Seoul may be the front line in the wrestling match between ancient tradition and the globalized world. In many ways, Seoul exhibits everything you would expect from a modern, avant-garde, East Asian metropolis. This is ground zero for the "Miracle on the Han River," the unprecedented period of post-war growth that swept over Korea from the 1960s to the 1990s. Over these decades, national symbols of a once-unified Korea, like Sungyemun gate and Gyeongbok-gung palace watched as the gravity-defying skyscrapers of Gangnam sprang up, perhaps pointing toward a very different Seoul - a true, world city. Today, I think Seoul rests somewhere in between - an experimental breed between a proud Confucian past and an unquenchable thirst for free markets and economic growth - a tree with ancient roots, but a canopy that continues to grow into a more globalized future.
On this, my second experience with Seoul, I joined three friends from Daejeon as we began our self-initiated tour of the city. We set out toward our major destination of the day - Gyeongbok-gung palace. Unlike other some other cities in South Korea, it's impossible to avoid history in Seoul. Without even truly planning it, we walked into two major examples of this. Our first unplanned stop of the day was at Sungyemun gate.
Sungyemun was at one point the southern entry point into Seoul. The fact that it now lies in nearly the center of town only shows how much this place has changed over time. As we ventured on through the summer humidity, we turned a corner right into the historical reenactment in front of city hall. In this changing of the guard ceremony, city soldiers in their elaborate uniforms, swords, spears and pikes maintain this tradition of the city for onlookers.
I'm not sure which was more impressive - the intricate footwork and commands of the guards, or their ability to be dressed head-to-toe in thick cotton in the middle of a South Korean summer.
We carried on, and eventually reached Gyeongbok-gung. The U.S. has Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall, and South Korea has the Gwanghwamung gate and Gyeongbok-gung palace. Statues representing figures from a proud tradition, such as the great King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin stand watch over the masses of tourists, taxis and street vendors along this corridor of history.
We entered the palace through the Gwangwhamung gate, taking our first few minuted to stroll through the vast courtyards and winding paths throughout the complex. We joined an English tour and walked through royal bedrooms, banquet halls, and tree-lined walkways.
This is the semi-official foreigner area of Seoul, located next door to an enormous American military base. Itaewon was truly an anomaly for me - it didn't feel like Korea, but it also didn't feel like anywhere else I'd ever been. It was this bizarre, super multi-cultural purgatory, with a dash of Korean thrown into it. I'm still not sure what to make of it.
We passed through allies of every kind of cuisine you could imagine - African, Middle-Eastern, Brazilian, Italian and more - like a weird oasis of internationality in one of the most culturally and ethnically homogenous countries in the world.
After munching on some fried African plantains and the obligatory Taco Bell soft taco, we stopped for a drink at a Japanese pub. It was semi-surreal to me, as I've grown accustomed to Korean, Korean, and more Korean food, drink and culture in my daily life in Daejeon.
After a surprisingly restful night spent on the floor of a room full of strangers (see my previous post on jjimjilbangs), we traded our international surroundings for something entirely different - Gangnam.
Now, before anyone makes a reference to Psy or anything Psy-related - please don't. The guy is literally ubiquitous, not only in Seoul, but in every random corner of this entire country. It's hard not to be burned out of a song when it's on the playlist of every coffee shop, convenience store, supermarket, and funeral home in the nation (that last one is not confirmed, but I wouldn't be surprised).
K-pop rant aside, it's pretty easy to see why Gangnam has become an internationally recognized pop culture item. While north of the river you can find palaces, gates and historical reenactments, once you cross the Han down to the southern part of the city (Gangnam means south of the river), everything revolves around glamour, wealth, and growth, growth, growth. Gangnam is what many Koreans would call the wealthiest, most enviable spot in Seoul. Think 5th Avenue in New York but much newer, and with more plastic surgery.
Our stop for the weekend was back across the river in Insadong, the unofficial arts and culture capital of Seoul. For me, this was the perfect way to end a diverse weekend in Seoul. Insadong in unmistakably Korean - in it's appearance, what it sells, and what it just all around feels like. The main pedestrian street here is delightfully littered with art galleries and traditional tea houses. We made sure to experience both.
