reflections on Korean Tourism and Yoegwan tour y2k7 an addendum

Korea is a country striving to parallel the tourist industry of its fellow Asian countries such as Japan and China. However as a westerner I see some flawed logic in this attempt. First take Jungmun beach here on Jeju island. Jungmun resort complex is gorgeous and they wish to attract foreign tourists. However most travelers want to swim when they go to the beach. Unfortunately here in Korea, swimming is not done frequently and beach swimming is considered very dangerous. Thus tourists are turned away from frolicking in the ocean and required to stand only knee deep. The unwillingness to compromise will forever hold Korea back from achieving their goals.

Another issue I see is the language issue. Even in Seoul, many people in the service industry do not speak English. I have little Korean under my belt, but I have been able to get by thus far. However one day, as I attempted to go to the train station, heavy pack in tow-I was unable to communicate with my driver in Korean or English. One might think KTX (name of train) and "i am going to Taegu Seoul station please" (in Korean) would be sufficient. But I could not convey this effectively in either language and was left on the side of the road looking for another taxi. Now I am fortunate to have had some Korean, but there are going to be people who lack that luxury and still need transportation. having just traveled to Taipei as well as other parts of Asia, I must admit they far surpass Korea in the ability to help travelers.

Perhaps most interestingly though was what occurred when we arrived back in Korea from Taipei. Having an extremely early morning flight back to the island, we needed an affordable place to stay near the airport, preferably with car service. We consulted the information desk and she directed us to the Sky Grand. It came highly recommended by the airport. We were picked up by an old man in a dodgy old car and taken 15 minutes outside the area. When we turned the corner towards our hotel, a street of love motels glimmered with flashing neon signs. The car entered the covered garage, mind you other vehicles are in the garage. Wooden panels with Sky motel written on are placed to strategically cover license plates. We paid for our room, and walked past the frosted window with images of topless Victorian women carved into them. What really got me was the fact that the GIMPO international airport actually highly recommended a motel with rooms that had a black light, and a coin operated vibrating bed. Many travelers aren't looking for kink, but rather a place to relax. Anyhow, amidst our travels, its ironic that the most absurd place we found wasn't stumbled across down back Allys, but highly recommended by the international airport. Sometimes I just don't get Korea.