SOUTH KOREA IN SPRING

My first impression of the National Palace in Seoul called Gyeongbuk Gung (Palace). It dates back to 1395 during the Joseon Dynasty. There are five palaces in S Korea and this is the biggest and northernmost one. Within its compound there are also the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum. I was in S Korea from 2-10 April. Since my Japan trip in Apr 2016, I have made a couple of trips to Thailand but was not motivated to take pix for posting here.

A gate to one of the inner courtyards.

The King might have held audience with his officials here.

From Korean dramas, this might be where the King and other members of the Royal Family studied Confucian texts and other subjects.

Sprawling grounds of the Palace.

A side gate.

Elaborate decorations on roof eaves.

Near the Palace is this well-known restaurant selling ginseng chicken. We were lucky to arrive early for as we left, the queue was extremely long.

We ordered this (ginseng chicken) plus a pancake. Just before finishing it and since the pancake hadn't arrived, we ordered another chicken. Then when they both came, we couldn't finish them both. So very Singaporean.

If you're wondering what these drawings are, they are adverts drawn by shops for their products or services. This shot was taken at a place called Bukchon Hanbok Village in Seoul. It's a 600 year-old urban development where many old buildings from a bygone era are preserved and in which there are many small alleys with quaint shops.

A house with an ancient-looking wooden door.

As we wandered in the alleys, I came across this bridal photo shoot. The clients were Chinese while the photographer was Korean. So, they needed a Korean translator.

A cute doll for advertisement and to attract customers.

A narrow street.

One of the quaint shops.

Delicious bingsu and red bean gruel. Not that I have tried many but this must be the best bingsu I have tasted. I discovered the cafe in Bukchon Hanbok Village serving it while the wife and daughter were looking for handbags in a shop nearby.

A Seoul side street. Took this to show how clean it is.

The tunnel for the National Palace Station of the Seoul Metro. It is evident that many metro tunnels are very long. Not only that, there are 10 lines making access difficult especially for the seniors or if one is travelling free and easy. Apart from the new lines serving both Incheon and Gimpo Airports, the older lines of the metro network are not well served by elevators and escalators. Don't lug heavy luggage if going free and easy in Seoul.

SOUTH KOREA IN SPRING (Contd)

A Confucian? temple in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to meet the spiritual needs of forces serving there. I also spied a chapel nearby. We decided to go and see a bit of N Korea from the DMZ as well as stand the chance of being shot or injured by joining a tour. Technically, the two Koreas are still at war as after the Korean War, an armistice was signed but no treaty as yet. The US Forces have maintained a battalion there to help the S Korea forces uphold the armistice.

The JSA (Jt Services Area) Visitor Centre in the DMZ. This is where briefings are given to visitors. There is also a gift shop which sells very nice ice cream amongst other souvenirs. Civilians are not normally admitted into the DMZ which is highly protected unless they join a DMZ tour.

The blue building on the left (with open door) is where the talks leading to the Armistice took place. From time to time, reps from the peace-keeping forces and the two Korean authorities will continue to meet in the building. A telephone line on a table in the centre of the building denotes the demarcation line between the two Koreas. In the background is the N Korean "OP" where a guard is deployed ( can see him if you enlarge the pic). In addition, there is a machine gun deployed within the building to be used anytime violence breaks out! Visitors are briefed to dress decently and to not engage the N Korean soldiers in conversation or facial gestures to prevent provoking them. That is where the danger of being shot or injured lies in the last bastion of cold war in the Korean Peninsula.

Two specially trained S Korean soldiers stand guard in the N Korean side of the building to deter any intention to defect to the North or to prevent mischief. They are Taekwando experts who will not hesitate to use their martial skills to achieve the purpose. In an earlier incident, some crazy fella tried to dash across the demarcation line causing the N Korean soldiers to open fire. The result was that some soldiers were killed or injured. There is also the "Axe Incident" in 1976 when the US forces tried to trim a poplar tree for a better view of the North. A fracas broke out resulting in N Korean soldiers hacking a US Bn Comdr and a senior rank to death. After that soldiers hitherto deployed from both Korean sides in each other's territories were withdrawn.

Some 31 tunnels were dug by the North to infiltrate the South. The number was revealed by a N Korean defector. To date, four tunnels have been uncovered. A schematic of the third one is given as photos are disallowed in the tunnel.

Self-explanatory situation map of the Korean War.

Shot of N Korea taken from the DMZ OP (Observation Post). On the right the road leading to the Kaesong Industrial Park can be seen. The S Koreans have withdrawn from the project after the North persisted in their rocket and missile tests to provoke the South.

The DMZ OP. As I sense it, the South is keen to have unification but the North is playing coy.

The Dorasan Unification Platform. The South is hoping that unification will enable the rail link to be re-established to the North and thence to the rest of Asia and Europe. The link was severed after the South pulled out of the Kaesong Project.

To enter the unification platform, a ticket has to be purchased and it entitles one to also collect a stamp on the ticket for remembrance.

S Korea is hoping to re-establish the rail link with the North and thence to the Trans-Eurasian Network. But, if they keep the Cold War, the Chinese will beat them to it with their OBOR!

The rail line is part of the Gyeongui Railway network.

Myeongdong in Seoul is where all woman visitors to S Korea go and shop for cosmetics. It's crowded like Shinjuku in Tokyo.

A Myeongdong vendor of rice cakes and something similar to Malaysian satay celup! Others sell baked lobsters and giant scallops, amongst other mouth-watering food.

SOUTH KOREA IN SPRING (Contd)

The 'ocean view' from our hotel room in Soegwipo, Jeju. The sea is not far off but the view is marred by the rain and fog that morning. We arrived in Jeju the night before in the rain and it continued the whole of the next day. The tree in the centre of the pic is a tangerine tree which is grown widely in Jeju. There are many types of tangerine and they are all very sweet. Jeju is an island south of the Korean mainland, about four times the size of Singapore. From Seoul, it's about an hour away by air. It's also accessible by sea-ferries from the mainland. Jeju is one of the new 7 Wonders of the World and a self-governing province.

The Catholic Church of Soegwipo.

The Cheongyejeong Waterfall of Soegwipo. The waterfall is made up of three sections and this is the terminal one. The pic is made fuzzy by rain and water spray. This waterfall and 8 other sites in Jeju are considered part of the UNESCO global geoparks. Of the 9 sites, Hallasan, Manjjagul Cave and Sunrise Peak are classified UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The walk in is quite long but made pleasant by scenery such as this with Sakura (Cherry Blossom) trees in full bloom

Sculptures of the Jeju Stoneman or Dol Hareubang in Korean, "dol" being Korean for stone and "hareubang" being the Jeju dialectic word for grandfather. Several theories abound as to how these stone structures became revered but whatever, it is supposed to have something to do with the role man played in spawning of humans in Jeju Island. There is a museum dedicated to the Dol Hareubang.

Part of the walk to the waterfall which got us all soaking wet in the feet because of rain. What a way to see Jeju.

And because of the rain, we chose to visit the Soegwipo Central Market instead. Fruits are widely available in the market but they are quite expensive but nice. It is better to buy the fruits in a basket than to reduce the quantity for cost considerations.

The market is neat and tidy too.

We opted to eat snacks along the way in place of lunch. This stall offered barbecued black pork (famous in Jeju) for 5k Korean Won. It was delicious. 

Trudged in the rain to see Jusangjeoli Cliff which came into existence after Hallasan (Mt Hallasan) erupted and lava flowed into the sea forming the tuff lines. It would have been nicer to capture this image with bright sunshine; the mood was also affected by the rain.

This view to the right shows that the cliff stretches over quite a distance. The raindrops on the camera lens bear testimony to the weather that day.

A stretch of beach on the coastal road as we drove from Soegwipo westwards.

Our accommodation after Soegwipo - an AirBNB place called Citrus B & B. This place is located in a tangerine farm, We liked the place a lot as it was peaceful and serene and our host was a nice lady. She would make nice Western breakfast for us with bread purchased from Paris Baguette which is popular in S Korea. Some days we got Korean b/f too.

Mother and daughter just couldn't help stopping to take the Sakura trees in bloom.

Sakuras welcomed us to the O'Sulloc Tea Museum.

The museum proper which is famous in Korea and around the world for tea lovers.

History of the museum.

Obviously, she is more concerned about her WhatsApp messages than green tea.

A section of the tea plantation next to the museum.