수능 Holiday

Well, high school seniors hate it, but people like me enjoy it, because 수능, suneung means a day off while the school becomes a testing site for the all-important Korean college boards.

I decided to go to Gwanghwamun today and finally look at the newly reopened main gate to Gyeongbokgung. While there, I took in the two underground museums at the Gwanghwamun Square, dedicated to "Great King" Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin, respectively.

Gwanghwamun:

Ceiling frieze inside gate portal

Another ceiling frieze

 

The Story of King Sejong: Sejong is usually considered Korea's greatest ruler; he was fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty and reigned from 1418 to 1450.

Korean sundial invented by Sejong, this one on display in the museum is about five feet across

Sejong was renowned for his skill as a military tactician

One of his greatest achievements was the creation of the hangeul writing system, which is easy to learn and allows you to write very quickly and efficiently.

 

The Worin Cheongang Jigok.  Written by Sejong, it contains 500 odes to the life of the Buddha and is the first literature written in hangeul.

The Story of Admiral Yi Sunshin:  Yi is certainly Korea's most venerated military hero, and is one of few admirals in world history reputed to have been victorious in every major naval battle he commanded (often while greatly outnumbered).

One of his most important advancements was the 거북선 geobukseon or turtle ship, whose cevered deck studded with metal spikes made enemy boarding very risky, and whose flat bottom made it very maneuverable.

The model boat on display has scale figures inside.

 

There is an interactive area which includes a firing range, a "how well can you row oars"  game and other activities.



There is a nicely done video of the Imjin War, which was Yi's main theatre of operations, which includes English subtitles.

The exhibit shows Yi as a multifaceted individual--military genius, family man, poet.

The museum is strong on atmosphere, but weak on artifacts.  This was just about it.

Usually, there is an impressive statue of Admiral Yi at the top of Gwanghwamun Square (click here) but today it looked like this:

Day Trip to Incheon

Under the advice of a couple of my coworkers, I went to Incheon today for a visit to 자유공워 (Freedom Park) and Wolmi waterfront recreation area. To get there, it's a matter of taking the Seoul line 1 train all the way to the terminus at Incheon station. Directly outside the exit (there's only one) you can't miss the gateway to Chinatown, the only such community (so I am told) in Korea.


It's a very small Chinatown, I have to say, but it makes the most of it, including this decorative trash/recycling center.


Stairs that might have led to a temple, but I'll never know. It's very hilly in Incheon, and I wasn't up for conjectural climbing.


Here are some of the pics I took in Chinatown, having fun with the camera:







You can buy lots of stuff here. I did make a purchase, a "chop" or seal with my name in hangeul. The Chinese girl typed it into the computer and the automated router did the rest, just like in the olden days.



In the middle of the main drag of Chinatown, you will find a traffic sign pointing up a massive incline (35°, honest) to Jayu kongwon, or Freedom Park. At the top of the road, have a rest at the First Missionary Memorial Park--you'll need it.


It consists of a few benches and this statuary thing, memorializing Henry Appenzeller and H.G. Underwood, founder of what became Yonsei University and author of Fifteen Years Among the Top-Knots. The Underwood family served in Korea for four generations and many are buried at the Foreign Missionary Cemetary. Oh, there's a First Missionary Memorial Cafe just around the corner.


I continued to the intersection near the top of the hill, where there was absolutely no sign directing you to Jayu Park. Not one. So I followed my instinct upward, where I found myself at the Korean Meteorological Service Incheon Station. There were no guards or anything, so I took a few pictures of the Stevenson screen and the various gauges and meters, then wandered inside.



A pair of nice young women enquired as to why I was there, and I explained. But while I'm here, I wondered, could I take a couple of pictures of Incheon from this amazing vantage point? Turns out I could, though it was clear this was a unique experience for them. They led me up a couple flights of stairs, unlocked the door, and accompanied me to the deck atop the building. Then I signed the visitor book and they directed me to Jayu Park.



Freedom Park is famous for two main things: the Korea-US Centennial Monument and the statue of US General Douglas MacArthur overlooking the site of the Incheon amphibious landing site of June 1950.


There was a little plaza in the park with a nice view of the harbor and a few concessionaires, which attract hungry visitors of the human and avian kind.



Off to one side, I found this. I have a book somewhere titled Yesterday's Tomorrows, images of what previous generations thought the future would be like--this old fellow could be the frontispiece:


Three shots of the Korea-US Centennial Monument, which recognizes 100 years of our friendship, a large angular thing with a small curvy thing in the middle:




A few shots of the MacArthur statue and its environs, which were populated by numerous older folks, possibly reliving the heady days of the war:





I made my way back down the hill and caught a bus (you can take 2, 23 or 45 from Incheon station) for Wolmido. Upon arrival in the mid-afternoon, it was kind of weird--a deserted (or nearly so) carnival is creepy.






It was a bit more populated along the waterfront, which mainly consists of seafood restaurants with Konglish names, interesting statuary, and old men with fishing poles:









Me and the West Sea. While much of the world calls it the Yellow Sea, those of us on the peninsula know better: