Seoul, South Korea 2019

From Philippines to South Korea

The weather in late September was perfect for taking a stroll around Seoul. Downtown was an amazing mix of traditional and contemporary architecture with green areas between skyscrapers, shady nooks with benches, streaming water, a sculpture here and there, and cozy paved trails.

Just look at these two creatures on the photo above that are screaming in fear when a giant hand suddenly emerged from the ground in front of them.

What struck me most about Seoul was that it did not look like a huge megalopolis which it is. With the population over 25 million, Seoul ranks as one of the most populated cities in the world. Nevertheless, I did not see crowds anywhere. At times, I was the only person on the street. Of course, there was traffic on the roads, but the number of vehicles was not overwhelming, probably thanks to the extensive subway system.

A pagoda, high-rise buildings, a monument, and mountains ‒ all in one picture. Note how empty the streets are in the middle of the day — A pagoda, high-rise buildings, a monument, and mountains ‒ all in one place. Note how empty the streets are in the middle of the day

Cheonggyecheon is an 8.4 km (5.2 mi) stream flowing through Downtown. The natural creek was transformed into a public recreation spac ein 2005. The elevated, deteriorated highway that ran over the stream was removed and replaced with a beautifully landscaped area. The stream created habitats for fish and birds. Now, anyone who wants to spend the lunch break in Downtown close to nature only needs to take a few steps down to the Stream.

Although writing in Korean may appear to be hieroglyphic like Chinese or Japanese, the Korean language has an alphabet called Hangul. Language experts consider it to be one of the most efficient alphabets in the world. Hangul was invented by King Sejong in 1446. Before that, Koreans used Chinese characters that did not suit well for their language and were difficult to learn. King Sejong always strove to do his best to serve the country. Creation of the alphabet was one his great deeds.

“Being of foreign origin, Chinese characters are incapable of capturing uniquely Korean meanings. Therefore, many common people have no way to express their thoughts and feelings. Out of my sympathy for their difficulties, I have created a set of 28 letters. The letters are very easy to learn, and it is my fervent hope that they improve the quality of life of all people.”

King Sejong

I came across another monument which is related to languages and literature. This time, it was dedicated to the famous Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin. It was quite a surprise to see it in Korea. It says on the plaque that the statue was a gift from the Union of Russian Writers to promote cultural ties and friendship between Korea and Russia. The square was renamed to Pushkin Plaza in 2013 when the statue was unveiled.

Pushkin here is dressed rather contemporary despite the fact that he lived in the 19th century

I am not sure what the memorial below means. Men in uniform who are seen through the tram car windows wave to women with children outside. Are they going to war and saying goodbye to their families?

Another interesting site in Downtown is an excavated 15^th century shop that once was part of the government market. Many market structures and houses were destroyed during a great fire in 1426.