Gwangju

Destination: Gwangju Kimchi Town (Gwangju, Jeollanam-do)

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October 18, 2012
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Gwangju Kimchi Town (광주김치타운) – possibly one of the weirdest places in Jeollanam-do – and on a road named after a food! Intended to house a kimchi museum and a working manufacturing plant, we saw no evidence the latter was operating. The place was such a ghost town we weren’t sure the place was open at first – even the cafeteria was closed. Eventually, we discovered the first hall (seen above). A kind but clueless lady actually asked us if we knew what kimchi was. Bear in mind, this is after researching the place, after finding the place, after showing the taxi driver the address (who hadn’t More >

In search of democracy – or – Destination: 5.18 Memorial Cemetary (Gwangju)

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January 9, 2011
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The 5.18 Memorial Cemetary (국립 5.18 민주묘지, guk-rib min-ju-myo-ji) is a reminder of how much a city – and a country – can change in a short period of time. It’s also a reminder of how new Korea’s democracy is. Lest anyone think Korea hasn’t learned from their history, let this be a place to remind them of.

Since literally hundreds of books – and an excellent Wikipedia article – have been written on the Gwangju democracy movement, let’s keep this a short and simple summary of the events at hand.

Korean president Park Chung-hee was assassinated on October 26, 1979, leaving then-Prime Minister More >

Destination: Gwangju Museum of Art (Gwangju)

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August 4, 2008
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Located close to the Gwangju Folk Museum, the Gwangju Museum of Art is also in Jungwoi Park in Gwangju. While it doesn’t seem to have any permanent exhibits of its own, it seems to have a great schedule of exhibitions as evidenced by its brochure. No picture were allowed inside the museum, so I scanned the pictures you see below from their own brochures

These pictures are from the ‘Young Artists exhibit’. These are Korean artists under 30 years old that exhibit some special artistic abilities:

I’ll take note of this particular photo, since this was my favorite exhibit. In the corner to More >

Destination: Gwangju Folk Museum (Gwangju)

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August 3, 2008
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Welcome to Gwangju Folk Museum – one of several attractions in Jungwoi Park. According to a brochure I picked up, the museum has over 9,400 items, although ‘only’ 2,959 items are exhibited… Not bad for a 500 won entrance fee (about 50 cents).

The front of the building, complete with several outdoor exhibits. The taller statue in the foreground is of a Buddha figure, although the accompanying sign admits it is ‘crudely made’.The large display in the museum lobby. What you’re displayed is a game of gossaum, a game where two teams carry large straw ropes. One person on each team actually rides More >

Destination: Mudeungsan / Jeungsimsa temple (Gwangju)

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August 3, 2008
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At 1,187 meters tall, Mudeungsan (or Mt. Mudeung as a non-Korean might call it) is the tallest mountain in Gwangju. The point isn’t always to climb to the summit – there’s quite a few walking trails up only part of the mountain, or to hike all the way around the mountain.

A map of Mudeungsan found in a local subway station. The map shows over a dozen different trails, ranging from short hikes you could do in an hour to day-long hikes around the mountain.

A couple of the pictures taken during the hike up the mountain. I didn’t go all the way to the top, but certainly enjoyed the

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Destination: Chosun University (Gwangju)

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August 3, 2008
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With about 25,000 students, Chosun University in Gwangju was a natural place to explore and take in during my stay in Gwangju. While definitely a university, visiting on a weekday in July during an overcast / rainy day meant we didn’t run into many students.

The entrance to Chosun University – you’ll note that art makes up a significant portion of this blog.

An interesting statue of a sun figure being supported by a chicken? Hmm…

Some of the academic buildings set in front of a mountain. It’s rather picturesque – definitely unlike the utilitarian buildings of some American colleges.

A Rose More >

Destination: Gwangju

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August 1, 2008
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The first stop on my vacation plans, Gwangju – population 2+ million – is the sixth largest city (Wikipedia) in Korea. Although I came to Gwangju to see one of my Korean friends, it was a pleasant experience to start off a vacation. Gwangju / Kwangju has a rich history of rebelling against the government, or something they see as wrong. For example, a fight between the Japanese occupation and Koreans in 1929 led to one of the biggest resistance movements had seen at the time. On 18 May 1980, a non-violent demonstration that called for democracy was repressed by the South Korean army, More >
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