CITYNET Young Professionals, Seoul Special City, Korea
July 01 - November 06, 2013
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*The photos in the above slideshow were not taken by me, Daniel DeLacy. They have been taken from CITYNET's FB Page.*
Entering into my second semester at Yonsei's Graduate School of International Studies, I was looking for a place to apply myself and where I would be able to do research and perhaps some meaningful work relating to my studies in East Asian economic cooperation and public policy. In all reality, however, my hopes were not very high after meeting and speaking with so many friends who despite obtaining internships at a number of companies had, except for perhaps a friend interning for the UNDP, nothing good to say about their respective experiences.
It is not my intention to say that CITYNET YP is perfect. I will say that it is not. The organization has obviously had its difficulties, and this is more abundantly clear when realizing that the secretariat only recently relocated from Japan to Seoul in March 2013. The Young Professional program which came thereafter is obviously still in its infancy. Therefore, while some of my peers who joined me at CITYNET YP may not have found the program to be all that they hoped that it could be, I personally found that to a person willing and wanting to do Seoul-based urban development research, it was a wonderful place to be.
The reason that I could enjoy the program where some others did not may have been because of the initiative that I take advantage when given an opportunity. I found that the hands off approach of CITYNET YP let me do what I wanted to do and dig as far as I wanted to go in finding the material for the research paper that I wrote as part of the Green Growth Cluster investigating the Seoul Metropolitan Government's solid waste management systems. For instance, when I went on trips around Seoul to meet my research needs, I found that identifying myself as a student researcher for CITYNET YP let my question and answer sessions go much more into detail than when I went as a unaffiliated Yonsei graduate student.
But what really inspired me most in conducting the research and formulating what became the final research paper was the realization that there was so little information available regarding solid waste management in Seoul done outside of the Korean language. Since the goal was to be an instrument of change, advancement, and clarity for whomever might look into our research, I had to take the time to find relevant data in Korean and translate, filter, and compile the raw material into something that could be utilized by an international persons. Furthermore, considering that much of the information that had previously been published in flattering English via local government media outlets , I felt that this research needed to include information and recommendations that could be used as a tool for a more transparent, accountable, and credible local and national government.
This attitude and the effort that our team brought together in our research and writing, for which I took the lead as one member left for China and the other was drafted into the Korean military, was rewarded in November 2013 when our proposal was awarded first place at the inaugural CITYNET YP Congress. The experience was capped by receiving a team award of 1,000,000 KRW from the CITYNET Secretary-General and the Mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon.
Research and writing my findings is what I love to do, and if that was all that I had gained at CITYNET, I would have been satisfied. But I gained more than a personal satisfaction at CITYNET YP. The time was beneficial as the experience gave me insights into research processes at a Korean NGO tied to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Furthermore, I was able to travel and meet professionals involved in the the greening of the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Most exciting was the opportunity to produce a paper that may be of use to researchers and scholars in the future.
I certainly look forward to doing more research and networking when CITYNET YP become more established in 2014. Please look at the CITYNET home page if you would like to be part of the experience this coming year.
For those interested in the research 'field' trips, that information is immediately below in the photo blog entry. A more complete analysis, historical and forward looking, of our team's findings is available at: Reports
Further information can be found at: CITYNET / CITYNET YP Facebook Page
Trip to Sudokwon Landfill Site, Incheon, Korea
and Yangcheon Resource Recovery Facility, Seoul Special City, Korea
August 24 - September 03, 2013
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Admittedly, most of the pictures that I upload are taken on trips made either for my enjoyment or self-edification. This particular trip to the Sudokwon Landfill Site in Incheon and the Yangcheon Resource Recovery Facility in Seoul, however, was taken for research purposes. From August to September of this year, I was part of a small number of individuals conducting research on solid waste management practices in Seoul for an October conference with CITYNET Young Professionals, Seoul. My fellow team members for the project were: Kyeihong Kim (Korea) and Xiangning Tang (China).
Our team greatly looked forward to our primary research trip to the Sudokwon (Capitol Area) Landfill Site. Until recently, the site was considered the largest landfill in the world by intake volume, and one of the largest by area. Much of the general and construction based solid waste from the capital region is all processed at this one site. This region accounts for nearly twenty-five million persons and produces nearly half the wealth of the nation. We looked forward to seeing the technologies, safety features, and background information behind this relatively new landfill site which was claimed to have been constructed using state of the art technologies in its twenty year history.
Besides being built in a maturing economy, a reason why the the Sudokwon Landfill Site was built to be as safe and clean as it is we because the site itself was built on land reclaimed from the Yellow Sea. Previous to construction of this site, landfills in Korea were not lined or otherwise managed in regards to content, pollution control, or other safety factors. It seems that many of these concerns have been addressed. Controversy at the site nevertheless still lingers as the growing city of Incheon just to the south has begun in recent years to protest an extension of site use permits over claims of increased traffic, image, and air quality concerns. An issue that is particularly sticky is that the landfill site is growing at a much slower rate due to increased levels of recycling and incineration. This means that the site which had been expected to reach capacity several years ago will not reach capacity for many decades, if ever. Recent plans, over the objections of the Incheon city council, call for the creation of a number of incineration plants on the site to process a majority of the incoming general waste.
A second location that our research team visited was the Yangcheon Resource Recovery Facility in Seoul. This facility was originally a fairly old incineration plant that was an early testbed for waste-to-energy generation in Seoul. Until very recently, until about 2007, this plant did not contain proper, if any, filtration systems for emission control. This all changed in the last few years, however, as public backlash over a plan to build about twenty of these dirty waste-to-energy facilities in Korea led the government to invest in technologies making them smart, clean, and safe.
Today, the rebranded Yangcheon Resource Recovery Facility (purposefully not called an incineration plant), is seen as one of a few models of the possibilities for Korean solid waste management. The general idea is that the government will not be building any more landfill sites in the nation for the foreseeable future, and that facilities such as these will be the alternative solution. I personally have three issues with this plan. The first is that any inability or failure to create sufficient capacity in Waste-to-Energy plants will create havoc when Seoul's landfills are finally filled. Second, Waste-to-Energy plants were for decades a symbol of government sanctioned pollution and lies, and it will take years before people accept them as what they now are. Whatever gains in trust that had been painfully won now seem to have been destroyed once again as there is a complete lack of public trust in what is widely seen as scandalous and corrupt practices in energy infrastructure development at a number of nuclear energy sites (Korean Nuclear Energy Scandals). Finally, while emissions at the Yangcheon Resource Recovery Facility exceeds Korean emission regulations, these currently (2013) fall short of international emission standards. These issues and others will need to be addressed soon and in great detail.
I greatly enjoyed seeing these facilities and sites. A more complete analysis, historical and forward looking, of our team's findings is available at: Reports
Further information can be found at: SLC Sudokwon Landfill Mgmt Corporation / CITYNET
Trip to Seonyu Island Park, Seoul Special City, Korea
August 15, 2013
I once lived in a small town that was about thirty minutes south of Portland, Oregon. During that time, I grew a fondness for green fields, wooded forests, naturally flowing rivers, and cities that embraced their waterfronts. Therefore, while I oftentimes feel that Seoul seems to do nearly everything possible to pollute and destroy the actual quality and natural course of the Han River, I can appreciate the fact that they do at least have accessible and relatively clean parks bracketing the entire length of the river through the city.
Seonyu Island is in the middle of the Han River and is daily crossed by what I assume to be millions of people per day who cross the eight lane Yanghwa Bridge between the Mapo and Yeongdeungpo Boroughs. Here, in the middle of the river, there is a bus and taxi stop that leads into a surprisingly large park on the grounds of what was once a water treatment plant that Seoul has obviously grown out of. The old plant looks about as large (or smaller than) as a water treatment plant that had existed in my hometown that served about 30,000 people.
There are several reasons why I enjoy visiting this island. The first is that I absolutely love repurposed land. Here, the old settling ponds have been turned into wetland marshes, water tanks into stocked ponds, and the earth transformed into a semi-groomed forest. Ivy covers the buildings and the largest of water tanks, and it almost seems like nature is taking back the island. Another reason that I enjoy the island is that it is now being used as an educational center with instructional buildings teaching children and their Seoulites parents the importance of water conservation and treatment. The final reason that I love this park is that it is to me the best park in Seoul City. The trees are mature, the greenhouses are stocked, there are pavilions with grand pianos available for anyone to sit down and play, there are little streams and places to relax eat, sleep, and play in the shade, and there is a nice cafe down at the end of the island where you can get one of the best unobstructed views of the river. For this, I recommend heading to the NW tip of the island where there is a treetop high observation platform.
I definitely recommend visiting Seonyu Island. The easiest way to get here is by bus, but you can also get off at Seonyudo or Hapjeong Station, or take the Hangang River Ferry Cruise (한강유람).
Further information can be found at: Seonyudo Park / Han River Cruise
Trip to Namsan Tower (N서울타워), Seoul Special City, Korea
May 01, 2013
While I call it Namsan Tower, this tower is commonly known Seoul Tower or N Seoul Tower. I think the official name is actually YTN Seoul Tower, but I've never heard anyone call it that except on the news. The tower, built in 1969, is visible from many different locations around northern Seoul and is considered the highest point in the city at 480 meters above sea level. That height record is subject to change in the next few months, however, with the completion of the Lotte Super Tower 123 at 556 meters in 2014.
There is great significance and history to Namsan. The name of the mountain actually means 'South Mountain' and went by the name Mongmeyeok Mountain (목멱산) in the past. At the base of the north side of the mountain is the famous Namdaemun 'South Gate' (남대문) otherwise known as Sungnyemun or 'Gate of Exalted Ceremonies' (숭례문) which was one of eight gates of the old Fortress Walls of Seoul. Namdaemun was built in 1398, partially rebuilt in 1447, and designated as the first national treasure of the nation during the Japanese occupation in 1938. The Japanese, even as they tried to wipe out the Korean language and common names, found it to their advantage to assimilate Chosŏn royalty and its treasures into the Japanese royal family and its registry of properties. Therefore, the occupying forces catalogued the conquered kingdom's treasures. Since the Korean people have accepted the Japanese's destruction of a 'pure' Korean royalty through marriage with the Japanese royal family, the compiled registry of Chosŏn era 'national treasures' has remained. In more recent history, a government protester burned the gate down to near rubble claiming a need to get attention to the injustice of unfair compensation for his farm in an eminent-domain type case.
Being the old southern boundary to the city, Nam mountain was at one time used for military purposes such as a smoke signaling station and as a seldom utilized fortress. The mountain was also the site of a Shinto shrine venerating the Japanese Emperor and called Chosen Jingu from 1925-1945. Gwangwhamun, the main gate of the Chosŏn king, was rebuilt by the Japanese occupation forces in the early 1900's to face this shrine, but the palace gate was again rebuilt between 2007 and 2010 on its correct and original axis. Interestingly, according to a sign seen on the way up the mountain to Namsan Tower, the old Shinto shrine has been repurposed as a shrine to 'Patriot An Chung-gun', the Korean assassin of Ito Hirobumi, the first Resident-General of the Japanese occupation forces in Colonial Korea.
Today, Nam Mountain is one of the greatest green spaces in the city of Seoul containing a huge park, botanical gardens, hiking and biking trails, and art and performance halls. The Namsan Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을) is also located on the mountain. Personally, I don't really recommend visiting the hanok village as the village has nothing more to offer than what you would see at the many palaces and their many annexes. The only real interesting thing to see at the village is the attached Seoul Millennium Time Capsule which is scheduled to be opened on November 29, 2394, the city's 1,000th anniversary.
Getting to Namsan Tower is a little bit harder than it looks. First, there is the most environmental route of hiking up the mountain. I did it once with my mother, but she was not appreciative of the length of the climb. The walk down, on the other hand, is highly recommended as it is a straight shot nature walk. There are no switchbacks and running down only takes a few minutes. A second option is taking the cable car. Many couples take this route, but I find that the departure point which is already a third of the way up the mountain, is not worth paying any money for. The final option is to take an electric eco-bus for the normal cost of a bus ride from the Myeong-dong Shopping District, there is a stop near the Uniqlo, and ride up the mountain with the A/C or heater providing all the comforts of a 21st Century buggy ride. A further incentive is that you can stop at an the art hall, Namsan Botanical Garden, Namsan Folk Village, or get out just a few hundred meters from the base of the Namsan Tower. A tip: the convenience store at the bus stop right before you walk up the final few meters to the top of the mountain is the last stop for normally priced water, ramyen, and snacks.
There is plenty to do at the Namsan Tower for the romantic and the ones willing to spend money. First, you can find a number of lookout points on many purpose built platforms to look out over the city or to just admire the tower itself. Second, several fences or 'trees' are set up where you can write your name and a loved one on a padlock and bolt it on for. Third, there is a teddy bear 'museum'. I think that it is a knockoff of the teddy bears that everyone, including me, loved on the K-Drama 'Goong'. Finally, there are expensive restaurants at the base and a more expensive restaurant in the revolving top of the tower. I have never been to the top, but I've heard that it's sort of like the Seattle's Space Needle...meaning your date will find the effort admirable but will be looking forward to eating something tasty after getting down off of the tower.
Further information can be found at: N Seoul Tower / Namsan Botanical Garden / Teddy Bears
Trip to Samcheong-dong (삼청동), Seoul Special City, Korea
March 1, 2013
If Insadong is like the Santa Monica Promenade and Pier, Samcheong-dong (삼청동) is sort of like the Venice Beach Boardwalk. True, there isn't a beach here, but we've moved off from tourist central to a place where the locals go to enjoy themselves in a sophisticated yet cozy setting. Make sure to bring a bit of extra cash, a camera, a few friends, and the desire to be pampered Korea-style.
Getting off at Anguk Subway Station (Orange Line 3), you will probably notice that the crowds will separate into four distinct groups as they head towards their respective exits. It seems that Chinese tourists will begin walking towards Gyeongbokgung Palace. Some say that Chinese tourists all come to this palace first because they want to see and prove how close this main palace of the Chosŏn Dynasty resembles the Forbidden City. Japanese tourists seem to head primarily for Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden. Perhaps they go to see a Korean style garden or to give their respects to the wife of the late Korean crown prince who was the former Japanese crown princess who remained in Korea despite being given the former king's concubine quarters as a residence. All other tourists head into Insa-dong for shopping and dining. There, one can find several art galleries, calligraphy supply shops, tea rooms, traditional craft shops, and even a small mall.
Koreans, however, rather than walking south into Insa-dong turn north into Samcheong-dong. This well-to-do district is bounded by Bukhan Mountain and the Bugak Skyway to the north, Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Cheong Wa Dae(the President's Blue House residence) to the west, Changdeokgung Palace to the east, and Insa-dong to the south. This prime location is home to many embassies and ambassadors from around the world. While this is not necessarily the place where people fight to live in to send their kids to a good hagwon (Mok-dong) or where the newly rich flaunt their stuff (Gangnam), Insa-dong has a level of class, sophistication, and swagger that is very difficult, if not impossible, to find anywhere else in Seoul.
I recommend taking a hike up into Samcheong-dong and taking a look around. Towards the beginning there are quite a number of restaurants where you will have to line up for a good half an hour to even get in the door. Most of them, however, tend to be locally famous Korean fast-food joints selling rice cakes and ramyen. The other popular places will most likely be your typical Caffe Bene. The real treat to Samcheong-dong are not at these youth hot spots but rather at the tea houses, galleries, and other small restaurants that appear further in the neighborhood and upwards onto the mountain. Not only do the crowds of teenagers thin out, but the quality of the restaurants increases exponentially while the cost does not. Perhaps more importantly, you will find that there are no tourists, no lines, no stress, great food and drinks, and much less of a pinch in the wallet. What a perfect night out on the town!
Further information can be found at: Visit Seoul: (삼청동 골목길) / www.samchungdong.com/
Photos 2014 - Photos 2013 - Photos 2011