Korean Folk Village in Yongin

Dear International visitors of my blog. It is Sunday night and I decided to update you alle via this fantastic medium. Yesterday I got the opportunity to join the KI-House (KAIST International House) trip to Yongsin Folk Village (het Koreaanse Openlucht museum) and Jeamri Memorial place, which is a place where Koreans are remembering the Japanese suppresion during 1910 till 1945.

At 8 o'clock in the morning we gathered at the Hanbit church near the west-gate of KAIST. After some announcements from the fantastic KI-House Manager and tour guide (Amazing!) Grace, we left with a touring car, heading in northern direction.

In Yongin Folk Village we were litterly able to touch traditional Korean houses, such as the shrine of scholars, the provincial governor’s office, a private school, a Buddhist temple, and a shaman's house. Koreans have efficiently utilized the spaces of the house to achieve their own self-sufficiency. Also there are crafts workshops for tourist to experience the culture of traditional Korean life. Furthermore we were able to enjoy a traditional wedding-play and traditional Korean Dance.

In the afternoon we had dinner together with the about 30 people who were joining the tour. Delicious beef soup with (ofcause) BAB (rice). After our lunch there was plenty of time to walk through the village and we enjoyed Korean herritage and the wonderful Korean Autumn weather....sun, sun and again sun :-).

In the course of the afternoon we headed to eastern direction to Jeam-ri Memorial Place (east of Suwon).

Jeam-ri Incident was the worst cruelties during the 1919 independence movement from Japan. Korea had been colonized by Japan for 35 years from 1910-1945. During the 3.1 (March 1st) Movement in 1919, there had been an independent movement in this region too. There were nonviolent independent protest rose against the Japanese colonization in 1919. Through the movement aactively marched, the Japanese military force confined part of the residents in Jeamri Church and started a fire and shooting, which killed twenty three people. In 1959, a monument was built on the church spot and in 2001, Jeamri Patriotic Memorial place was built to memory the patriotic martyrs and to exhibit vivid records of those days to make use of them as an educational tool. On the picture Barnabas is standing next to the monument.

All in all, it was a quite impressive experience to see the exhibition (video, audio and pictures) of the cruelties of the beginning of the previous century by Japanese suppressors. Although many cruelties had taken place in this country, Korean seems to forgive Japan, at least that was my impression. Forgiving but not forgetting is the motto of this memorial place.

With many things to think about we headed home and finished the trip with eating Shabu-Shabu in Ondong.

- - - for more pictures of this day, click on the link on the right-hand side of this blogger - - -