Happy (belated) Re-Birthday, Korea!

This post has been on the back burner for a bit too long - Korea's Independence Day actually took place on Friday August 15. Apologies for my tardiness!

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Korea must be one of the few countries where Independence Day is not celebrated with fireworks and parades, with flag-wavers and patriots, or with more drinking than a normal Friday. No, in Korea, Independence Day is simply celebrated in one meaningful way - a statutory holiday during which only the poor retail workers among us have to man the busy shops.

Instead of joining the throngs of shoppers, we celebrated our own day off with a trip to a historical site, Gyeongbokgung, with one of Jon's students, Daeshin. Gyeongbokgung is the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-August 1910) and its entrance gate, Gwangwhwamun Gate, is to be the departure point for the upcoming Nike Human Race we wanted to join.

We began our little sightseeing trip with a walk down the Cheonggyecheon Stream in the centre of Jongro district, a few minutes' drive north of the Hangan River and the location of Seoul's City Hall. Although initially dredged during the Joseon Dynasty, the area became a shantytown and the stream became polluted. In the 1960s and 70s, the slum was cleared and the stream paved over to make way for an elevated expressway - after all, an emergent economic power couldn't have shanties in the centre of its city now, could it? The pollution that had been invited by this expressway was later cause for the road's destruction, and the Stream was restored in 2005, including a history of the Joseon Dynasty that lines the stream like a miles-long tapestry in tile.

Daeshin and myself in front of a history of the Joseon Dynasty explained on tile.

After passing children swimming in the stream (contrary to a Korean by-law, Daeshin informed us) and a small art exhibition under a bridge (what a creative use of space!), we exited the stream for Gyeongbokgung palace. During the short 20-minute walk to the site, we passed many dozens of caged buses preparing for Seoul's weekly candlelight vigil against Korea's president and his policies on American beef, and hundreds of young Korean police officers sitting on the sidewalk in parallel lines, waiting in the light rain for their cue to enter City Hall Square. We've since seen these same buses in Gangnam, waiting for similar protests to get out of hand (but I've yet to see a person detained in one of the buses).

The Gwanghwamun Gate is currently under construction, covered by scaffolding that is covered by painted plywood and massive inflated Roses of Sharon. Absolutely hideous, especially against the beautiful backdrop of mountains behind the palace and the Blue House - Korea's version of the White House, as Daeshin put it.

After taking advantage of free admission (yipee!!) we walked into a snapshot of Korean history (plus tourists). Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, was at the forefront of the rest of the palace grounds. We were so wowed that we nearly blocked the entrance so Jon could take pictures like this one, below.

The white-shuttered doors provided a view of the raised throne and various royal artifacts. Entry was prohibited here like in Gyeonghoeru, below, a banquet hall also labelled National Treasure No.244. (In other news National Treasure No. 1, the oldest wooden structure in Seoul, caught fire in early February.)

The remainder of our visit was far less photographed; a quick tour through the National Folk Museum within the palace grounds, then a quick taxi ride with Daeshin and a friend of his we met on our way out of the palace, Joon, to Myeongdong - a fashion district - for some dinner. Although there was a famous jiggae (stew) restaurant in Meyongdong that Daeshin wanted to show us, neither he nor Joon remembered where it was. This is something we've learned to expect in Korea, because there is such a plethora of shops, restaurants, bus stops, and unofficial spellings that no single person can know it all. This one is a city of landmarks.

We settled on a second-floor restaurant with a wonderful dish of nangmeyon noodles and boneless chicken in a spicy, watery chili broth. Daeshin asked us over and over if we were having fun, and telling us that he felt so happy and proud to show us a little bit of Korea. Before August 15, he'd not been to Gwanghwamun either - much like many Ontarians have never been to Queen's Park, or even to the ROM.

We parted at the Subway for a cheap but long ride home. Jon was nearly sick from exhaustion (Keedo had given a string of early wake-up calls the preceeding week) and when we got home we both crashed after a long week. Most weekends have been approached in a similar vein - see Korea when we can, but prioritize rest on our days off!

Jon has since met up with Daeshin for lunch to thank him again and catch up on changes in his life before he goes to study in the US.