Siteseeing

Naturally, a trip to Korea would not be complete without a visit to the Kukkiwon, and we were not disapointed. Upon arrival, we took a look inside the main building, shopped a bit, and visited the museum. Dr. Min and Master Park visited with several dignataries before Dr. Un Yong Kim addressed the group and provided us with an update of the state of taekwondo.

Much of the fun for Berkeley alumnae and students is to find as many references to and pictures of Dr. Min (most notably, a photograph taken at the 1st World Taekwondo Championships in 1973). Master Park, of course, is listed as is Master Kim Royce from his accomplishments at several world events in the 1980's.

Opened in 1994, the War Memorial is a stunning museum and testament to Korea's "patriotic ancestors" and "pays respect to the meritorious services of martyrs." A stroll through the six indoor exhibition rooms is a stroll through Korea's history, both ancient and recent. Whereas the exhibits that detail the prehistoric age through the Three Kingdoms era to the Koryo Dynasty and Chosun Dynasty offer historical perspective, the exhibits on the Japanese colonial periods and the Korean War are very sobering as they recount events that continue to exert a profound effect to the present day.

There many intriguing 3-dimensional exhibits covering several eras of Korean history. The exhibits of turtle ship battles in the late 16th Century and the Korean War are especially vivid. The benefit of a visit to the War Memorial is a condensed history lesson to better understand the current circumstances between the Koreas and their neighbors.

The Korean Folk Village is similar in theme to Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia): a town that provides a glimpse of life in a previous era; in this case, the Yi Dynasty. The folk village offers traditional food, games, exhibitions, and architecture. Aside from the thatch-roofed stalls, farm-buildings, and pavillions, the folk village also contains an academy for the study of ancestor worship rites and Confucianism, a provincial government administration complex, and a Buddhist temple.

Although not scheduled in the original agenda, arrangments were made to allow a few members of the group to visit Odusan Unification Observatory near the North Korean border. Located at the junction of the Imjin and Han Rivers, the observatory allows a beautiful panoramic view of North Korea.

Although it is not within the Demilitarized Zone and does not have the same tense atmosphere as found in Panmunjom, the Unification Observatory offers a distant glimpse of life across the North Korean city directly across the river. Coin-operated telescopes enable visitors to peek at the north, and at certain times, the propaganda continuously playing on the North Korean loudspeakers could be heard. We learned that the north and south at one time challenged each other by building sound systems with progressively more speakers: if the north had four, the south installed eight, the north increased theirs to sixteen, etc.

As in many places that we visited, people would often engage us in conversation. One elderly gentleman in particular asked if we were in the military. Although he seemed somewhat disappointed when we replied that we were not, he was enthused that we practiced taekwondo and hapkido. Another bonus in our favor was our comment that we also undertake a diligent study of the Korean language and culture. It is a sobering experience to be singled out with such respect by this older generation of Koreans. A feeling of embarassment sometimes arises since we had nothing to do with the reasons for their respect; we are reaping the rewards of so many others who came before us. In these situations, we make a more concerted effort to respond deferentially and with decorum in order to maintain, and hopefully enhance, their impression of a younger generation of Americans.

Korea Main

Korea 1994

Korea 1998

Korea 2001