I will be returning home from Korea in the next few days. With the exception of a day-trip to Seoul, I have spent the entire time in the second city of Busan, on the southeastern tip of the country. A few observations, I think, are in order.
South Korea is an economic powerhouse, the 10th largest economy in the world, just behind Canada, but ahead of Russia; which is pretty remarkable for a country the size of Indiana. If gung-ho capitalism is what floats your boat, then you should absolutely love South Korea. That is not what drives my interest, but I could not fail to be impressed with the society they have created here. Koreans have harnessed technology to an extent only imagined in the U.S. And everything works together in ways we have never been able to accomplish. No doubt, South Korea has problems like any other country; but they do a remarkable job of keeping them from view. They simply do not tolerate some of the behaviors we have grown accustomed to in the West.
Their transportation system is a marvel. There are plenty of cars, to be sure, and nice ones at that, but it is their public transportation that shines-taxis, buses, subways, bullet-trains, airplanes–all working together seamlessly. Inchon International Airport was the easiest airport experience I have ever had. Taxis are everywhere, at about 1⁄3 the cost in Texas, and can be called-up like Uber. Buses are easy to use. Some days, it seems I spent half the day underground, zipping from one part of the city to the next on the subway. The cost is a mere pittance. The stations are sparkling clean, gleaming in their design and aesthetics. One was like an underground forest, with plant life covering the walls! Some open directly to major shopping centers. On the Seoul day-trip, we went by taxi to the airport; then a inexpensive 50- minute flight to Seoul; then by subway directly to within two blocks of the Cathedral; then three taxi rides to two other stops and finally the Seoul central train station; then a 2 hour 38 minute bullet train ride to Busan; then taxi to our front door. I was back at home by 10pm. Try doing that anywhere else.
South Korea has a population of about 50 million. Rugged American individualism doesn’t really work here. There’s no room for our strutting “Come and Take it” mentality. In short, Koreans have had to learn how to live together. Busan is a teeming city of four million, wedged between the mountains and the sea. Their growth has had to be upwards. In spite of this, if you were going by just the normal street noise, you could be forgiven for thinking that you were living in a small village. People walk along quietly, for the most part. At least on the streets, Koreans are pleasant, but respectful of the privacy of others. Horns rarely honk. There are no monster trucks with loud mufflers. There is no unwanted music pollution. And as so many of the automobiles are electric, the traffic is largely noiseless.
I am often critical of modern architecture, and there is plenty of it here. But, in Busan and Seoul it seems to work. I saw nothing that I found to be aesthetically offensive. The skyline of Busan, for example, is absolutely stunning–due in part to being wedged between the mountains and a sweeping bay. Seoul is of a more traditional layout–broad avenues that contain an interesting mix of eclectic architecture. At least in the newer areas, there seems to be more attention given to the need for human spaces. In American cities, the driving force seems to be the utilization of every square inch of property for commercial purposes. In Busan, even amidst the densest cluster of office and apartment towers, they have incorporated room for plazas, green spaces, parks, walkways, sculpture gardens, etc. You never feel hemmed-in by the buildings–there is room for humans to breathe and birds to sing.
Housing costs (at least to purchase) can be astronomical. But there are trade-offs. My son and daughter-in-law’s phone plan with unlimited everything costs them the equivalent of $14/month. There is no sales tax. There is no tipping. There is no property tax. Food is healthy, delicious and affordable. This made such an impression on me that I plan to try to incorporate the way Koreans eat into my regimen at home. I will be healthier for it.
Koreans of both sexes are beautiful people, who take care of themselves and are conscious of their appearance. I have never seen such an abundance of department stores–one in particular with ten floors of shopping levels. And these stores are always teeming with customers. They have their own sense of style, something that I can now identify as a Korean look in fashion. It is simply classic and elegant. I do not think I have seen a single backwards baseball cap!
South Koreans think of themselves as Koreans, not “South” Koreans. As my daughter-in-law explained, “we are one people, divided by politics.” She gave an example which made the point perfectly. In grade school, when they were drawing maps of their country, they would draw all the way up to the Yalu River, not to the DMZ.
Korea is an ancient culture, wedged between two other more powerful ancient cultures, China and Japan. From what I can gather, their problem throughout most of Korea’s history has been more with the latter than the former. At any number of historical sites I visited, in reading the placards, there was almost always a paragraph describing the destruction of this particular site by the Japanese during the Invasion of (fill-in-the-blank, for there were many.) It seems that the Japanese conquerors were particularly intent on erasing any notion of a separate Korean identity. At the Great Palace in Seoul (Gyeongbokgung), for example, the Japanese occupiers during the Second World War tore down one of the main structures and erected an army barracks, as if for spite. The beautiful structure there now is a careful and meticulous reconstruction. This seems exactly the pattern that the Ottoman Turks enacted during their long occupation of Bulgaria. And of course, we don’t have to look that far afield as similar examples abound in the colonization of the Americas.
Of course today, Korea may be having a harder time with their Chinese neighbor. One day this week we had a severe air quality alert. The blue skies were replaced with a dense haze. I could barely make out the ocean from the mountain top. My son showed me an app on his phone which explained everything. It is nothing South Korea is doing. Rather, a red cloud of air pollution blanketed Beijing and Shanghai and all of northeastern China. The air currents sweep this over to the Korean peninsula. It is largely diluted by the time it reaches Japan. While in the U.S., my daughter-in-law commented on our air quality. So this seems to be something that we take very much for granted but that others suffer through.
I visited four temples in Korea: three Buddhist and one Christian. Monks? Chanting? Incense? Iconography? Prostrations? Prayers being said? Check, check, check, check, check, and check.. I am not trying to gloss over the substantive (indeed, monumental) differences between the first three and the latter. I am merely noting the very nature of reverence and worship. I had lived 48 years before I first experienced it in Bulgaria in 2003. And so, I think I know it when I see it. People are going to worship; either somebody or something. That said, I am supremely ignorant of Buddhism. From what I have been told, the prayers requested are for “good luck.” That is no doubt a simplification, but until I learn more, that will have to suffice.
Haeungeongsa is a quiet and exquisitely beautiful retreat, tucked into the side of a mountain overlooking the Haeundae neighborhood. I found it to be one of the most serene spots in the city. Haedong Youngungsa is located on a rocky seashore outcropping, on the northern fringes of greater Busan. This one is the area’s most famous monastery, and consequently there is nothing serene about it. It is an outing for families, a check-off for tourists. And it was a bit garish, to be honest. Rows of vendor stalls lined the entrance to the monastery (again, just like in a different world, the vendors lining the entrance to Gelati Monastery in Georgia). Beomeosa is the real deal, you might say. It is in the mountains to the north of the city. This monastery was the most extensive of the three, with probably a greater number of monks. There was the odd traveler here and there, like myself, but nearly everyone there was a pilgrim, making their rounds, praying before the various shrines. I was respectful, and did not view any of it as a photo-op.
Of course, the Christian temple was my favorite. And I have a newfound love and respect for the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea. This is a Greek jurisdiction with about 10,000 parishioners scattered among 9 parishes, I believe. We met with Metropolitan Ambrosios, a gentle and wise shepherd. He helped us with a particular problem, of which I am eternally grateful. He is Greek, from the island of Aegina. He knew people who knew St. Nectarios, and so we naturally talked of that saint and the recent movie, “Man of God.” James and I made a point of watching it a few nights later on. His flock, other than a few internationals in Seoul, is almost entirely Korean–as it should be. The liturgy was 95% in Korean. The priest ordained during the service we attended is Korean. So, I pray for, and expect good things for the faithful here in South Korea.
We were invited to the celebratory feast for the ordination, in the basement church hall. I found it nice to be reminded that Orthodox coffee hour is Orthodox coffee hour–no matter which continent you are on or which particular language you are speaking. I had to chuckle a little about one thing. Along the entire length of one wall of this thoroughly Korean parish hall was a bas-relief panel depicting classical, naked ancient Greeks doing what classical, naked ancient Greeks are usually depicted as doing. The Greeks–God love em!
Finally, the very best thing about Korea is my incredible daughter-in-law, whom I have come to love as a daughter. So, Korea will always be special to me. And if they find themselves here longer than they currently plan, then I will certainly be back.
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What a great "travelogue"! Whenever I think of the Far East, I think of Taipei in the 1950's when I lived there. I wish I could go back and visit there again and some of the places that were closed to American tourists back then.