Obviously the history is much more detailed, but here is a simplified version. The Japanese took rule over Korea from 1910-1945, when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces at the end of WWII. The occupation was severe. Many people fought for the indepedence of Korea from Japan and most of those people were put into many prisons. The Japanese forced everyone, especially Korean children in the schools, to quit speaking Korean. The children had to write and speak Japanese in school. They were also taught and semi-brainwashed about the superiority of the Japanese and all the traditions and history of Japan as opposed to Korea. Japanese holidays and customs were to be adopted as well. People even had to change their Korean names to Japanese ones. Those who did not adhere to the new regulations were taken to prison. I actually read a really good book about this back in college, for an adolescent literature class. It is called, "When My Name was Keoko" by Linda Sue Park. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.
I have been anxious to visit this prison for a long time. It was really interesting to see the old buildings, pictures, artifacts, and recreations of old events. It left me wondering if I would be able to fight for my country and risk going to prison like so many Koreans did back then- even like the millions around the world that are fighting for their freedom today. It got me thinking about how lucky I am to have been born into one of the world's "superpower" countries. My visit also left me with a stronger desire to keep myself updated with the current happenings of the world. It was a good reminder that history is in the making each day and it is so easy to forget about it all and just live your life day to day.
This is just one of the three wings to the main prison building. There are many buildings on the prison ground.
This is another wing of the prison from the inside of the building, standing outside the gate to the wing.
This is one of the many pots used to make rice for the prisoners.
Ok, onto some new pictures.
This is grill at a restaurant that is used to make galbi- a grilled beef or pork. Usually the grills are flat pans, this is pretty unusual for most restaurants. 
Sorry, I had to do it... I thought this was pretty funny!
I went shopping at an underground shopping center in Seoul. I've never been in one before and I never ever expected something so crazy. Imagine a really really long hallway crammed with stalls and vendors on each side. Each vendor's selling space is just packed with different trinkets and items for sale. There are people everywhere! Some walk very slowly and others are in a rush and just push right past you. I don't think you can walk five feet without bumping into someone. This picture is from the flower/plant section. There were so many different sections: plants, dishes, lamps, art, rugs, knickknacks, shoes, bags, jewelry, and other random things. I think the shopping center was probably over a half mile long. I was nervous to walk into most stalls because they were so packed I thought I would turn around and break something.
This is a special ice cream treat that I forgot the name of, but it is really good. On the bottom of the bowl is shaved ice. On top of the ice is red beans, watermelon, bananas, and pineapple. On top of the fruit is the ice cream. I didn't really care for the fruit, but the mixture of the ice, red beans, and ice cream was really tasty!I guess you could say my past week has been pretty busy! Plus, you should all be proud of me for posting two blogs in a week!
2 comments:
When I was in Hong Kong and in Eastern Europe (at different times, obviously) we walked through similar underground markets. We would have to walk in and out of them to get through some plazas and train stations or just to different buildings. In some areas, foot traffic was routed this way under train tracks or busy streets.
In Rochester, by the Mayo Clinic, there is actually a system of underground hallways that they call a sort of subway system. There are a few restaurants and shops and then there is a Barnes & Noble with a Starbucks and there's some elevators for the handicap. You can go between hotels, the civic center, the mall areas, a then the Mayo Clinic. My first time there is seemed really weird, there aren't many places, in the Midwest at least, like it. There is more empty hallways than shops, but I'm assuming it's purpose if more to allow people at the Mayo to get around without having to deal with the harsh winter.
the dessert is called "pat bing su"
"pat" means red beans, "bing" means ice and "su" means....a girl's name. jk, i don't know what the "su" part means. it may refer to water, so bing su would be frozen water...i don't know, i'm making this stuff up but it makes sense, non?
meanwhile, did the seodaemun prison not scare the bejeezus out of you? i hate animatronics! ACK! plus, thinking about all the people that were tortured and killed there made it sad and eerie.
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