11/21/2023 Food, Glorious Food!

For our Welcome dinner, we had a phenomenal Korean BB.

BBQ Before...

Pumpkin, wasabi, kimchi, garlic cloves, beans, mushrooms, 

bibimbap with raw egg, green salad, Korean dipping sauce,

various cole slaws, peppers, plentiful plum wine, and 2 new beers.

BBQ After...

 11/21/2023 

Changdeokgung Palace and National Museum

Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most well-preserved palace of all the royal palaces from the Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1910). 

It was built in 1405 by King Taejong, the third ruler of Joseon, and, after all palaces in Seoul were burnt down during the Japanese invasion in 1592, it was the first palace rebuilt in 1610. 

Since then, it became the primary palace for about 270 years for 13 kings including the last monarch.  

The whole Changdeokgung compound covers an area of about 462,000 square meters(110 acres), with the Rear Garden, also known as the Secret Garden, accounting for two-thirds of the total grounds.

Changdeokgung Palace was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and is regarded as a masterpiece of Korean palace architecture where the buildings perfectly harmonize with the natural setting.

I especially liked the intricate gargoyles along the roofs of the pagodas.

Palace roof gargoyle up close and personal.

People dressed to the nines and were happy to take selfies 

and pose for photographs. 

Inside the Throne Hall.

Side entry doors.

Sunny explains the clock was invented by King Sejong and used by the royals to check the time and seasons in a 24-season cycle using sunlight.

Of course, the Buddhist sculptures were the most exciting displays in the National Museum of Korea, which had a vast collection of artifacts, gold-encrusted crowns, and a multitude of national treasures.

 11/20/2023 

Pomp & Circumstance,Guard Changing Ceremony

Waiting inside the Gwanghwamun Gate, 

the main entrance to the palace. 

Outside the Gwanghwamun Gate.

National Palace Museum of Korea

During the Joseon dynasty, the royal guards of the palace were gatekeepers responsible for guarding the main gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace as well as the main gates of the city, such as Heunginjimun Gate and Sungnyemun Gate. They also opened and closed the Gwanghwamun Gate. 

The ceremony is free of charge and similar to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. It is held three times a day, lasts for forty minutes to an hour, and follows the same procedure, beginning with the booming of an oversized drum, traditional musical instruments, and an eight-minute guard ceremony followed by a seven-minute change ceremony, and a patrol of 18 guards in six official positions beating a drum and bellowing some orders. 

https://clipchamp.com/watch/zORkTBkbrpK