title Gaeseong Tour - A Very Different Korea name xanadu date 2008-02-22 counter 4868 Gaeseong Tour - A Very Different Korea Gaeseong Tour - A Very Different Korea A 1000 years of history in a day Where do you go in Seoul when you only have one day off? Naturally, you want to see something completely different, maybe even a foreign country. But, let’s consider for a moment our options. What could be the nearest country where you could travel to for a day? China? Yes, quite near, but only one day won’t completely cover it all. Japan? Quite near, but can be quite expensive, too and you won’t see that much in one day either. The nearest neighboring country of South Korea is of course - North Korea - a country many people talk about, but only few ever witnessed with their own eyes. And with recent tour packages made available, you can see some of the most beloved historical sites admired by Koreans in only one day. North Korea has opened a lot in recent years and the fact that international tourists can tour right through one of the important cities in the country shows that there are certain options available you would never even have come close to imagining only a decade ago. Although the reconciliation process is sometimes quite rough, the tour is absolutely safe, organized by experts and North Koreans will welcome you with an open and honest warmness that won’t be spoiled by state-run propaganda. But still, there will be lots of advices how to behave, what to say and most importantly – what to take a picture of and what not. If you need English assistance you can ask for English-speaking tour guides on the day you’re scheduled to take the tour. Before You Go – What you should know about the tour • Check: Before going to one of the bus stops, be sure to have the following things ready:   1. Be sure to bring your passport with you   2. Take US-Dollars with you if you want to buy drinks,       snacks or souvenirs in North Korea After you board the Bus in Gwanghwamun you’ll be driven to the South Korean Border Control in Dorasan where you’ll get all further information you need for the rest of the day. Since the tour is normally operated in Korean and all announcements will be made first and more detailed in Korean, please try to adhere to the following basic principles that are being enforced in order to a smooth operation of the tours. 1. Make sure which group you belong to and try to stick together since there will be up to 350 people on one tour. Everything depends on your group number - from the bus you have to take at every stop up to the table you are seated at lunchtime. If you don’t know your group yet, you can ask the lady at the counter at the very right. 2. Proceed then to the tour counter with your group number on it where you will get all the documents you need: You get 2 passport-like documents (1 for the South, 1 for the North), a tour map and customs declarations. Still you need to bring along your “real” passport all the way! 3. Next you can proceed to the Storage Counter where your personal belongings will be stored away while you are in the North The North forbids basically the following articles: - Cell-phones - Cameras (except Digital Cameras with zooming capability of 10 times and less) - All Newspapers & Magazines - Books related to North or South Korea This Tour will lead you a lot more into the “real” North Korea than the resort-like cruises to Mt. Geumgangsan. Gaeseong is a real city, populated by allegedly more than 300.000 inhabitants. Therefore, security measures by the North Korean are greatly enforced, more so than those in Mount Geumgangsan. Amidst all this heavy security, North Koreans are still very welcoming. Counters for each group Boarding the Buses • Note: When leaving South Korea your passport gets a stamp showing that you departed South Korea, but you’ll get no stamp that you entered North Korea from the North Korean authorities, so there is no problem in taking the tour for people from countries where you could get problems with a North Korean Immigration stamp. • Photos: The most annoying part in taking the tour will be the detailed photo restrictions, but then again, those restrictions are not merely to annoy the tourists. Remember that the two countries are technically still in War! All photos you take will be screened when departing North Korea. This unpleasant censorship is one of the major conditions under which North Korea allows the tour operation, so do not try to discuss with them. The North will enforce this policy nicely, but decisively. Anyway, some officers control your camera more diligent than others do, so it’s basically luck whether you get some questionable photos through to the South. You should still adhere strictly to the following rules: 1. No photos from inside the bus 2. No photos of cityscape or the dwellings of people 3. People are only to be photographed with their consent 4. In all tourist spots photos can be taken freely, but photos that violate 1-3 will be deleted. 5. If you don’t know, ask one of the North or South Korean Tour Guides. The North Koreans are friendly and will help you with every problem that may occur. • Fun fact: Language differences make a fun game on the trip for those who know a bit Korean. For example toilets are called “Hygiene Rooms” in North Korea. Furthermore, on the tour there will be no mentioning of North and South Korea, but only “the north side” and “the south side” in order to avoid political tensions. The Tour – 1000 years in one day Time Itinerary 05:40 AM Boarding the Bus at Gwanghwamun 07:00 Arrival at Imjingak (South Side) 07:00~07:50 Registration 08:00~08:15 Pass by Ceasefire Line 08:15~08:30 Arrival at North Side Border Office 08:30~09:40 Immigration Services → Drive to Bakyeon Waterfall 09:40~11:10 Tour to Bakyeon Waterfall & Gwaneumsa Temple 11:10~12:00 Bakyeon Waterfall → Drive to Restaurant 12:00~13:00 Lunch (Tongilgwan) 13:00~13:10 Tongilgwan → Drive to Sungyang Seowon 13:10~13:40 Tour in Sungyang Seowon 13:40~13:50 Sungyang Seowon → Drive to Seonjukgyo Bridge 13:50~14:20 Tour at Seonjukgyo Bridge & Pyochungbi Monument 14:20~14:30 Seonjukgyo Bridge → Drive to Goryeo Museum 14:30~15:40 Tour in Goryeo Museum and shopping 15:40~16:10 Goryeo Museum → Drive to Gaeseong Industrial Complex 16:10~16:20 Drive through Gaeseong Industrial Complex 16:20~16:30 Gaeseong Industrial Complex → Drive to North Side Border Office 16:30~17:00 Arrival at North Side Border Office 17:00~17:15 North Border Office (Photo Control!) → Drive to South 17:15~17:45 Dorasan – Drive to Seoul 17:45 Arrival in Seoul The Tour is organized very well and punctuality is extremely important for arrivals and departures are based on exact timetables that were negotiated with the North Korean side. To make sure that you don’t get lost, take the Itinerary along with you: • What you‘ll get to see Touring in North Korea is an experience you’ll never forget since this is one of the tours where the interesting parts are not only the things you get to see, but also the things you don’t get to normally witness first-hand. Gaeseong is one of the major places in Korean History. Gaeseong boasts a proud heritage of being the capital of the Goryeo-Dynasty (918-1392), much like Seoul does with the Joseon Dynasty or Gyeongju does with the Silla Dynasty. The city is especially known for its invention of the movable printing letters and its splendid Celadon ceramics. Last but not least, Gaeseong is one of the most famous producing cities of Ginseng, the marvelous nutritional root that not only South Korea is famous for. Actually, before the division of Korea, Gaeseong was the place to be when it came to traditional medicine and Ginseng. On the tour you’ll see some of the most beloved sightseeing spots in the whole of Korea with numerous legends having evolved around them. First you’ll stop at Bakyeon Waterfall and even before you arrive there, you will see some rock carvings from visitors that came here for centuries to enjoy the splendid landscape with the waterfall that doesn’t really fall, but rather shoots its water quite horizontally from the river on the top down in the large basin. Although you won’t see this spectacle in winter, the sight of the massive stream of frozen water is an experience that will be equally rewarding. Then the way leads up to a little hidden monastery called Gwaneumsa (Temple of Avalokiteshvara), more resembling a hermitage, with a beautifully renovated main hall and lovely living quarters. The more scholarly eye will notice that the Dancheong motives and the latticework are quite different from most South Korean temples. Koreans will stand in line to get some of the spring water that is said to have positive effects for your health. Tip Since the tour is planned to ensure a pleasant trip especially for the elderly, most young people have enough time to quietly enjoy the sights, soak in the pure air and just relax in the wonderful mountains. Don’t rush or you will end up sitting in the Bus for 30 minutes before the Bus is scheduled for departure. Famous North Korean Food – not just like the original – this is the real stuff Lunch is being served at Tongilgwan (House of Reunification) which is reportedly the best restaurant in Gaeseong. But then again – as you will see – there aren’t that many restaurants in Gaeseong. But still, the food, a typical serving of 13 plates, will satisfy everyone’s appetite. You may recognize that the North Korean Food has less chili, but more pepper in it than you are accustomed to in the South Korean cuisine. Since the food is not too spicy, it is easily enjoyable for westerners. • How to eat There is a tiny cup with a special liquor in front of the plates. It is an old Korean tradition to drink a small cup of alcohol before eating – a tradition only seldomly practiced in the South nowadays, so you’ll see many South Koreans who drink the alcohol afterwards. The food is eaten quite like a normal Korean meal you know from the south. Rice and soup are accompanied by side dishes and there is no special order in eating. Only the sweet rice dessert (the bowl furthest away from you) is considered to be best when eaten after the rest. But not only is the food delicious, the waitresses will show you with their charming service that the tradition of the famous “Songdo Gisaeng” (Female entertainers of Gaeseong) is still alive in a certain way. Absolutely impressive service by countless charismatic ladies and girls in the North Korean style of Hanbok will give you an impressive change from ordinary dinner service anywhere else in the world. • Bloody Bridges & Tall Turtles The next stop of the tour is the Sungyang Seowon, an old private Confucian Academy where the famous scholar Jeong Mong-ju resided and taught the local elite for some time. He is known for his unconditional loyalty to his lord, the king of the Goryeo Dynasty, while the wind of history blew towards Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Yi Dynasty (Joseon Dynasty). His famous Sijo (most beloved form of Korean Poem) is in the curriculum of every school in South and North Korea. While wandering through the beautiful grounds, you will hear many Koreans reciting this remarkable poem and talking about the spirit that is manifested in it: “Though I die and die again; though I die one hundred times, Long after my bones have turned to dust, whether my soul exists or not, Ever loyal to my Lord, how can this one red heart of mine ever fade away?” The next stop leads to the very place where Jeong Mong-ju was killed by five assassins – and the poem’s theme of everlasting loyalty in the face of death became true: The Seonjukgyo Bridge, one of the most sacred places in Korean History for here was the place where the fate of the dying Goryeo Dynasty was decided and the last of the Loyalists died. And being not only of historical significance, the bridge’s mystery is a long brownish-reddish stain that is said to be the bloodstain of the dying Jeong Mong-ju. Although never proven it makes for a good mystery and all Koreans know this story so hordes of Koreans will gather around the bridge • The Harvard of the Goryeo Dynasty The tour then continues on, passing some old factories and rather desolate parts of the city only to stop in front of an absolutely lovely courtyard with trees that are nearly 1000 years old. The last stop of the tour is the Goryeo Museum which was actually the Seonggyungwan (State Confucian Academy) of the Goryeo Dynasty and only later became a Museum with some of the buildings used for exhibition of extremely precious national treasures. You’ll see some of the finest Goryeo Celadon vases and vessels that are known today. In addition the oldest movable printing letter of the world is also exhibited, showing the high level of technology in the Goryeo Dynasty. • Shopping in the Worker’s Paradise While you will notice that in the only department store of the city there is next to nothing to buy and subsequently nobody goes there, at all major tourist spots hordes of nice North Korean women will already await your arrival and sell you overpriced folk souvenirs, liquor and agricultural products. Of course, being in a self-proclaimed socialist country only US Dollars are accepted. If you don’t want to fund this directly or simply have no dollars with you, you can still buy a smaller variety of goods in the South Korean Border Office, where South Korean Won are accepted. → For Gaeseong tour reservations, click here! [Find out More!] → Travel Highlights of Mt. Geumgangsan → DMZ Tours download name password 글자수는 200자로 제한되며 욕설,비방의 글은 삭제됩니다. number | title | writer | date | file | counter Information on Ferry Service to Japan xanadu 2009-05-25 - 2858 Can I visit to North Korea now? traveler 2009-05-16 - 1481 Can I visit to North Korea now? 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