Korean Culture Day

Today (Saturday May 30) there were no business visits, only excursions to historic sites in the Kyungu area. We went to two beautiful and ancient Buddist temples, to a royal burial mound from the Silla dynasty (100 - 300 AD) and to a huge museum that housed a fantastic collection of Buddist art and historic artifacts. A traditional Korean lunch was part of the experience as well. The highlight of lunch was that we were served two different kinds of kimchi. I thought there was only one bad version - now I know there are at least two. I thought about asking if there were still more varieties of kimchi but I decided the risk of having more brought to the table outweighed the need to satisfy my curiosity!

Kyungju, South Korea

For the next few days our group will be in Kyungju, which is on the south east side of the Korean penninsula near the city of Ulsan. The town of Kyungu is quiet and beautiful - full of traditional homes (like the picture above), Buddist temples and small businesses. But nearby is the heartland of Korean heavy industry. We spent the day (Friday, May 29) with visits to POSCO Steel, Kiswire (Korean Iron, Steel and Wire) and Hyundai. The steel complex was incredible with acres and acres of furnaces and rolling mills and a massive seaport for unloading raw materials (iron ore and coal) and loading finished steel, mostly in the form of huge coils or structural products like i-beams. The operation at Kiswire was also very interesting. They produce wire on a scale that is hard to describe. We spent most of the time watching the process of turning steel rod (from POSCO) into thin bronze-coated wire to be used in steel reinforced radial tires. Other Kiswire products include piano wire and wire rope used to make cables for supension bridges and oil rigs. Hyundai was also interesting. As with the steel plant the operation was massive. I've never been in an auto assembly plant before and it really was fascinating to watch cars take shape right before your eyes. The picture I've included is from the special showroom floor in the headquarters building. The car is a new Hyundai model called the Genesis, which is not yet available in the states. I have to say I have a different view of Hyundai now than I had before and if I could have gotten a red Genesis in my checked baggage I'd have a new addition to my garage!

Seoul, South Korea

From modern to traditional. Seoul has 12 million people and is ultra modern, dominated by businesses like Samsung and LG. It's bustling, clean, energetic - a very impressive city. But within a short bus ride you're in rice paddies and traditional homes with gardens laid out in ways that I could only dream of. The countryside around Seoul is green and there are beautiful and surprisingly rugged mountains nearby. The people are friendly and orientally gracious. And finally, kim chi (Korean fermented cabbage seasoned liberally with red pepper) is not as bad as some might make it out to be - kind of like unshredded sauerkraut with a kick!

Getting Ready to Go

In just over a week (on May 25, 2009) I'll be heading for Asia with a group of study abroad students from Utah State University. This blog will be used to keep track of the trip and to update the folks at home through words and pictures. I'll be posting soon!