Korean War Memorial

I ventured back into Seoul, to the Korean War (June 1950-July 1953) Memorial yesterday. It's a beautiful, serene location, placed right next to American and Korean army bases. That whole area of Seoul has a very strange vibe - In most neighbourhoods, you can't walk more than a metre or two without seeing some type of commerce or tent. In this Army controlled region, it's all fenced out, with foot patrols still going down the street.

The memorial is what it is. A tribute to all the fallen soldiers of the dozens of nations that sent troops during the War, including Canada; a cry for the unification of Korea; a reminder of the blood shed by the Korean people. Reading the history behind this war, observing the statues.. this sort of thing gives me chills, along with an enormous sense of respect and admiration for the fallen. The same feeling I had when I was visiting the Canadian War Museum last month.


It's really not that i'm pro-war, not one bit, but for soldiers to have lost their lives by fighting in the name of their country, out of a sense of duty... you have to admire it. You need to respect it. If circumstances were different, this could've been me or someone I know. The real tragedy, really, would be to forget - forget history, because you don't think that wars have any value.

Soldiers give their lives in order to safeguard the populace. The very least they deserve is to be remembered by them.


I started teaching today. I'll make a job-related entry sometime tomorrow.
Stay safe.