Category: Travelogs

For those who have read my series of postings about General Haydon Boatner (Part 1 begins here) you may be interested in visiting the modern day site of the Geoje POW camp.  Today a small section of the former Goeje Island POW camp has been reconstructed into a museum to remember this little known chapter of the Korean War. The museum is located adjacent to the modern day city Gohyeun which is more well known for its massive ship yards than for its significant Korean War history.  At the entrance to the museum visitors are greeted by the flags of all the nations that participated in the defense of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War:

Just passed the flags is this quite impressive fountain and statue of a rifle with a fixed bayonet:

One thing about war memorials in Korea that I have always liked is that they have a lot of really impressive sculptures and this one is no different. Before heading into the main camp visitors will go through the prison’s museum. Inside the museum they have artifacts and recreations of what happened here during the Korean War using mannequins:

These recreations do a good job of visually displaying how large the camp once was as well as the tough living conditions the prisoners found themselves contending with:

Of course the recreations include the final uprising in the prison:

Unfortunately I could not find a recreation of North Korean Colonel Lee Hak-ku hiding in a ditch after the uprising. The recreation pictured above actually reminded me of some of the protesters I’ve seen outside of Camp Red Cloud before. Just take PW off their shirts and I would think they were Hanchongnyun members.

Once you finished checking out the museum you can walk towards the actual prison camp recreation by crossing a bridge over the tree line and then walking through the gate you see below:

Inside the enclosure there is a number of tents and buildings that were used to house the prisoners.  Here is an example of your typical quonset hut building of the day:

Many of these buildings were also used as classrooms to teach democracy and capitalism to the prisoners while other ones served as job training centers. There are also the ruins of a few of the actual buildings from the 1950’s that are still visible:

This ruin used to be the camp’s post exchange (PX). The floor to the PX was paved with concrete because the building also served as the officer club and dances were often held here. It makes me wonder if this was the building where General Boatner was invited to a cocktail party when he first arrived at the out of control prison camp?

Here is a view from slightly above the camp that shows the modern day city of Gohyeun that is adjacent to this museum:

Now compare this picture with what this place looked like during the Korean War:

As you can see the camp’s tents and buildings used to fill the entire valley that is now occupied with the high rise apartments and buildings Gohyeun.

Overall, a visit to the museum may be worthwhile if you are visiting the island anyway or if you are a Korean War scholar that likes to visit historic sites like this from the war. However, what I didn’t like about the museum is that it felt more like a Korean War theme park than an actual museum. The perfect example of this picture below:

Visitors can have their pictures taken as prisoners in the camp. This seemed pretty outrageous to me since this place should have a more solemn tone to it considering the serious and tragic nature of what happened here. Most of the Korean War memorials in the country do have a solemn tone to them so the fact that this one has turned into a carnival atmosphere is actually an exception to the rule. Never the less an interesting place to visit, but probably not worth your time to see if your sole purpose for coming to Goeje Island is to visit this museum.

For soldiers stationed in the Camp Casey area, a day trip I highly recommend is a visit to the Museum for Freedom and Peacekeeping. The museum is fairly new because it opened only three years ago and admission is free for soldiers. The museum provides a number of good displays show casing the history of the Korean War along with other displays highlighting the various peacekeeping missions the Korean Army has or is currently participating in.

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Just south of Uijongbu on the opposite side of Dobongsan Mountain and just as accessible to any potential visitors is the lesser known Suraksan Mountain. Suraksan is not as picturesque as it’s western neighbor Dobongsan or as high, but does have its own type of charm and offers spectacular views of northern Seoul and the surrounding countryside. Much like Dobongsan, Suraksan has various trials to explore the mountain from, but I highly recommend tackling the 637 meter summit from the trail beginning near the Seoul Subway Line 7, Jang-am Station entrance I have highlighted below:

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One of the most unusual things to do in the Seoul area, is a trip to Dongnimmun Park and Seodaemun Prison. I say unusual simply because you wouldn’t think of a former prison as a recommended travel destination in Korea, but I recommend this park and prison simply because of the historical and psychological significance they have to the Korean people. If you have ever wondered why Koreans are so ultra-nationalistic this park and prison will give you an idea why.

When you arrive at Dongnimmun Park the first thing you will see is this large arch that towers over the park:

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A new feature I have decided to add to the site is to profile things to do in Korea. Last year there was a discussion initiated on multiple blogs about if Korea is boring. I have never found Korea boring and if anything having to much to do, however the complaint about Korea being boring is one I have heard all to often. So I plan on building a list of things to do in Korea. I figured I would begin with Dobong Mountain (Dobongsan) due to its close proximity to both Uijongbu and Seoul where many soldiers and expats live.

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This is a picture I found over at Korea.net and here is the caption:

A group of white-naped cranes, designated by the Korean government as a natural monument, take rest at Cheonsu Bay, a migratory birds’ haven on Korea’s west coast, on Feb. 21, as they prepared to migrate to Siberia after spending the winter in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Cranes traditionally symbolize loyalty to the king and longevity in Korean literature.

This time of year is actually a great time to go bird watching.  One of the best places is up the Chorwon area near the DMZ.  You can usually see quite a few of these birds up there as well.

Korea is looking to add their first natural heritage site recognized by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization:

On Jeju Island, there are many nominees up for world heritage recognition, like the nature reservations, caves, and tuff cones in Mt. Halla. Because of the fantastic geographical features created by breathtaking scenery and volcanic activity, the preservation value of its environment is high. Last October, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and National Resources (IUCN), the consultative body of the World Heritage Committee, visited Jeju and finished its research. Shim Mi-hwa of the Korean UNESCO committee says, We cannot say for 100 percent certain that it will be chosen, but last year the committee rated the place very highly and theres a good possibility.

I think it would be great if one of the natural features on Cheju Island receives World Heritage recognition, but in my opinion I find Soraksan National Park as being a better candidate for World Heritage recognition. I find Sorak Mountain more scenic than lets say Halla Mountain on Cheju plus their much more cultural sites surrounding Sorak Mountain than Halla Mountain. The Korean authorities have had Sorak Mountain on the tentative UNESCO list since 1994 and added Cheju Island sites in 2002. So it appears the Korean government has given up on listing Sorak Mountain because it has been pending for so long and focusing on getting Cheju listed instead.

Since Koreans like to compare themselves to Japan let me pose this comparison. In my opinion the Sorak Mountain wilderness is just as spectacular the Shirakami-sanchi Mountains in Japan that are listed as being a World Heritage area. Both areas are of nearly equal size (Sorak -163km2, Shirakami-170km2), both have important cultural history, and both protect an environment unique to their countries. So how come Sorak Mountain hasn’t been listed after all these years? In my opinion is probably because natural beauty is not the first thing that comes to mind when people working at the UN who make these decisions think of Korea when compared to Japan. That is why I hope Korea at least gets one natural feature cited to begin to shift this stereotype because the Korean mountains really are beautiful and under appreciated.

Now the really bold move that I would love to see the Korean government try, is to list Ulleongdo and Dokdo islands as World Heritage protected areas. Ulleongdo island is one of the most beautiful areas in Korea and Dokdo islets are not really beautiful, but are unusual. Additionally, a World Heritage nomination for Ulleongdo and Dokdo would be a way to resolve the whole Dokdo nonsense between Korean and Japan. A claim I have often heard from Koreans is that the UN is biased against Korea because Japan gives so much money to the UN. That claim is very weak when the UN is one of the most notable anti-American organizations out there and the US gives more money than any other country to the UN. Plus the new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean which totally debunks the biased UN claim. So now is the time to try to list Dokdo.

This wouldn’t be the first time an area has been given UNESCO recognition that was controversial. Look no further than the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo enshrined by China in 2004. The claiming of the Koguryo kingdom by China has been hotly contested by Korean scholars and UNESCO enshrined it anyway in the name of China. What better way than UNESCO recognition to settle the Dokdo dispute? No more talk about old, inaccurate maps, no more ex-pats losing their jobs over disputing Dokdo ownership, no more people chopping off their fingers, no more bee man, no more disrespecting Japanese flags by Korean politicians, just generally no more wackiness over Dokdo. However, I don’t see it happening because Korean politicians don’t want to settle the Dokdo issue just like they don’t want to settle the Yongsan Garrison issue either, because it provides them an issue that is easy to manipulate to promote nationalism within the general Korean population to their own political advantage.

Over at the Lost Nomad there is an interesting posting and discussion going on about this Donga article. The article pretty much makes the case that foreigners in Korea find the country to be boring. I tend to disagree because I feel there is always something going on in Korea, you just need to know where to go. For example if you are a foreigner and the only thing you do is go to Itaewon or the local ville, yeah Korea is going to suck. However, if you get yourself a good guide book and just go out and adventure around a little bit you can have loads of fun.

I have always found it amazing how many foreigners and I am referring primarily to US soldiers since that is who I usually deal with do not own a guide book. Korea is not a place where things to do just jump out at you because of the differences in language and culture. So a good guide book is critical to enjoying your time in Korea. I prefer the Lonely Planet Korea guide book which provides many great ideas for things to check out in Korea. Everything is covered from entertainment, cultural, historical, outdoors activities, restaurants, hotels, etc. in the country. Another great guide that is especially GI friendly is the guide book, Having a Great Tour. This book focuses more on things to in Korea focused around the US military installations which is a great guide for USFK personnel. Another option is, I’m going to plug the Marmot here, but go get the Seoul magazine. The magazine is filled with things going on in Seoul and it is really one of the strong points of the magazine.

Another key thing to learn to do is master the public transportation system. I know seeing all the Korean hangul seems intimidating at first, but Korea does an absolute superb job with providing English translations throughout their mass transit system compared to other nation’s mass transit systems. The subways have English signs at every station and if you got a good guide book like I suggested you will have a English subway map handy as well. The train system in Korea is also quite easy to master and if you don’t have a car is the best way to get around the country and see more of what is outside of the Seoul area. Additionally the mass transit in Korea is extremely cheap, clean, and safe way to get around.

The next thing people need to do to enjoy their time in Korea is to get involved in the culture. I see soldiers sit around on post and never interact with the community around them. Go out and try different Korean foods for example besides bulgoki rice and yaki mandoo they sell in the ville. Do a home stay with one of the Korean KATUSA soldiers and meet their family and learn more about them. Get involved in teaching English at nearby schools or volunteer at a local orphanage. These activities will keep you busy plus help you make friends in the Korean community. Once you make friends with Koreans they are some of the best friends you will ever have. This will help you enjoy your experience in Korea more and motivate you to want to learn more about the place.

I could go on and on with tips but I think I have made my main points, get a good guide book, learn the public transportation system, and get involved with Korea. Other nations in Asia do a good job promoting themselves and their culture, so when you go to China you want to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China and the tour buses are lined up to take foreigners there. Korea on the other hand does a very poor job promoting themselves, plus the wackiness of some of it’s citizens and the even wackier North Koreans, that gets broadcasted on foreign television screens doesn’t help either.

So when a foreigner comes to Korea they don’t know something like Suwon has a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Suwon Fortress that is a short train ride from Seoul that should be a must see for someone visiting Korea. Or if you are visiting in the winter that Korea has some great skiing and is a candidate for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. It may not be the Alps, but it is still fun. I once arranged a ski trip for soldiers in my unit before and they had a blast and were amazed that Korea had such modern ski resorts. That is because Korea doesn’t promote themselves as a ski destination to the rest of the world.

If you stay on camp all weekend and sit in front of your Playstation then of course you are going to think Korea is boring. Or if you are an expat that doesn’t do anything other than go to Itaewon or a similar villes and drink OB than yes that is going to eventually get old too. There are number of other great things to see in Korea besides the inside of your barracks and the ville, but you have to do your research and then go out and do it. I have always maintained that if you find Korea boring than it is your own fault.

The Marmot has weighed in on this topic as well.

Korea has many great mountain drives for people who love the high peaks of this country to experience.  One of the remotest of those can be found just outside of Soraksan National Park.  If you have a day to spare while visiting the park then I highly recommend you take a drive up the little traveled Highway 56 in Gangwon province.

This country highway spirals up and down than many high peaks of Gangwon province and features a great distant view of Daecheon Peak, the highest of peak of Soraksan National Park.

Along the road you will get a chance to see plenty of wildlife, trees, mountain scenery, and country villages. The villages along this road are so remote that I felt like I was going back into time watching this farmer plow his field with manually with oxen.

This trip is not only a great day trip from Soraksan National Park but is also a great way to travel from Soraksan to Odaesan National Park if this park is also on your itinerary. A back entrance to Odaesan can be reached by turning off at the Odaesan park entrance on highway 446.

Along the way to Mt. Odaesan the rising highway provides incredible views of Korea’s Taebak Mountains:

If you have no plans of visiting Odaesan National Park then just stay on the highway which will eventually allow you to connect to Interstate 50 via highway 31 which will take you back to Seoul.

To get to this highway from Soraksan National Park just travel south on Highway 7 from Sokcho to the city of Yangyang. At Yangyang travel west on Highway 44 for about 10 miles before turning at the intersection on to Highway 56 heading South. It is a great ride that shouldn’t be missed for those already visiting the area.

Today the 9th of December is the 38th anniversary of the 1968 death of a young Korean boy, Lee Seung-bok, who was murdered by North Korean commandos who had infiltrated into Gangwon province. On the night of December 9th the communists stormed into the small traditional home that the Lee family lived, in search of food and shelter. The family gave them what food they had and hoped that the commandos would soon leave.

However, things turned tragic when the communists asked the 7 year old Lee Seung-bok if he preferred North Korea or South Korea. The young boy said he liked South Korea. The commandos began to beat him, but he would not change his mind and before being killed he said the now famous line, “I hate Communists!” The North Korean commandos then proceeded to cut out the 10 year old boys mouth and then began to butcher the rest of the family after they tried to stop the killing of Lee Seung-bok.

In total the 7 year old Seung-bok, his 5 year old, brother Seung-su, his 2 year old sister Seung-ja, and his 31 year old mother Joo Dae-ha were killed by the communists and left to die outside. However, his older brother who was also stabbed and had his head smashed with a rock, did survive. Though seriously wounded he was able to stagger to the residence of his family’s closest neighbor once the commandos left and plead for help and warn others of the infiltrators. Also a family friend had arrived at the residence and was attacked by the North Koreans and stabbed in the leg but he was also able to escape and warn nearby ROK Army officials.

The now alerted neighbors immediately began to take up what crude weapons they had and began guard shifts to watch for the North Koreans until local authorities arrived. The ROK Army arrived and began to secure the area and search for the communist spies.  Unfortunately the murderers were never found and escaped, but the words of Lee Seung-bok served as a rallying cry in schools across Korea and continue to resonate to this day. However, these words resonate today not with an anti-communist message but as a myth created by the authoritarian government of then President Park Chung Hee.

So how did this change in perceptions occur? Of course by repeating a lie over and over again until people just assume it is true. This is propaganda 101 for every communist and that is exactly what they did in the Lee Seung-bok incident. Over the past 12 years so called “progressive groups” using names that actually sound legitimate, which in this case the pro-North Korean sympathizers called themselves the People’s Coalition for Media Reform, to disguise who they really are because they just can’t come out and say they are communists because then people would not take them seriously. This is the same tactic being used currently in the General MacArthur controversy raging in Inchon. Anyway this group accused the then Park Chung-hee government and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reporters who covered the tragedy as fabricating the entire story and not even being at the scene.

This tactic of disinformation in the Lee Seung-bok case has been allowed to simmer in the Korean publics for over the last 12 years where now people take it to be the truth even though last year the Seoul District Court sentenced the leaders of the People’s Coalition for Media Reform to jail terms for fabrication and libel, but the damage has already been done in the publics’s perception of this incident.

It is amazing to me that such blatant disinformation about the incident would be allowed to simmer for this long even though there are numerous eyewitnesses including Lee Seung-bok’s own brother who survived the massacre who verify the accounts of what happened that night. The only reason I can see that this disinformation has been allowed to simmer in the public’s imagination for so long is because more liberal governments who have come to power in South Korea over the last 12 years have been eager to defame the former President Park Chung-hee who still holds a positive image with many South Koreans for turning the country from one of the world’s poorest countries and into an economic power house. There is also the dual reason of appeasing the North Koreans as well in the name of the “Sunshine Policy” even if it means destroying the image and sacrifice of this young boy.

If you want to see for yourself the story of Lee Seung-bok, I encourage you to check out the Lee Seung-bok memorial located near the Soksa interchange on Interstate 50. Just exit off of Interstate 50 on the interchange and head North for about 10 minutes on highway 31 until you see the memorial located to your right. The memorial is quite large and with a huge parking lot, so you can’t miss it.

The memorial is located near where the incident actually happened and includes an accurate replica of Lee Seung-bok’s home, his grave site, a military static display, a park, and a museum with a theater that depicts all the details of the Lee Seung-bok tragedy. The video they play in the theater can also be viewed online by clicking here. I checked the memorial out as part of a side trip while traveling to Odaesan National Park. The memorial is an interesting excursion if you are in the area and the ride up highway 31 features some really gorgeous Gangwon-do mountain scenery.