Tag: South Korea

Street vendors, restaurants at war in Myeong-dong https://t.co/RXw7791bVV

— Korean Quarterly (@KQOfficial) March 6, 2016

Family members of the 46 South Korean sailors killed in a North Korean torpedo attack in March 2010 offer a silent tribute at the National Cemetery in Daejeon, central South Korea, on March 5, 2016. (Yonhap)

Basic Information

• Name: Gloucestershire Regiment Memorial
• Where: Jokseong, Gyeongi-do Province
• Cost: Free
• More Info: Cultural Heritage Admin. Korea

Narrative

For those that have read my posting about the Hero of the Korean War, Lieutenant James P. Carne and his men of the Gloucestershire Battalion during the Korean War, you may be interested in seeing what the battle site looks like today.  Fortunately the area that the battle took place has turned into the nicest memorial of any other Korean War battle field I have seen yet.  The memorial is located below the large Kamaksan mountain and just outside the village of Jokseong on Highway 56:

It takes less than hour to drive to the site from both Dongducheon and Uijongbu on Highway 56.

The memorial is easy to spot due to this large sign on the side of the highway:

Besides the sign the prominent flags also give away the fact that this area is a Korean War memorial site.  The flags were backdropped by Gloster Hill which is where the Gloucestershire Regiment made their final last stand during the Battle of the Imjim:

I have been to the site three times and each time the site has been well maintained and very clean which is not always the case with other Korean War memorial sites I have been to.  The memorial is divided in half with a park on one side of the river and the actual memorial on the other. The park is actually a popular picnic area for Korean locals. There are even restaurants and cafes adjacent to the park for visitors to use.

To reach the actual memorial you have to cross over the creek with the use of this bridge:

The bridge is specially decorated with British flags:

Seeing so many British flags just seems so odd considering you are in Korea, but their are many more Union Jacks on display here than Taegukis. Near the bridge is also a plaque and map describing to visitors the Battle of the Imjim:

Just across the bridge and at the base of Hill 235 is this memorial carved in the rock face:

Here is how the memorial looks up close:

Here is a close up look at the inscriptions on the plaques:

Conclusion

The site may be easy to find, but it can be a bit difficult to get to if you don’t have transportation. Buses from Dongducheon run to Joeksong regularly and from Joeksong the site is only a short cab drive away. This is how I first visited the site but I had to walk back to Joeksong afterwards to catch the bus again.  I later led a group of Soldiers to the site for a leader development session that I did.  This battle has a lot of interesting lessons learned and leadership examples that make for a great professional development opportunity.  Ultimately I recommend this memorial to anyone with an interest in Korean War history.

It looks like if someone needs a good caffeine buzz, Dutch coffee products are the way to go:

Dutch coffee products on average contain four times the amount of caffeine in a cup of americano sold in cafes, according to the Korea Consumer Agency on Thursday.

The agency examined 30 Dutch coffee products in the market and found that while a cup of americano contains 0.4 milligrams of caffeine per milliliter, Dutch coffee contains 1.7 milligrams.

Currently, a beverage that contains more than 15 milligrams of caffeine per 100 milliliters is classified as “highly caffeinated” by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and these drinks must provide a warning label to customers to prevent them from consuming more caffeine than the maximum daily intake. However, there were no warnings on the tested products.

The warning standard set by the ministry states that highly caffeinated drinks must have a phrase for those susceptible to caffeine, such as “Caution: can be dangerous to children, pregnant woman and those sensitive to caffeine,” along with a “highly caffeinated” sign. The product must also say how many milligrams of caffeine is in the drink.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

“A Profile” is a continuing series of articles here on the ROK Drop that describes each of the different US military installations in Korea and the corresponding “villes” outside of the gate.  You can learn more about these locations at the below links:

• Bosandong Ville In Donguducheon (2011)
• Camp Bosan AKA TDC Ville (2025)
• Camps Casey, Hovey, Nimble, Mobile, Castle, & Kwangsa-ri
• Camps Kyle, Sears, Essayons, LaGuardia, & Falling Water
• Camp Kyle & Camp Sears (2020)
• Camp Casey (2025)
• Camp Mobile
• Camp Mujuk
• Camp Page
• Camp Red Cloud (2005)
• Camp Stanley
• Korea Training Center (KTC)
• The “TDC Ville” (2007)
• Teokgeo-ri Ville
• Uijeongbu
• Western Corridor Camps
• Western Korean Demilitarized Zone
• Yongsan Garrison, Camp Kim, Camp Coiner, Camp Jackson & Camp Market

Note: If anyone wants to contribute an article to this series feel free to send it to me using the “Contact” link above.  If it is of high enough quality I will publish it here on the ROK Drop.  I would particularly like to publish articles about camps that are now closed.  If you have served on a now closed camp and would like to share your thoughts and pictures of your time on the camp please write an article and send it to me or post it in the Forums.

How long will it be before we see a reality show like this coming to a US television network?:

TV military reality show “Real Men: Women’s Army Special” began its fourth season Sunday, with viewers waiting to see which of the eight female celebrities has what it takes to become a competent combat soldier.

The cast of the MBC show includes singers ― Chinese Cao Lu from girl band Fiestar, Jun Hyo-seong from girl band Secret, Dahyun from multinational girl band Twice ― and actresses, including Lee Chae-young and Kim Sung-eun.

They will undergo physically demanding training to qualify to become a petty officer in the Armed Forces Medical Command.

Since August 2014, each season has uncovered outstanding trainees.

While many trainees broke down in tears and showed signs of mental collapse, the “alpha dog” stars were braver, more charismatic and more willing to tough it out. [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (C, 1st row), Defense Minister Han Min-koo (3rd from L, 1st row) and other participants pose for a photo during a tour of the 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer, the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, at the new civilian-military naval base on Jeju Island on Feb. 26, 2016, in this photo released by the Navy. The tour came after a ceremony marking the base’s launch. The base opened 23 years after it was first initiated to serve as docks for warships and cruise ships and to host forces to quickly respond to any hostile activities in nearby waters. The base construction has been opposed for years by local residents and activist groups who cite environmental damage and the buildup of regional military tensions. (Yonhap)

This photo provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Feb. 26, 2016, shows what used to be the home of Albert Taylor, the first Western journalist to report on the March 1, 1919, independence movement by Koreans against Japan. The Seoul government said it will restore “Dilkusha,” the name given to the two-story brick house in downtown that means “palace of hope” in Hindu, to its original appearance and open it to the public in 2019 to mark the centennial of the independence movement. (Yonhap)

A ceremony is held at U.S. military base Camp Casey in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, on Feb. 26, 2016, for the rotation of troops. Some 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty. (Yonhap)

People holding up South Korean flags, or “Taegeukgi,” reenact the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 against Japanese colonial rule in Seoul on Feb. 26, 2016, four days ahead of a national holiday marking the uprising. (Yonhap)