Two "Only in Korea" Situations Happened This Week That Will Make Me Miss This Country

 

Situation #1:

Last Thursday, while the Election was happening, I couldn't focus on teaching, I was glued to my phone between classes, and while I was grabbing a burger at McDonald's. Due to that, after I ate my burger at the McDonald's next to my work building, I left my jacket on the stool opposite the stool I was sitting on at 3:00. If it had been a colder day, I don't think I would've forgotten it, but because it wasn't that cool and I was so wrapped up in the elections, I easily forgot about it. 

By the time I left work at 9:00pm that night, I realized I immediately that I had left my jacket at McDonald's since it wasn't where I left. I quickly went back to McDonald's and it was exactly in the same position that I left it untouched. This is one thing I love about Korea. Stealing is rare and people never mess with things that isn't theirs.

Situation #2:

My friend Nate Richey and his fiancé were getting married on Saturday at 12:00pm. I decided to get there early, find a cafe and get some coffee. It took me about 15 minutes to find one, but I found a great one that was playing classical music, had comfortable seating, had great coffee, some fancy chandeliers, and a very kind cashier. The only thing that was weird about this place was the name as you can see in this picture....

I guess I was a deadbeat for getting coffee here! It still amazes me that the largest city in South Korea, 18th largest city in Asia, and the 28th largest city in the world, often has businesses with strange, funny, or weird English names like this. Regardless of that, this is also one of the reason why I love Korea!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Unique K-Pop Experience in a Cafe in Seoul

On Sunday afternoon after finishing watching my online church service, I wanted to get outside and do something. I wasn't sure what to do exactly and I thought to myself, "Why not go to Seongsu Station and try to find another trendy cafe and just do some reading?" Little did I know that they call this area the Brooklyn of Seoul now.

I got on Line 2, headed from Seongsu Station, and started searching for some cafes. I passed a cafe that I had been to before called Zagmachi, which you will see after you turn right after you come out of Exit 3 on the south side of the street. If you walk father down, you will pass my favorite one in the area (Daerim Warehouse or 대림 창고), which is also on the south side of the street.

This time I thought I would try to check out a cafe on the other side of the street. I went to Wall Cafe and walked in. There was K-Pop music blasting. When I went to order my cafe, the owner of the cafe said it was a "happy birthday celebration" for APink Namju. Her real name is Kim, Namju but goes by the mononym, Namju. She sings for the girl group APink. I was told that I could write a note for her and put it on the wall. On one side of the cafe, her promoters were sitting together and talking to young ladies that came to drink coffee and celebrate her.

At first, I didn't care that much. I just wanted to read my book since I had never heard of her before. Even my wife didn't know who she was. The owner of the cafe gave me my coffee, a card with Namju's face on it, and a bookmark of Namju's face on it as well. Then I sat down to read my book. A half hour later her promoters sang "Happy Birthday" to Namju even though she wasn't there. Then they cheered loudly making it hard to read, but it was a really unique experience nonetheless. Then another 15 minutes passed by and one of her promoters gave me a piece of birthday cake from Paris Baguette. I couldn't turn that down and enjoyed eating my cake with my coffee.

I kept trying to read, but it was difficult, so I decided to go to another cafe. Before doing that though, I had to write a note for her. You can check it out. I wrote:

"Happy birthday, Kim Namju
From American Friend Scott Worden"

Sadly, I made a mistake when I said congratulations. I typed "생일 추하합니다" when I should have said "생일 축하합니다." Oh, well. I'm sure they were happy with my gesture despite my boo boo. And of course, I had to plug my blog while I was at it. Hopefully, someone will follow me. Haha!

This experience is one reason why I appreciate living in Korea. This is one adventure that I would never have expected to happen.

Scott Worden (The L.A./SeoulGuy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Coronavirus Scare in Asia (Updated: February 17, 2020)

Where Did it Come From?

China state media reported that some of the people who fell ill between Dec. 12 and 29 are sellers from a local wholesale seafood market. 

That market has since been shut down for cleaning and disinfection, according to the CDC.

“What’s happening over there is in a particular area of China at a seafood market, and… it [first] appears that transmission is from animal to human,” Nikhil Bhayani, an infectious disease physician with Texas Health Resources, told Healthline.

What is Coronavirus?

“Corona means ‘crown,’ so these viruses appear crown-shaped when looked at under an electron microscope,” said Bhanu Sud, MD, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Medical Center in Placentia, California.

“Most coronaviruses are harmless,” he said. “They’ll usually cause mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people will get infected with these viruses at some point in their lives.”

Sud emphasizes that while the outlook is good for most people infected with this type of virus, the SARS and MERS strains are more serious. 

The death rate is around 10 percent for people with SARS and 30 percent for those with the MERS variant.

“What is unknown right now is the virus being typed. They’re doing testing to find out what type of virus this is and whether it’s more similar to SARS or MERS,” Bhayani said. “I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a new virus.”

No Treatment Available

According to Sud, human coronaviruses most commonly transmit from an infected person to others via:

1. the air by coughing and sneezing
2. close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hand
3. touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands 

“In the United States, people usually get infected with common human coronaviruses in the fall and winter. However, infection can occur at any time of the year,” he said.

“Most people will get infected with one or more of the common human coronaviruses in their lifetime,” he added. 

Sud also points out both SARS and MERS outbreaks were from animal-to-human contact, with SARS most likely from contact with bats and MERS from contact with camels. 

“Since the organism causing infection is a virus, to date, we don’t have any specific antiviral medications,” Sud said.

The Coronavirus (1,775 deaths) has killed more people than SARS (774 deaths). 25 countries have been affected, mostly people that have traveled to the Hubei Province of China, where the epicenter of the disease started (Wuhan). 

Fifteen cases have been confirmed in the United States, including a 35-year old man in Washington state, a couple in their 60s in Chicago, and eight people in California. 30 cases have been confirmed in South Korea, where I live. Here is the count of cases in each country:

(As of February 17, 2020)

Total Number of Cases                      Deaths         Recovered

• Mainland China: 70,550 cases       1,771          11,039
• Others: 710
• Singapore: 75                                                 19
• Japan: 59                                                       12
• Hong Kong: 57                               1                2
• Thailand: 34                                                   14
• South Korea: 30                                                9
• Malaysia: 22                                                     7
• Taiwan: 20                                      1                2
• Germany: 16                                                    1
• Vietnam: 16                                                     7
• Australia: 15                                                    8
• United States: 15                                              3
• France: 12                                       1              4
• Macau: 10                                                       5
• United Arab Emirates (UAE): 9                              4
• United Kingdom (U.K.): 9                                     8
• Canada: 7                                                        1
• Italy: 3
• Philippines: 3                                   1
• India: 3                                                           3
• Russia: 2                                                         2
• Spain: 2                                                          2
• Nepal: 1
• Cambodia: 1
• Belgium: 1
• Finland: 1                                                        1
• Sweden: 1
• Egypt: 1
• Sri Lanka: 1                                                     1

1775 have died (1,696 from Hubei Province, China) while 11,039 in China have recovered (6,642 from Hubei Province).

Bottom Line

The best advice is not to panic, make sure you wash your hands all of the time, limit your time outside (just to be safer) but don't stay home all the time. Staying home all of the time could lead to depression and the coronavirus isn't that severe at this point. You could wear a mask, but they have been proven to be very ineffective unless you're sick and limiting germs from infecting other people. To sum up, live your life and if you're a Christian like myself, rely on God, take precautions, and stay calm.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

The National Hanguel Museum in Seoul, South Korea

National Hanguel Museum

One place to visit in Seoul if you have some extra time is the National Hanguel Museum. If you can't read Korean, taking a look around this place won't take more than an hour. If you can read Korean, and you're a huge art enthusiast, you'll spend two to three hours here. Nevertheless, even if you don't know the language, you can browse it if you have some free time after looking around the National Museum of Korea. However, since the National Museum of Korea is a lot bigger, I would save half a day for that alone.  I recommend visiting this place and then going to the Yongsan Family Park right after. Here are some of my favorite artifacts at the museum:

A wall of Hanguel: The Korean alphabet

Korean instrument: Gayageum

Keyboard with floppy disks

Hanguel Typewriter

Hanguel Typewriter

Hanguel Eye Chart

Admission: Free

Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, Sunday-10:00am-6:00pm
            Saturday- 10:00am- 9:00pm

Address: 139 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsandong 6(yuk)-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Phone: (02) 2124-6200

Directions: Exit 2 at Ichon Station (Line 4, Gyeongui-Jungang Line) and walk 430m in the direction of Yongsan Family Park 

Website in English: https://www.hangeul.go.kr/lang/en

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Koreans are like Americans: Sharp Divide Along Party Lines

Featured Image: Reuters

Here's how Koreans view politics in a nutshell: Younger people love Moon Jae-In and like the fact that he's doing his best to build relations between North and South Korea and they're okay with President Moon helping North Korea financially. Older people in South Korea are very conservative, have experienced the Korean War, and are very leery of North Korea. Any help by a South Korean president towards a North Korean leader is seen as treasonous. They also seem to love Trump because he's a Republican and Republicans have historically been tough on North Korea. Ironically, Trump is actually pretty soft on North Korea, but don't tell them that. Politics are similar to American politics since they support a president based on their party politics. And although age isn't a huge determinant in American politics like it is in Korea, it is still somewhat of a factor. Millenials seem to vote for Democrats while people over 55 are more likely to vote Republican. However, race is a bigger factor in American politics.

Also, with regards to politics, something interesting happened to be on the subway (There's never a dull moment in Seoul, by the way) last week. An older man, in his 60s, was sitting in the seats reserved for elderly and disabled people. As soon as he gets up, he quickly puts a yellow sticker on the wall of the subway saying “Resign President Moon Jae In” and then runs to the next car. A woman in her 40s, who was standing near the sticker peels the sticker off, folds it up and puts it in her pocket after he leaves. People have strong viewpoints in Seoul as you have seen from the recent boycott of Japanese products in South Korea.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

How Serious is the Boycott of Japan in Korea?

Lately, South Korea is livid with Japan and my students are not going to Japanese stores and refuse to travel to Japan based on a trade war that Shinzo Abe seemed to have started. The boycotts have caused Uniqlo to close shop in Seoul and Japanese restaurants have slowed down sales unless they have signs on the door like the one in this blog post. You can read about how Japanese businesses are affected below:

Uniqlo Set to Close Store Amid Anti-Japan Boycotts of Cars, Beer, and Holidays-Telegraph (UK) August 9, 2019

South Koreans Shun Japanese Products and Tours as Boycott Gathers Momentum- The Japan Times- August 5, 2019

I just recently went to a Japanese restaurant during lunch time in the business district and was shocked at how bare it was. This is the worst boycott since the American beef boycott in Seoul a while back and since it's Japan (Korea's arch rival in sports and an infamously historical rival), this could easily be the worst.

Here's a great video of why people are boycotting Japan and while most people are for the boycott, you'll see a couple Koreans that think the boycott will just end up hurting Korea and Japan in the long run:

Why Koreans Are Boycotting Japan- August 4, 2019

Many people believe that the boycott is not about trade relations and Korea losing some money from its semiconductor business. They believe it's Japan's colonial history, Korea's opinion that Japan has never apologized for their behaviors during their occupation between 1910-1945 (although they actually have and paid compensation), and the "comfort women" issue. Here's a great article explaining why the boycott is happening and what the US has tried to do to mediate the differences:

The South Korea and Japan Trade War, Explained- Vox- August 9, 2019

The sad thing is that I love both countries for different reasons. Korea has been my home for almost 16 years and I've been treated very well here. But I've also traveled to various cities in Japan (Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, and Kyoto) and found the people to be very kind and welcoming to non-Japanese people. I sincerely hope that one day those two countries can have a strong relationship because they're both great places to live and/or visit.

Not only that, but it will also help with regards to the denuclearization of North Korea. Notice how North Korea has been testing missiles quite often lately? That's not a coincidence.

Get with it Korea and Japan and grow up. You need each other and the safety of the Far East depends on it!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Exploring Halla Mountain (Hallsan) with my Wife on October 9, 2018-Part 1 of 2

If you don't rent a car on Jeju Island (I strongly recommend that you do), you can stay in the Jumun area and take a couple local buses to Hallasan, which is what we did. Unfortunately, I don't have a Korean driver's license (haven't had a strong need for one yet), so we relied on buses during our trip. The bad thing about not renting a car is that you can only focus on two areas of the island if you're staying there for two to three days. Nevertheless, we took a couple buses (as I mentioned) to Hallsan from our hotel and I will have to tell you that it was one of the best experiences I've had while living in South Korea. I'll let the pictures of us going up the mountain speak for themselves. In my next blog, I will show you the pictures of us descending down a different trail.


After we got off the bus, we had to walk for about 15 minutes to the main parking lot...

Once we got to the parking lot, this is what we saw...

Then we began our journey....

I had to take a picture of my wife with this amazing scenery in the background and we still hadn't even started trekking yet!

Now the real journey begins....

The great thing about this trail is that it wasn't too difficult to climb and you can see wheat fields like this....

But we still had to keep going....

And some parts were rockier than others....

The weather wasn't that clear but if you look closely, you can see the ocean in this picture...

And just a bit higher, you can see a better view of the ocean and landscape below...

But we still kept ascending....

Once we got to the 4-hour mark, we decided to take another trail and head down the mountain. Getting to to the peak would have been nice, but the weather was a bit cold and it was already about 2:00pm. We stopped at an area with A LOT of crows, at least 50 of them and then we headed back....

In the next blog post, you'll see some breathtaking shots as we descended down the mountain down a little more difficult trail. Watch out for my next blog post soon...


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Strange Modern Art Experience: Arario Museum in Seoul, South Korea

I've never been a fan of modern art and I think one visit to the Arario Museum has cemented my opinion for good. Don't get me wrong. I've seen some displays of modern art that I have found quite talented, but I would say that I have disliked 90% of anything that is considered "modern art". My experiences have included visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Tate Modern in London, the Leeum Samseong Museum of Art in Seoul, and now the Arario Museum in Seoul. As you see, I've tried to give modern art a chance on multiple occasions, but after checking out the Arario Museum, I'm convinced that I will never like most modern art. I'm quite satisfied with that and I don't think I'm that closed-minded. I'll show you some displays from the Arario Museum of just one exhibit that I came across and let you be the judge. I will display some things that I enjoyed as well as scratched my head at. Let's begin:

The entrance to the museum

Sometimes there's a fascination with TV screens in modern art

Simple, not bad

Creepy

Creepy and depressing

I like this one especially her outfit

She looks sad but the painting is well done

Her expressions are very well defined

I'll just put my bed frame in a museum next to a random bathtub and call it art.

I think this collage is a statement about racism in London in 1968 but I'm really not sure.

Modern art randomness

The museum has 6 floors that are open.

Is this supposed to mesmerize you?

Is this a statement about ISIS in the Philippines?

Rudolph the glass balled reindeer?

A room made to look like an artist's sanctuary?

It's time to take a nap from this overload of  randomness

This picture came out pretty well I must say

Chucky as an adult??

Just plain weird

A nice cafe outside the museum, but it got crowded quick

Here's some information about the museum in case you actually enjoyed the artwork that I displayed on this blog post:

Hours: Open from 10:00am-7:00pm daily (Closed on Mondays)
Address: Euijiro 83, Jong-no-gu, Seoul
Transportation: Bus: 109, 151, 162, 171, 272, 7025, Get off at Changdeokgung stop
Subway: Line 3 to Anguk Station (Exit 3), and then walk 3 minutes on foot
Cost (Exhibition and Museum Only): W10,000 (General), W6,000 (Youth), W4,000 (11-13 year olds)
Website: Arario Museum
Phone: (02) 736-5700

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy