Korea

Cheong Wa Dae

Today my family and I toured Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House.  The Blue House is the official residence of the Korean president, currently Roh Moo-hyun.  "Cheong Wa Dae" literally means "blue tiled house," referring to the blue tiled roof covering the white wood and brick structure.  The White House might be a more fitting name for the structure, but obliviously the United States has dibs on the name "The White House."  The Blue House is located north of Gyeongbok Palace on the southern flanks of Bugaksan Mountain.  You can see an obscured view of the residence from Jongno, or central Seoul.  It’s clearly visible if you’re in a high rise building downtown with a view to the north or standing on Namsan, or South Mountain.  The building itself is gorgeous.  The predominately white hue of the building makes it unique among traditional, oriental wooden structures.
 
The tour was fine.  Unlike the U.S. White House, which allows a lucky few to tour the East Wing of the residence, the Blue House is not open for tour.  We began our tour with a ten-minute film covering the history of Cheong Wa Dae featuring interior shots of the residence.  The site was originally a villa built in 1105 by Joseon Dynasty King Sukjong.  It later became part of the Gyeongbok Palace garden when the palace became the seat of power for the Joseon Dynasty in 1395.  It remained part of the palace until 1939, when the site became the official residence of the Japanese governor of colonial Korea.  Korean President Syngman Rhee designated the site the official residence of the Korean president in 1948, the year of the founding of the Republic of Korea.  It remains the official residence to this day.  Perhaps most notably, Cheong Wa Dae is considered as the "most blessed place on earth" by some geomancers.  It sits on the axis of four great mountains that form a cross–Bugaksan to the immediate north, Namsan far to the south, Naksan to the west, and Inwangsan to the east.
 
We were very hot during the entire tour.  The sun bore down and the humidity was high today.  Although we enjoyed touring one of Korea’s most important sites, we thought the tour was average at best.  The tour guides spent too long explaining the significance of the sites while the sun beat down, and at the same time, we were limited in what we could photograph because of security concerns.  The entire tour lasted about one hour.  We cooled down just a few hours later when a freakish storm blew in and dumped six inches of rain in about an hour.  I feel much better now that Cheong Wa Dae is a memory.
 
For the Shutterbugs:  I added a new photo album showing highlights from today’s tour.  People have told me that I don’t take enough photos of Koreans, so I captured some photos of some of the people who joined us on the tour.  I chose some of the more beautiful members of the tour group so that those who don’t believe me that Korea has some of the most beautiful women in the world can judge for themselves.  These women are just a few of many living here in the Land of the Morning Calm.  A friend of mine once told me he thought Russian women were the most beautiful in the world–until he came to Korea.  He changed his mind.

Finding comfort in propaganda

Dear Reader, I needed a good laugh after a long week of family tragedy and illness, so I turned for comfort in North Korean propaganda.  I know it sounds wacky, but there’s comfort to be found in focusing on someone else’s miserable existence.  I feel much better now after reading about life in the workers’ paradise.  Things could always be worse.  I could be goose-stepping in Pyongyang or salvaging ruined rice crops in rural Hamhyeung.
 
First, I tried finding North Korean news sources so I could read the news in English.  Unfortunately, these web sites are all blocked here in South Korea due to the country’s National Security Law, which prohibits public displays of North Korean propaganda.  You should be able to access the links below outside South Korea.  Most originate in Japan, where there is a sizable population of Korean expatriates sympathetic to North Korea.  Most news about North Korea in South Korea is first vetted through South Korean or western news resources.  It’s debatable whether South Koreans themselves should be able to access this material directly from the source.  The South Korean government currently says no.  Here are some of the official North Korean sites not accessible here in South Korea:
 
 
Next, I searched for alternative news sources beyond the usual suspects, South Korean media, CNN, BBC, and other mainstream outlets.  I was more interested in reading direct North Korean news quotes for a good laugh.  Mainstream sites rarely quote directly from such sources.  I found some relevant sites listed below.  Perhaps when I move to Paraguay, I’ll be able to visit North Korean sites directly to learn more about the North Korean propaganda machine and Juche weltanschauung. 
 
 
Warning:  Some  of the sites listed above feature offensive material, partly because North Korean propaganda is inherently aggressive and because the sites openly caricature this propaganda.  Enjoy…if you dare.

2006 Miss Korea Pageant

My wife and I were fortunate to be given tickets to last week’s Miss Korea pageant by Fashion Designer Andre Kim.  Miss Seoul Honey (Ha-Nui) Lee won the pageant and was crowned Korea’s most beautiful woman.  She beat out Miss Incheon Sharon Park for top honors, leading some to wonder whether her status as Miss Seoul helped her win favor.  After all, Seoul is Korea’s largest city and host to the annual pageant.  The entire crowd erupted each time Miss Seoul was in the spotlight, indicating an obvious bias in the auditorium.  An unscientific poll of our group determined that Ms. Lee may not have performed as well as other contestants, including Miss Incheon.  While all 61 ladies performed admirably, some contestants were absolutely stellar.  Miss Seoul did well, but not as well as one would expect for a Miss Korea.  For example, during the question and answer session given to the semi-finalists and finalists, she choked up a couple times and could not answer one question at the end of the pageant.  She may have won the Miss Korea pageant, but I question how she will perform when she enters the Miss World pageant.  I hope she does well.
 
For the shutterbugs:  I posted a new photo album with photos of the pageant.  Enjoy!