A Day in Suwon

Today, I went with my friend Katie to Suwon. Katie is in my North and South Korea class, and is a such a sweet person. She is from Oregon and is finishing her degree next semester. She is also getting married next summer, and her fiance was able to visit her a few months ago, so cute! We met up with Katie's friend from college, Maddie. Maddie came to Korea to teach English in Asan. We also met Maddie's friend Julie, she just came about two weeks ago to Korea to teach in Asan. It was fun to hear about their classes and students. They teach kids between the age of four and seven, and they said their English is pretty good. I am always shocked by the intensity that the Korean students have to study. School is a means to an end rather than a journey, it is quite sad how the priority is scores rather than progress. I feel so blessed to have been taught the joy of learning, rather than the pressure to maintain a certain score. I hope that Korean students find that joy in all of the stress.

Suwon is about an hour by train from school, so it is about halfway between Seoul and Sinchang (my school). When we got to Suwon, we went to Hwaseong Fortress. Hwaseong is a late Joseon Dynasty fortress that was built to protect the southern borders of Seoul. It is a perfect example of Korean/Asian defense architecture. It is built up a mountain, so that the lookout tower can see much farther. There are a lot of lookout posts and places in the wall where the defenders would be able to attack any offensive. It was absolutely stunning, but like a lot of Korea, it has had its heartbreak. During the Japanese occupation, it was neglected. The fortress fell apart and the Japanese converted parts of it into a hospital and a government center.

I can understand how many of the older Korean people have such animosity towards the Japanese. Almost every great piece of Korean cultural heritage was destroyed and turned into some kind of Japanese building. Not only that, but during the occupation, I have been told that Koreans weren't allowed to use the Korean language and couldn't speak of their history. It is one thing for a nation to take control of another nation in the fashion that the Japanese took Korea, but to try to erase the history of that country is absolutely disgusting. Don't get me wrong, I love Japan, it is a beautiful nation. I have several Japanese friends here at school and they are some of the sweetest people I have met. However, what the Japan of the past did to Korea is wrong on so many levels. I can still see some older Korean people carrying prejudice against the Japanese today. I think they still see the old hateful Japan that destroyed so much of their national identity. I think the feelings towards Japan have improved, but it is still a recent scar that shouldn't be opened.

But back to the story of Hwaseong: After the Japanese occupation ended in 1945, the remainder of Hwaseong was caught in the middle of the Korean War. By the end of the war, it was torn apart like the Korean people. It took another thirty years until the rebuilding process began. The South Korean government took the original building plans written in 1801 and rebuilt Hwaseong. They used the tools of the nineteenth century and built the fortress in its original location, tearing down the buildings built during the occupation. Today, it stands in its original state, presenting an inspiring symbol of perserverence. It was quite an experience, knowing the history behind this fortress, to walk beside its walls. I am always amazed by the strength of the Korean people. In spite of all they have gone through, they continue to rebuild and look to the future. Hwaseong represents that strength to me. It was originally built in the past for physical strength, and it has been rebuilt for the strength of the spirit of the Korean people.

Oh, kind of off subject, but still a cute fact. The city of Suwon has this adorable Christmas light display, and a lot of the stores in Suwon had Christmas decorations. I even heard some famous Christmas songs being played in some of the stores, something that I miss from home. I am hoping as Christmas gets closer, I will see more evidence of the season.