Ilsan Lake Park

On my birthday I visited Ilsan Lake Park. Whilst walking around the park I observed many things including artificial waterfall, fountains and a flower garden.     

Ilsan Lake Park, is 991,800 square meters and is the largest artificial lake park in the Asia. It has beautiful natural scenery. There are over 100 different kinds of wild flowers, a forest with more than 200,000 trees so quite impressive.

I really enjoyed it so much it was more peaceful than the prison I visited the week previously  but another great day out. Many people were walking, cycling or just enjoying a picnic, perfect place to be. I real pleasure to visit.

This beautiful lake park preserves a healthy ecosystem with clean water where plants, animals, and fish can be found.

I think the photos say everything about my visit to the Ilsan Lake Park, I truly wonderful and peaceful walking experience.

Lee Milner   

Seoul Tower & Cheonggyecheon Stream Lantern Festival 2012

Here are my fab pictures of Seoul Tower & Cheonggyecheon Stream lantern festival which I visited in November 2012. This was a great day and a worthwhile experience and I would certainly recommend any tourist or traveler in Korea to visit.

I was fortuitous that when I visited Seoul Tower the lantern Festival was occurring at the same time of the year, however in you visit earlier in the year I would still visit the peaceful tranquil Cheonggyecheon Stream.  

This was one for my favourite days in Korea when I visited Seoul Tower and then the Cheonggyecheon stream lantern festival. The only problem is it rained very heavy for the whole 8 hours but that did not stop a prefect day.I went on the train to Seoul and  gained accessed to the tower thought the cable car.

Waiting for the cable car 

I assumed this was optional but you have to get in the cable car to get up the mountain to see the tower. Like me if you are scared of heights don't worry, It provides a great view of Seoul and only lasts for moments. It was worth it the views were breathtaking and I really enjoyed myself despite the rain.

A view from the cable car 

A view of Seoul from Namsan Mountain

Seoul Tower opened to the public in 1980 and has since become a major tourist attraction. The 237 meter  Seoul Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain (243 meters) and  Seoul Tower offers panoramic views of Seoul and the surrounding areas.

After the Seoul tower I visited to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, this is a stream that runs through the heart of Seoul. Today the stream has been transformed into a haven of natural beauty amidst the bustle of city life of Seoul. It is a place were people go to relax and to get away from city life.

The stream has beautiful serene with small waterfalls, and nearly two dozen overhead bridges. and is 5 meters below sea level so you can't hear the traffic of the busy Seoul Center.

During my visit they had the lantern festival on the stream so the stream was lit up with lanterns in the water. There was apparently 10,000 lanterns from more than 20 countries worldwide emitting light along the wonderful stream. The lanterns are are symbol of 'hope and friendship'.

There were four areas each with they own theme. These consisted of lanterns from around the world portraying peace and harmony, a traditional Korean section with lanterns illustrating Korean culture, A section based upon famous symbols of Seoul and a area representing the future based on IT, technology and design.    

British Tombstones in Paju

It was approaching "Poppy Day" in 2012 so out of respect for the great soldiers who risk their lives making sure we are safe, I paid my respects and visited the tombstones in Paju for the British soldiers who lost they lives during the Korean War 1950-1953. The British Army Tombstone in Paju was my next destination while visiting Korea. I had no idea that the British were involved in the fighting so it was remarkably interesting and a unique learning experience 

Injin River where the British fought the Chinese in the Korea War 1951 

In June 1950, just five years after the end of the Second World War, war erupted in Korea. United Nations forces, led by the USA, intervened on the side of South Korea, while the (then) USSR and (later) China supported North Korea.

Although British forces only made up a small proportion of the troops involved in this conflict, they were involved in heaviest fighting. British forces fought at the battle of Imjin River in April 1951.

1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment 

During the summer of 1950, North Korean forces almost pushed the UN forces off the Korean Peninsula. In September, however, the USA launched a successful counter-attack and on the 1st October 1950, the North Koreans were pushed back over the 38th parallel (the boarder before the war and the boarder today).

How the battle was fought

UN and ROK forces then advanced into North Korean territory in an attempt to reunite the two countries. 

Mao Tse Tung, the Chinese leader, fearing that UN and ROK forces would enter Chinese territory, launched a massive and successful attack in support of North Korea. Would the American's and UN have entered China, I hardly think so because this was not the object and another World War would have started just 5 years after the last one.

Paying respects to the brave soldiers 

In January 1951, the Chinese pushed the UN and ROK forces back 60 miles south of the 38th parallel. . As usual the British forces were on the very front line and 1100 men died.

I visited the site where the British forgot in the Korean War in the Battle of Imjin River in 1951, Seoul was under defended and the Chinese and North Koreans would have attacked and won if it was not for the British.

British troops made up of 5000 and fought against the Chinese who had 50,000 men, the brave British were outnumbered 10.1. and still achieved the objectives and defended the position until the American reinforcements could come and regroup in Seoul. The Brave British lost 1100 men and the Chinese a third of their soldiers.

If the British had not held off the Chinese at Imjin River in 1951 dispute been out numbed 10-1 it is quite conceivable that the North Korean's  would have captured Seoul and history could have been different.  Many people including me did not know we forgot in this war.

Imjin looks a scary place and with the river here you could just imagine how hard it was for the British troops in Korea. Still this battle and victory was important because it stopped the Chinese advancing and therefore the Americans could defend Seoul.

One could also visit the Paju Bird Sanctuary which looks after the injured Black Vultures and provides the  veterinary care they require. 

Lee Milner

Seodaemun Prison

On 13 October 2012 I visited Seodaemun Prison in Seoul. The Prison was build in 1908 and was a symbol of Japanese cruelty and oppression during their colonial rule of Korea from 1910 until 1945. It was build to house 500 prisons but up to 3500 were packed inside during the height of the anti-Japanese protests in 1919, there was no heat generated in the prison and the food consisted of just rice, barely and beans. 

In one building the observer can experience what the Korean prisons suffered at the hands of the Japanese captors, firstly the torture scenes, you can look at the spikes in the box which prisons were placed inside.

Moreover you can see the court rooms and if the court finds you guilty you are placed in the execution chair to be hanged and be warned "yes" the chair still drops now!  Around 300-600 people died here from torture, execution, malnutrition and disease.   

The most famous victim was Ryu, Gwan-Sun, an 18 year old Ewha high school student who was tortured to death in 1920. The female prisons were kept in underground cells. The execution building build in 1923 is horrific and painstakingly chilling. Behind the building lay a 200 meter tunnel to a hillside cemetery where the bodies were buried. It is the most somber thing I think I have every witnessed and I can't envisage what it was like here. 

Ryu Gwan Sun 1902-1920

I observed the execution building and there was a big tree near by where all the condemned prisoners hung on to trying to save themselves. It is not possible to take a photo of the execution building because you have to respect the dead or the tunnel where they dumped the bodies. It is chilling and I felt sad, you could still today see the hanging rope in the building and the adjacent tunnel were the Japanese dumped the dead prisoners.  

The Tree where the Korean prisoners hung on to for life and the execution building behind  

Ryu Gwan Sun's final words were  " Even if my fingernails torn out, my nose and ears rip apart, my legs and arms crush, the pain of losing my nation is more brutal" 

She died in jail aged 18 though torture, they killed both her parents as well. 

Ryu Gwan Sun Korean Martyr 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace 

On 2 September 2012 I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, this was the Royal Place where the King and Queen lived during the Joseon Dynasty from July 1392 to October 1887. It is one of the five grand  palaces in Seoul and coincidentally the biggest. It is absolutely beautiful and this amazing building is a must see for any traveler to Seoul or Korea. This can be made evident if any one is especially interested in history and architecture.   

Gyeongbokgung literally means "Palace of Shining Happiness" The vast majority of the palace has unfortunately been destroyed during one Japanese invasion or another, nevertheless It has since been restored to all its glory.  

I traveled to Seoul taking line 3 to Gyeongbokgung and exited at platform 5, upon my arrival I was met by a child who as it transpired was a guide for the Korean tourist board. The guide spoke prefect English and filled me in with all the historical details and informed me as to where and what each building was and its use. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the most visited tourist attraction in Korea so crowds can be immense and this can create quite a wait to buy water and refreshments. Difficulties also arise when you are talking photos and many crowds quite simply walk past without any consideration of the photographer. 

There are many building and it can be confusing to understand what each room and area is used for, so getting a guide which is free and a map it a excellent way to gather the information.     

   

I would suggest having at least 2-3 hours to view all the amazing building and architecture and its well worth stopping at Blue House the official residence of the Korean President or the National Museum of Korea witch are both situated in the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds.   

    

Gyeongbokgung Palace is a top tourist attraction and if I visited Seoul again a place I would definitely visit again without any hesitation. 

Lee Milner