Seodaemun Prison

Always one for exploring museums and learning about history, I finally checked out a spot I'd really been interested in visiting: Seodaemun Prison History Hall. During my time in Korea, I've been very interested in any opportunity to learn more about the country's past, and friends have told me this museum was not to be missed. Now that spring has sprung, it seemed like the prime time to walk around the prison's grounds in Seoul and take in the history of the place. 

The first building you'll come to upon entering -- start here! Lots of basic information of the prison's history is in this building, which will help you understand everything else.

To give a brief history lesson to contextualize the photos I took, Seodaemun Prison was opened in 1908 under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. As you may know from your history lessons, Japan invaded Korea, and at this point in time, Korea was considered a protectorate of Japan. 1910 marked the official annexation of Korea by Japan, an occupation that lasted until the end of the World War II in 1945.   

Original layout and size of the prison.

Seodaemun, being operated by the Japanese, was a prison reserved primarily for Korean independence and freedom fighters. At the time the prison was built, it was the largest in Korea, with cells to house 500 people. However, over the course of Japan's occupation and the resistance movements by Korean activists, the number of people interned reached more than 3,000 around the time of the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919.   

One of the buildings, looking foreboding.

After Korea's liberation in 1945, the prison remained in use until 1987. Then, in 1998, Seodaemun Prison History Hall was opened to commemorate dark history of the prison and its prisoners. 7 of the 15 buildings have been restored and all contain information for visitors about their historical significance.   

It was fascinating, while also saddening, to learn about life in the prison. We were able to see not only an average cell but also look into the cells for solitary confinement. The basement of the main building was the area designated for interrogation and torture, so scenes depicting these have been recreated for visitors.   

Solitary confinement cells.

Mannequin in one of the cells, showing how inmates would tap on the cell walls to communicate with each other.

Photos of prisoners line the walls of a room in the main history building.

Box torture: prisoners were put into the box, which has spikes sticking into the inside, and then the guards would shake the box around.

A mannequin Japanese guard oversees the cell block.

As the prison's history is irrevocably tied to Japan's presence in Korea, much of the museum focused on the history of the two countries during the prison's operation. Exhibits detail the struggle Korea faced during the time of its occupation, detailing the brave acts of the men and women who dared to stand up for Korea's freedom and independence.

Overall, it was a very interesting, albeit somber, experience, and definitely one of the better museums I've seen while in Korea. The organization was tasteful and informative, and we left with a much greater understanding of Korea's history in the first half of the twentieth century. I highly recommend spending an afternoon exploring the prison and soaking up the history while you're in Korea!

Directions and information: 

• Dongnimmun Station, Seoul Metro Line 3, Exit 5. 
• Admission cost: 3,000 won. 
• Hours: March-October 9:30am-6pm, November-February 9:30am-5pm.
• Closed on Mondays, national holidays.
• Official website: Seodaemun Prison
• Trazy website with more information

Monthly Photo Recap: June 2014

Feeling bleh this weekend = finishing and scheduling a ton of backlogged posts. Lots and lots of (sometimes really old) posts will be going up soon, so check back! I think I'm going to even throw a bunch of photos up on Facebook since I haven't uploaded any pictures in about a year... So it'll be a massive best-of type album, I think. My time in Korea is officially winding down, which is totally nuts. I can't believe I'm leaving at the end of November. That's still quite a ways off, but when I sit and count the weekends I have left, it's only 18! I have so many things left to accomplish! My Korea Bucket List is getting a serious overhaul/update this weekend too -- I need to strategize a game plan so I can get all this stuff done.

But anyway, here's photos from June, which was a pretty relaxed month.

This summer hasn't been as hot or as rainy as I remember from previous years. Though we're all worrying that this means the rainy season will just come super late and drag on into August. Fingers crossed. The humidity is pretty obnoxious.

Finally finished a doodle that I'd started a while back. Definitely feeling like drawing more lately.

Mr. Cat.

My Master Lit class is HUGE this term and I have so many essays to grade... AND I LOVE IT. No, really. Grading papers is seriously one of my favorite things, as weird as that sounds.

I was given a "Yellow Card" by some of my elementary kids because I was eating chips during breaktime. We have snack rules at my school -- they kids can't eat dry ramen, chips, candy, cookies, etc. Basically anything that's unhealthy isn't allowed. But, even though I had retreated to an empty classroom to get some peace and quiet during the break, they walked by and noticed me eating chips. Feeling like this was deeply unfair, I allowed them to give me a Yellow Card, which I then taped to the wall behind my desk so I can proudly display it. The bottom part is my favorite -- they initially wrote in the reason as "eat swing chip (very many)" but then added "obyte no problem" -- meaning that if I vomited up the chips, I wouldn't get in trouble. It was hilarious.

Delicious, delicious food.

Fancy architecture in Songdo. So many of the buildings are really cool looking over there.

More cat.

So, this is a mangosteen. It's one of the weirdest fruits I've ever eaten and it's delicious. You have to cut through the thick rind first, then the inside looks weirdly like garlic but doesn't taste like it at all. It's really soft -- trying to pull out one of the segments makes it bruise and ooze juice. But it's so, so good.

One of my middle schoolers made me some friendship bracelets a while back and it got me on an insane kick of making tons and tons of them. I used to make these all the time during the summer when I was a kid, so it's been a lot of fun to rekindle that hobby. And! The internet has so many amazing patterns and tutorials! I'm really jealous of kids today because their friendship bracelet options are so much greater than mine were back in the pre-internet days. This is just a handful of what I've made... I might be out of control. 

Pretty lilies on my walk one day.

And last, the greatest article of clothing I currently own: a shirt covered in dogs. Oh, and my bangs are almost grown out to a good length and it's still weird. I constantly fight the urge to chop them back to straight-across. 

Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress

This blog entry was originally published on the Aclipse Blog, which is produced by current Chungdahm Learning teachers in Korea! The blog features entries on current events around Korea, advice for incoming teachers, and the best spots sightseeing, shopping, and eating. The original entry can be viewed here. 

One thing that I really love about living in Korea is the history that's simply everywhere. With Korea's rapid modernization, fancy cities have sprung up around old structures, creating a really interesting contrast of the new against the historical. One of the coolest examples of this is Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress. It's right outside of Seoul, easily accessible via the subway, making it an excellent day trip that you should check out this summer!

Hwaseong Fortress was built in the 1790s under the reign of King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty. It was designed to be a defensive structure, with 48 structures along the wall, including sentry posts and gun towers. It has four main gates, each facing a different cardinal direction, each of which are still impressive to see. The Korean War damaged the fortress, but in the 1970s, effort was made by the government to rebuild most of what was destroyed, with the current structure being about 75% of what it originally was. Then, in 1997, it was named a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

See all the holes in the walls? All for defensive measures.

What stands today is a fascinating look into Korea's history, juxtaposed with the hustle and bustle of one of Korea's main cities. It really is neat to see cars zipping down the street right next to the walls of the fortress -- just as you forget you're in the middle of the city, you look out from above the wall and are reminded of the stark contrast.

One of the many lookout spots.

Walking along the fortress wall is what I would recommend doing, which stretches 5.25 kilometers. Though I will warn you that it's a lot of stairs, just like much of the hiking in Korea. Definitely hike all the way up Paldalsan -- the fortress wall snakes up the mountain and leads to a lookout spot that offers a really stunning view of Suwon and its surrounding area. 

As high up as we could get.

City, city, and more city. 

In the middle of the fortress walls lies a palace, Haenggung, that was built not only as a place for the king to stay in when visiting Suwon, but also to serve as the king's residence since King Jeongjo supposedly planned to move the capital from Seoul to Suwon. This never happened due to his sudden death, but the palace remains and was a lot of fun to wander through while we were exploring the fortress.

Directions and Information: 

• Suwon Station, Seoul Subway Line 1
• Exit 4 -- the Tourist Information Center outside this exit can direct you to the city bus that heads in the direction of the fortress. 
• Hours: 9am-6pm, March-October; 9am-5pm, November-February
• Admission: 1,000 won
• For more information, visit the Korea Tourism's site here or the official site for Hwaseong here.

Definitely give yourself at least a few hours to hike the whole thing, and maybe plan to pack some food. There are spots all long the wall to stop and rest, so I think this would be a great spot for a picnic while you soak up the history of this old structure that still stands smack in the middle of a modern Korean city! 

What's your "home away from home?"

I was recently contacted by the friendly people at DogVacay to answer a simple question: 

What is your home away from home?

I cycled through endless possibilities -- all of the places that have been important to me over the years. Sometimes it's been the ballet studio, sometimes it's been inside a favorite book.

But now, after two and a half years on the other side of the Pacific from my actual home, I have to say that my home away from home has become Korea.

When I moved to Korea, I never thought expat life would be this easy. I found myself settling in quickly and experiencing very minor culture shock. While I'm sure my prior knowledge of Asian culture from years of studying Japanese helped me adapt, ultimately, I think Korea is just an incredibly welcoming and comfortable country.

The food, the festivals, and all of my students -- they are now home. I thought a temporary move -- one year abroad -- would be it, never thinking I would end up staying for three.

I only have six more months in this country, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Some days, I'm really ready to go home (I miss my dog! And, my family and friends, of course). Others, I can't imagine what it will be like to leave this place behind.

But when I do leave, a part of me will be left behind, that much I do know.

So, now you tell me. What's your home away from home? #HAFH2014