The locale was Seoul, Korea. It was the first time to hold Overseas SI Award trip in Korea. 12 WISH residents participated in this 5 days and 4 nights study tour with the aim of deepening their understanding of Korean history and culture. As they had opportunities to visit many places in Seoul, it seems like they had chance to see Korea from a variety of angles and deepen their knowledge.
Amazing Experiences in Korea
12 students, including myself, had the pleasure of strolling around Korea to study its culture for a week. There was a lot of concern regarding our safety due to Japan-Korea relations, but the locals warmly welcomed us and we were able to spend a wonderful time there. There are three significant experiences I had in Korea: walking around in a high-tech city, immersing ourselves in Korean culture, and visiting Seodaemun Prison History Museum.
Everywhere I went, I was able to see how technology was intertwined in the daily life of a Korean living in Seoul. There were big screen advertisements in stations and malls and not only does this reduce waste, but it also exhibits financial capability. In addition, Korea recognizes subway stations as a shelter and has emergency precautions set. From signs that say “shelter” at the entrance of subways, equipment and supplies placed in cabinets, and benches that transform into ladders, I was amazed by Korea’s conscience regarding the safety of civilians.
To learn about Korean culture, we visited the Korean Folk Village while wearing a Hanbok and watched traditional dance performances. The dancers wore mesmerizingly beautiful colors that absorbed all viewers’ attention to them. Later we visited Bukchon, an area full of traditional houses that go back 600 years to the Joseon Dynasty. Each house was laced with intricate details that differentiated each house from another, and discovering the small differences while walking along the houses was very fun. On top of that, there is a point at the top of the village where we were able to see traditional homes and modern city buildings standing together. It was one of the remarkably, breathtaking sights I have seen in Korea.
Lastly, we visited the Seodaemun Prison History Museum to get a glimpse of how and what kind of environment the prisoners lived like back then. The exhibitions in the museum had interrogation rooms and torture rooms that had realistic human dolls inside to give us an idea of how the prisoners were treated. In addition, we were able to go inside prison cells and have a first-hand experience of being inside one. As I grazed my hand across the walls, looked up the ceilings of the cell, and peeked through the small opening on the wall, I tried to feel the pain and anger that the prisoners must have felt back in the day.
Throughout this trip, my friends and I were welcomed with nothing but friendliness and warmth. As we deepened our understanding of Korean culture, I hope that there are more people that will try to learn and understand the depths and beauty of Korean culture and that Japan-Korea relations improve in the future.
（F.A)
