One of the most memorable trips from Seoul has to be the one I took with my friends Hyungsuk, Sean, and Lizzy. We decided to rent a car and drive to Paju, which is on the border of South and North Korea, but unfortunately only Hyungsuk (being a local) was able to drive for the next few hours.
Usually traveling around South Korea I typically used public transportation, so it was a nice change of pace to be among friends and speak freely.
Once we arrived in Paju we stopped at the Dora Observatory, where we can get a closer look at North Korea. Frankly, we didn’t see much but telescopes were available and the barbed wire fence was stretched across the border. Through the telescope you can see people minding their own business, knowing full well we are watching them. Being this close to North Korea made me nervous, I felt sad for the people of that country, which made me think of Kenneth Bae and the book he wrote “Not Forgotten” his memoir about his time imprisoned in North Korea, I recall listening to him when he came to speak at my church and I felt the same uneasiness I felt then. If you’d like to read the book click here
After walking around the observatory, we stopped for lunch, Korean-style Chinese food which includes fried pork and noodles, everything delicious. I had read about a place we couldn’t leave Paju without seeing Book City.
I’ll never not enjoy being surrounded by books, this space was beautiful. Couldn’t help but take some pics of my friends as well.
Till next time.
