Day 20: Seodaemun Independence Park and Prison History Museum
I finally made my way back to the gate of Dongnimmun at the foot of Seodaemun Independence Park feeling a little tired and dirty from hiking Inwangsan. It was almost 2PM and I didn’t really have a lunch, unless you call a Snickers bar and a Gatorade a proper meal but I forgot about my hunger just like most days while travelling around the city. Where I was staying, it didn’t seem like there were any of the mega chains that I was accustomed to seeing around Seoul. There was a Pizza Hut (but unfortunately it was delivery only), Paris Baguette, and BBQues close by but the closest Lotteria and McDonald’s were down by Gyeonghuigung which was not really within walking distance from my Aunt’s place. The businesses in the area seemed more locally rooted, all anchored by the Yeong-chun Market.
It struck me the number of merchants I saw who were seemingly senior citizens, selling produce like farmed vegetables in and around Yeong-chun Market (and in other parts of Seoul) and along the streets. I didn’t know if they were working by choice or if they were working for a living but one would hope that by that age, one would be able to relax and enjoy retirement. It just didn’t seem right. One time on my way back to my Aunt’s and passing by the Market, I witnessed a conflict where a street merchant ahjumma’s items were being loaded on to the back of a truck and being carted away against her will. It looked like she had set up shop illegally or without permit perhaps. I couldn’t tell who was there legally or illegally as there are no permits or signs posted and they all looked the same. The people taking her stuff didn’t seem like the Police (the ironic thing being she had set up shop right by the Police station) but perhaps they were government officials. Her items were eventually trucked off but not without a struggle as she yelled and put up a fight until the very end.
On one of my first days in Seoul, my Aunt took me down to one of the local clothing stores saying they had lots of nice clothes for younger people like myself. Based on the generation gap amongst other things, I had my doubts but entertained my Aunt nonetheless. After about a minute of browsing the store, my Aunt came to the same realization. The clothes in the shop looked like they’d be perfect on a middle-aged ahjussi, cigarette in hand wearing black dress socks and sandals.
One of the things I found with Korean restaurants is signage or banners plastered on their windows advertising the fact that their store was featured on one of the many TV broadcast shows on food (such as 맛있는TV). It was common to see screen captures from the show and either the MBC/KBS/SBS logo and show name displayed for all to see.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Despite feeling dirty and sticky, I figured since this was my last day, I might as well make the most of it and see all that I could see. I had saved visiting the Seodaemun Prison History Museum, located just at the end of Independence Park, for last since it was close to where I was staying. I figured at anytime I could check it out by simply walking down the street. As this was going to be my final time walking through Independence Park (something I did daily to get to Dongnimmun Station), I sat by the water stream and took some final videos.
Here are some pictures I took throughout my trip of the park starting with Day 1, walking through it for the first time. This is Dongnimmun or Independence Gate and the Statue of Dr. Seo Jae Pil (who was a champion for Korean independence). Day 1 had cloudy skies but then it was all beautiful sunny skies from then on. I was so lucky. Mother Nature was watching over me.^^
This was on Day 4, heading towards the gate on my way home from Jongmyo .
On Day 14, with Inwangsan in the background.
To get back to present day, while I was sitting by the water stream taking pictures, I got approached by a man and woman who were there spreading the gospel and word about their unique church. I don’t know what it is about my face but I always seem to attract religious solicitors looking to have a conversation. I remember when I use to take public transit to school, somehow despite all the riders on the bus to talk to, they’d end up sitting next to me. I guess I have a face of an angel! Haha, either that or the face of a troubled person that desperately screams for help and guidance!!! At any rate, we had a nice conversation in both Korean and English and then I was on my way.
I headed north towards the Seodaemun Prison History Museum and found student artists situated throughout the park making sketches of the scenery and statues and some were quite good. I had actually seen bits and pieces of the Museum on a KBS program back in Toronto that featured the English tour guides of the Museum. The guides were made of a group of young kids who were fluent in English who volunteered their time. The admission to the Museum was dirt cheap and my English tour guide was a young girl, who I guessed was in her early teens and spoke excellent English.
While Korea was under Japanese rule, Seodaemun Prison was used to house activists that fought for Korea’s freedom and independence. Several of the prison halls used during that time and throughout history were preserved and now serve as a Museum to commemorate the freedom movements and activists, in particular that of student activist Yu Gwan-Sun who was brutally tortured and killed at the age of 18. As there are Koreans from that generation still living to this day, there still remains a certain degree of animosity between Koreans and Japanese but mostly with the older generation. Being someone of Korean descent a couple of generations removed from that period of occupation and a foreigner to boot, that animosity is something I doubt I will ever feel or truly understand. I view Japan’s rule of Korea as a part of it’s history that shaped it into the nation it is today. While we should never forget our past, we also need to learn from it and move forward so that we don’t get stuck in history. That was also the message I picked up from the tour.
With my guide explaining everything on the way, I received a tour of the prison halls which housed the individual jail cells and I got to see what the solitary confinement cells were like. You can actually enter the cells and get an idea of what the conditions were like. Also on display were tools that were used to punish and torture the inmates. Probably the most notable building was the execution grounds where prisoners were hung. Photos in this area were not allowed. An interesting side story is that of the Wailing Poplar. On the execution grounds, there are 2 large poplar trees, one outside the grounds and one on the inside. The poplar inside the grounds is smaller and it is said that it never grew as big because of it’s close proximity and exposure to the executions that occurred within the grounds. Do you believe it? I’ve heard stories about how a plant will die if you curse and will it to die. Sometimes I believe that there are energies emitted based on emotion that we as humans can’t perceive. When I was little, we use to have a large fish tank and whenever there was an argument in the house, one of the fishes would be dead the next day. I usually don’t believe in that kind of stuff but things like that always made me think a little.
I definitely recommend getting the English tour since it’s free and their English is excellent. It was fun speaking with my tour guide and I was glad to have the chance to pick her brain about being a student and living in Korea. We briefly talked about things like afterschool academies that all kids seem to be enrolled in just so that they can stay competitive in school, career aspirations and fun things like amusement parks and rollercoasters.
Here are some sights and sounds from Seodaemun Independence Park and Prison History Museum.
It struck me the number of merchants I saw who were seemingly senior citizens, selling produce like farmed vegetables in and around Yeong-chun Market (and in other parts of Seoul) and along the streets. I didn’t know if they were working by choice or if they were working for a living but one would hope that by that age, one would be able to relax and enjoy retirement. It just didn’t seem right. One time on my way back to my Aunt’s and passing by the Market, I witnessed a conflict where a street merchant ahjumma’s items were being loaded on to the back of a truck and being carted away against her will. It looked like she had set up shop illegally or without permit perhaps. I couldn’t tell who was there legally or illegally as there are no permits or signs posted and they all looked the same. The people taking her stuff didn’t seem like the Police (the ironic thing being she had set up shop right by the Police station) but perhaps they were government officials. Her items were eventually trucked off but not without a struggle as she yelled and put up a fight until the very end.
On one of my first days in Seoul, my Aunt took me down to one of the local clothing stores saying they had lots of nice clothes for younger people like myself. Based on the generation gap amongst other things, I had my doubts but entertained my Aunt nonetheless. After about a minute of browsing the store, my Aunt came to the same realization. The clothes in the shop looked like they’d be perfect on a middle-aged ahjussi, cigarette in hand wearing black dress socks and sandals.
One of the things I found with Korean restaurants is signage or banners plastered on their windows advertising the fact that their store was featured on one of the many TV broadcast shows on food (such as 맛있는TV). It was common to see screen captures from the show and either the MBC/KBS/SBS logo and show name displayed for all to see.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Despite feeling dirty and sticky, I figured since this was my last day, I might as well make the most of it and see all that I could see. I had saved visiting the Seodaemun Prison History Museum, located just at the end of Independence Park, for last since it was close to where I was staying. I figured at anytime I could check it out by simply walking down the street. As this was going to be my final time walking through Independence Park (something I did daily to get to Dongnimmun Station), I sat by the water stream and took some final videos.
Here are some pictures I took throughout my trip of the park starting with Day 1, walking through it for the first time. This is Dongnimmun or Independence Gate and the Statue of Dr. Seo Jae Pil (who was a champion for Korean independence). Day 1 had cloudy skies but then it was all beautiful sunny skies from then on. I was so lucky. Mother Nature was watching over me.^^
I headed north towards the Seodaemun Prison History Museum and found student artists situated throughout the park making sketches of the scenery and statues and some were quite good. I had actually seen bits and pieces of the Museum on a KBS program back in Toronto that featured the English tour guides of the Museum. The guides were made of a group of young kids who were fluent in English who volunteered their time. The admission to the Museum was dirt cheap and my English tour guide was a young girl, who I guessed was in her early teens and spoke excellent English.
While Korea was under Japanese rule, Seodaemun Prison was used to house activists that fought for Korea’s freedom and independence. Several of the prison halls used during that time and throughout history were preserved and now serve as a Museum to commemorate the freedom movements and activists, in particular that of student activist Yu Gwan-Sun who was brutally tortured and killed at the age of 18. As there are Koreans from that generation still living to this day, there still remains a certain degree of animosity between Koreans and Japanese but mostly with the older generation. Being someone of Korean descent a couple of generations removed from that period of occupation and a foreigner to boot, that animosity is something I doubt I will ever feel or truly understand. I view Japan’s rule of Korea as a part of it’s history that shaped it into the nation it is today. While we should never forget our past, we also need to learn from it and move forward so that we don’t get stuck in history. That was also the message I picked up from the tour.
I definitely recommend getting the English tour since it’s free and their English is excellent. It was fun speaking with my tour guide and I was glad to have the chance to pick her brain about being a student and living in Korea. We briefly talked about things like afterschool academies that all kids seem to be enrolled in just so that they can stay competitive in school, career aspirations and fun things like amusement parks and rollercoasters.
Here are some sights and sounds from Seodaemun Independence Park and Prison History Museum.
Comments
Post a Comment