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00:01South Korea by rail.
00:04These trains are capable of more than 200 MPH.
00:08The opportunity to explore one of the world's most successful countries.
00:14Amidst towering skyscrapers in gleaming megacities.
00:18An architectural statement.
00:21I'll ride the wave of Korean culture sweeping the West.
00:25It's got this very spicy sauce.
00:27And encounter ancient civilizations and traditions.
00:32On a peninsula divided by war.
00:35Along a border between capitalism and communism.
00:39The sense of tension here is powerful.
00:42I'll see how out of destruction and partition.
00:46South Koreans have forged an impressive new identity.
01:04I'll see you soon.
01:12I'll see you soon.
01:18My journey of discovery in the Republic of Korea continues in its massive capital Seoul.
01:25The Korean Peninsula endured a terrible 20th century
01:29with a long period of Japanese colonisation,
01:32including the Second World War,
01:34and then the devastation of the Korean War.
01:37I'll explore how, in the South,
01:39the state has backed enormous industrial conglomerates
01:42that grew from family businesses to drive economic growth.
01:46And I'll see how K-pop conquered the world.
01:52Beginning close to the demilitarised zone,
01:55on the frontier with the North,
01:56my route has brought me to the capital's Seoul.
01:59I'll head south via Daejeon to the historic city of Gyeongju,
02:04and on to Busan, the country's biggest port.
02:07Continuing west, I'll visit Gwangju,
02:10symbol of the nation's struggle for democracy.
02:13And I'll end my travels on the volcanic island of Jeju,
02:17Korea's top holiday destination.
02:40Even if you are used to the complexities of the London Underground,
02:43this map is pretty mind-blowing.
02:46It shows 24 different metro lines,
02:49and no fewer than 302 stations.
02:53However, as you go along each line,
02:57each station has a number,
02:58a simple but brilliant idea.
03:01And it means that during your journey,
03:03even if you're not fluent in Korean,
03:05even if you don't have the English language,
03:07you'll have a very good idea when you've reached your stop.
03:14This morning, I'm taking the Shinbundang Express line,
03:18south out of the city,
03:19to the district of Suwon,
03:21where the headquarters of a global tech giant
03:24and Korea's biggest company is based.
03:29It's one of a few family businesses
03:31that, in a drive to rebuild the economy following the Korean War,
03:34were backed by the government to boost growth.
03:40This system has produced companies
03:42that are dominant in world markets,
03:45and it has made the average Korean rich by global standards.
03:50These companies are now huge conglomerates
03:53and household names,
03:54such as Hyundai and LG.
03:57Here in Suwon is the biggest of them all, Samsung.
04:03It's South Korea's largest exporter
04:05and one of the world's leading producers of consumer electronics.
04:09This 390-acre site, known as Digital City,
04:14employs around 35,000 people,
04:17predominantly in the research and development of new products.
04:21Bomi Lim is the director of communications.
04:25Bomi, hello.
04:26Hello, Michael.
04:27What a pleasure.
04:28It looks like an enormous facility that you have here.
04:31Yes.
04:32We have mobile business, home entertainment business,
04:35and we have great facilities for our employees.
04:38It's a big campus.
04:41It's obviously now a giant corporation,
04:44but everything begins somewhere.
04:47Yes.
04:47Where did Samsung begin?
04:49Well, Samsung started back in 1938 in Korea
04:52by Mr. Pyeongchul Lee,
04:54originally as a trading company,
04:57and it dealt in everyday products like dried fish and apples,
05:00selling mostly to nearby countries.
05:02And when did the company get into electronics?
05:05So Samsung Electronics was founded in 1969.
05:09In the early years,
05:10we started making black and white televisions,
05:12followed by washing machines,
05:14refrigerators, and air conditioners.
05:16And, you know,
05:17to many families in Korea at the time,
05:19there were more than just appliances.
05:21There were actually a symbol of progress
05:24and a modern lifestyle.
05:25Then by the 1980s,
05:27that's when we ventured into semiconductors and telecoms.
05:31And in 2010,
05:32we launched our first smartphone.
05:34And since then,
05:35we have expanded into everything from mobile,
05:37home entertainment,
05:38and smart appliances powered by AI.
05:43In the on-site museum,
05:45you can see how much things have moved on
05:48since the early days.
05:51I don't know why it is,
05:52but technology from yesteryear
05:54seems pretty amusing,
05:56like that 1970s black and white television.
05:59Ah, the video recorder,
06:01also from the late 1970s.
06:041983, the personal computer.
06:08And, much the same age,
06:10the clumsiest-looking microwave you ever saw.
06:23Across the site,
06:24the company's latest gadgets and innovations
06:27are tested in a full-size model smart home.
06:32Hello, Tay.
06:33Hello, Michael.
06:33So, I'm going to open the door with my fingerprint.
06:36Let me show you.
06:36I'm taking a tour with manager Tay Lee.
06:41Good start.
06:46This way.
06:48So, the home knows that I'm home,
06:50and I like it nice and bright in my home when I arrive,
06:53so the curtains will open,
06:55the blinds will open,
06:56lights turn on.
06:58And the TVs come on.
06:59That's right.
07:00So, all of this is very convenient.
07:03What else can the smart home do for us?
07:05So, these devices that are connected,
07:07they connect with each other,
07:08and they communicate,
07:09so it will optimise energy consumption,
07:12so you don't even have to worry about it.
07:13It'll do it by itself.
07:16This is a refrigerator,
07:17but looking more like a television than a fridge.
07:20Right, so you can do everything you can with a tablet,
07:23for example,
07:24watch even movies here.
07:26But here, what I want to show you is,
07:28in the fridge,
07:29we have a camera built in,
07:32and it will manage what you have inside your fridge for you.
07:35It will give me a recipe recommendation
07:37based on what I like.
07:39Very good.
07:40As well as suggesting what you might enjoy for lunch,
07:43the smart house can help you to cook it.
07:45I think this is a very good recipe to start with.
07:48I'm going to hand you my phone.
07:50Mm-hmm.
07:50All you need to do is scan the barcode right here.
07:55Okay?
07:56Okay.
07:56So, you want to tap this one right here,
07:58which is the same as this one.
08:00Indeed it is, yeah.
08:01And then tap on step-by-step cooking.
08:05Tap on the phone
08:06where it says send to water purifier.
08:10And place it here.
08:12Just push down on the lever.
08:14So you don't have to worry
08:16about how much water you need to add for this recipe.
08:19It will automatically do it for you.
08:20That is insane.
08:23So we'll bring the pot back over to the cooktop.
08:30Tap on send to cooktop.
08:32Of course.
08:34So this is another device
08:35where it has a screen
08:36and it communicates with you.
08:38It will automatically set the right temperature
08:40for the pot to boil the water.
08:44Um, will it open the packet for me or not?
08:47I think that's something for the future.
08:50Put it in the pot.
09:02It smells great.
09:04Say goodbye to overcooked noodles.
09:09In the kitchen, I always take orders,
09:11so if it's from a machine rather than a person,
09:13that's just fine.
09:14Mm-hmm.
09:16It's been great to cook with you, Tay,
09:18and with your wonderful new technology.
09:20My pleasure.
09:22Mm-hmm.
09:23How do you like it?
09:24Mm.
09:26They're cooked to perfection.
09:29Being in this futuristic country
09:32is helping me to glimpse the future.
09:47I'm returning to Seoul city centre,
09:50and next to the modern main railway station,
09:53I'm intrigued to find an historic building
09:56that looks oddly out of place.
10:12The building is magnificent,
10:15although strange and eclectic,
10:19with its granite floor
10:20and this massive square Byzantine-style dome.
10:25This is the old Seoul railway station,
10:29built in 1925.
10:30It was renovated
10:32and transformed into a cultural centre in 2011.
10:36Today, it's a magnificent space
10:38for displays, for exhibitions
10:40and for great public events.
10:44So-young Troy is one of the guides here.
10:46So-young, hello, I'm Michael.
10:48Oh, hello, nice to meet you.
10:49I am So-young Troy.
10:50Heard you too.
10:52So, I love this old railway station,
10:55but I'm surprised to find this in Seoul.
10:57It doesn't, it doesn't look Asian.
10:59It doesn't look Asian.
11:27During Japan's 35-year rule,
11:31it was known as Hyeongseong Station.
11:33It was renamed Seoul Station,
11:35following Korea's liberation in 1945.
11:38Trains continued to run here until 2004,
11:42when the bold new terminus opened next door.
11:45Do the people of Seoul feel an affection for this building
11:49in European style
11:51and built by the colonial power, the Japanese?
11:55This is a very important part of this issue.
12:01We have a lot of opinions.
12:01During the time of the early reign of the era,
12:05there were many buildings,
12:07and there were a lot of buildings that were missing.
12:09And there were some buildings that were missing.
12:11it was the bad story of this story.
12:14It was also a story of the bad memory,
12:16and it was a place of memory for some of those
12:17that were made to be a death.
12:18the memories that were made to be a place for some of them.
12:33Continuing my exploration of Seoul, I'm drawn again to the fashionable district of Gangnam.
12:44It's one of Seoul's richest neighbourhoods and achieved global fame with the 2012 smash hit Gangnam Style.
12:51It's now the epicentre of South Korea's pop scene, which along with South Korean films and TV is making a
12:59worldwide impact.
13:07Squid Game, the Korean dystopian thriller series, is the most watched drama on Netflix of all time.
13:16In 2020, Parasite, a Korean movie, won the Oscar for Best Picture, the first film not in the English language
13:26to do so.
13:27There is no doubt that the world is being refreshed by a wave of Korean culture, for which the Korean
13:34expression is Hallyu.
13:36And the field of music is very much included, with K-pop populating the global charts.
13:44The success of K-pop has led to an explosion of dance and music studios across the city, offering classes
13:52for aspiring stars and for those who want to learn some K-pop moves.
13:56I'm dropping in at Deaf Company Dance School and Music Academy, which is run by Sungkyu Yang.
14:04Mr Yang, hello.
14:06I'm Michael.
14:08Welcome.
14:09Great to see you.
14:13Your academy and your dance school have been going since 2002.
14:17Yes.
14:18When do you think was the origin of K-pop?
14:40Why do you think that Korean music, that K-pop, was able to break through not being in the English
14:47language?
14:48It's the first example, really, of a music that's coming from the eastern part of the world, and penetrating America
14:56and penetrating Europe.
14:57Why does it succeed?
14:58I think that Korean culture is so popular in the world.
15:03I've never thought it would be a part of my own music.
15:08Because it's like a traditional way of enjoying the world.
15:11I think that Korean music is a system that I would enjoy.
15:14I think it's like Korean music, K-pop, and K-pop in the world, but it's a pop.
15:19So I'm so happy, I think that all of the popular culture within the world has come.
15:23I'm so happy.
15:29Some of today's huge K-pop stars began their journey to fame and fortune in classes like this.
15:36Along with group lessons, the Academy offers one-to-one tuition.
15:40Perfect for enthusiastic beginners.
15:45Hello.
15:46Hi.
15:47My name is Michael.
15:50I'm Um.
15:51Um, very nice to see you indeed.
15:53Well, how should we start?
15:54Can you show me the dance first?
16:10Nice, nice, nice.
16:12Okay, nice.
16:17I've seen the dance.
16:20You're doing well.
16:22I'm going to show you some more detail.
16:26I want to show you some more detail.
16:28Steps are going to be done with me.
16:30Bang.
16:31Bang.
16:32Ah, yes.
16:33Bang.
16:34Bang.
16:36Bang.
16:37Bang.
16:38Six.
16:39Seven.
16:40Eight.
16:40Wave.
16:41Five.
16:43Two.
16:44Floor.
16:45Two.
16:51Two.
16:51Two.
16:52Three.
16:52Five.
16:54Six.
16:56Seven.
16:57Eight.
16:58One.
17:00Two.
17:00Two.
17:05One.
17:05Five.
17:10One.
17:10One.
17:10Yes, yes, clap, clap.
17:17Okay, step, step.
17:27Wave.
17:36Bravo!
17:41Bravo!
17:42Bravo!
17:46Unlike me, these young stars of the future make it look easy.
17:51Can you tell me why are you taking these classes?
17:55Are you doing it because you want to go into the music and dance industry?
17:59Yeah, I love to try.
18:01The first time I came here, it was like a mess,
18:05and then I started to build up my skills from teachers.
18:09Fantastic.
18:13How long have you been taking these classes?
18:16Two months.
18:17What made you want to do it?
18:18Actually, I've been always to be a singer.
18:23I'm preparing my album on my own.
18:27You're preparing an album?
18:29Wow.
18:30Well, good luck to you with your first album.
18:33Thank you very much.
18:34I'm going to take this time.
18:34Look at my camera.
18:40And finally, how can you find me?
18:40Let's take a look.
18:44Great.
18:50Have you seen us.
18:52Cool.
19:01Now, we're going to have a full ride.
19:02We're going to have a full ride disconcerting point of photo.
19:04buildings in Seoul, there's also an underground city. You access it from a
19:10number of subway stations and you find there long halls, shopping malls, full of
19:16places selling food and clothing and they are an integral part of metropolitan life.
19:28This modernity and vibrancy are a big part of today's South Korean identity.
19:35This country has proved its national energy, maybe as a reaction against the
19:40first half of the 20th century when it was occupied by the Japanese. In the
19:45northwest of the city, in the district of So-dae-moon, is Independence Park, an
19:51historic and cultural site which bears witness to that traumatic period of
19:56Korea's past. Historically, Korea has been painfully squeezed by her powerful
20:03neighbors. The year she was forced to recognize the authority of the Emperor
20:08of China. In 1910, Japan converted Korea into a colony in which the teaching of
20:16Korea's language and history was forbidden and property was seized. I've come to
20:21this, the site of a notorious prison, to understand the history of those brave
20:26individuals who resisted the brutal Japanese occupation and paid with their
20:32lives. Following its closure in the 1980s, So-dae-moon prison is now a museum
20:40dedicated to those who fought against colonial rule. J-won Kim is a professor of
20:47modern history at Seoul's Catholic University of Korea. J-won, we're at the site of a very
20:52forbidding-looking prison. Tell me a little about its history, please.
21:00This is Korea's first modern prison, built in 1908. By that point, Japan had already
21:06taken the administrative authority of the Korean Empire, including its diplomatic
21:11rights. In general, how did Japan treat its Korean colony?
21:19The Japanese considered themselves civilized, while they viewed the Korean people, who were
21:24called Joseon, as barbaric. Consequently, the Japanese treated the Korean people very
21:32disrespectfully. At Seoul's Pagoda Park, on the 1st of March 1919, the Korean resistance
21:41movement staged its first mass demonstration, and a declaration of independence was read.
21:51Firstly, following the First World War, the Paris Peace Conference was held. Around that
21:56time, the concept of national self-determination emerged and inspired Koreans. Secondly, Koreans
22:04already felt a great deal of anger towards Japan. The first protest was led by students and religious
22:11figures. The Japanese authorities forcibly suppressed the protest, resulting in a number of casualties
22:17from day one.
22:21Did the ideas of resistance and rebellion spread throughout Korea?
22:28Koreans nationwide joined the protests, which began at train stations and then spread from
22:34March to mid-April.
22:36Do we know how many Korean people died during those demonstrations in 1919?
22:42There are no accurate statistics on the number of deaths. However, records show that several
22:47massacres occurred at the time. According to the Governor General of Japan's records, around
22:531.5 to 2 million Koreans participated in the March 1st movement in 1919. Of those, between
23:0119,000 and 20,000 were punished or charged.
23:10One of the youngest and best-known figures of the independence movement was Yoo Gwansun, a
23:16young Christian nationalist who joined the cause as a student in Seoul and has become
23:21a symbol of Korea's struggle for freedom. Myung Sang-ryu is a descendant of her family.
23:28Mr Yoo. Hello, I'm Michael.
23:31Hi, I'm Myung Sang-ryu. Nice to meet you.
23:33Great pleasure. Can you please tell me about Yoo Gwansun?
23:39Yoo Gwansun, a martyr for Korean independence, is a distant great art of mine.
23:45You received a Christian education at school and participated in the March 1st independence
23:50movement. You shared what had happened in Seoul with the community elders and the people
23:56of her town. You thought that in her hometown there should be a protest as well. This became
24:03known as the Aone Market Demonstration.
24:09A month after the first independence demonstration in the capital, around 3 years ago, the
24:143,000 people gathered in the small town of Jeonan.
24:20Yoo handed out the flags and led the chanting of long-live Korean independence. However, the
24:26Japanese police forcibly suppressed the protestors with guns and swords. As a result, Yoo's
24:32parents were killed by stabbing and shooting.
24:38Yoo was convicted of sedition and sentenced to five years at Sodaemun. But the teenager
24:44continued to fight against Korea's colonial oppressors.
24:50Most of the prisoners were anti-Japanese independence activists related to the March 1st movement.
24:57So, once Yoo shouted for Korean independence, the entire prison shouted together, long live
25:03Korean independence.
25:12The prison authorities identified Yoo as the leader and tortured her. The torture was so severe
25:19that she eventually died in prison from the after effects.
25:26Yoo was just 17 when she died on the 28th of September, 1920.
25:46Yiu Guang Sun was held in a prison cell like this. And she used this wooden floor to communicate
25:57her patriotism to other prisoners. This love of fatherland, of mother country, is one of the greatest passions that a
26:09human being feels. And it drives people to do extraordinary things. Even so, I am in wonder that this 17
26:18-year-old could find such courage to sacrifice her life for Korea.
26:26How do you think such a young person could be so brave and so filled with Korean patriotism? How is
26:36it possible?
26:39I believe it was possible because she was convinced that fighting for one's homeland was the right thing to do.
26:45I also think that Yoo's Christian faith enabled her to make this sacrifice.
26:49Even though she didn't have an incompatible form, she found a church of faith.
27:01Even if she's a father, her father didn't want to believe that she had to lose her faith, she had
27:04to inform her.
27:04Even if she doesn't know what she would say, she has to do.
27:16Even if she didn't know what she already told us, she had to do.
27:19The 20th century made Koreans tough.
27:22They endured a brutal colonisation by Japan.
27:26And then in quick succession, the Second World War and the Korean War.
27:31For the last seven decades, the state-sponsored capitalism of the South
27:36has been in a fierce competition of systems
27:39with the Northern Communist neighbour, and it has roared ahead.
27:44The so-called Korean shrimp,
27:48sandwiched between the whales of Japan and China,
27:51has become a big fish now,
27:54and swims confidently in global economic markets.
27:59Next time, is there competition between China and Korea for ginseng?
28:04In Korea's quality, China's quantity.
28:09The tremendous economic growth in Korea
28:12has affected most people in most places.
28:14And here, yesterday's hovels, are today's cheek.
28:21It's extraordinary to touch an object that is 1,500 years old.
28:29The goldenFX world hasドur vikt måned Label
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28:50The gilt gefallen which axis is too high for cago,
28:52through a kind of flexible flow.
28:52Tom said eek supremacy to the upper rudeness of Mr.
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