OK, so I am doing some tourist stuff in Seoul on a Sunday evening. I am walking alongside a stream that has recently been 'beautified.' either side of me are huge bank buildings. around me, hundreds of people splashing in the water. The path comes to an end and I am greeted by a waterfall and a giant statue. on first glances it appears to be a giant angry red phallus. Closer inspection reveals it to be a giant red angry corkscrew type thing. that was a relief.
by the phallus corkscrew there appears to be someone making some sort of passionate speech. hundreds of people are sat down, listening and cheering at times. some fly flags depicting korea. all of them hold candles in disposable polystyrene cups. i sit down to watch for a while, and some guy wants to hand me a candle/cup. i ask him what it is for - he tells me in broken english, 'it is about being your own best friend.' - great, something quasi religious/cultish/nationalist. but they have nice songs. anyway, i decide to walk on. i turn a corner to be greeted by 200 or so police, decked out in full riot gear and lined up. luckily they are sat down and seem to be chilling out, so i walk past, resisting the temptation to take a photo.
pretty hungry, so I stop by Lotteria for a squid burger, chips and coke. this is later followed by a coffee from 'Sweet Buns.' Incidentally, the top stationery brand here is 'Morning Glory' - must buy some and post them home.
I miss the normality of eating ice cream and singing karaoke in a small room at 4am. Doubtless next weekend will bring that back.
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2 comments:
So, did you find out exactly what the rally/meeting/vigil/riot-in-waiting was all about, in the end?
yeah. the government has just lifted their import ban on US beef, causing regular riots. it was a peaceful version of that
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