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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.
01:19I am exhilarated to be in South Korea.
01:21A country that is compared to a shrimp between two whales.
01:26Those being China and Japan.
01:29And which nonetheless has brought about an economic miracle.
01:32I've traveled 6,000 miles from home to the Korean Peninsula in East Asia.
01:38Roughly the size of Great Britain.
01:40It was officially divided in 1948 following the Second World War.
01:45And has evolved into two starkly contrasting states.
01:50The Communist, Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
01:54Home to around 25 million.
01:56And the Capitalist, Republic of Korea in the South.
02:00With over 50 million.
02:01Which I'll be exploring.
02:08Beginning near the dividing line, I'll travel to the capital of Seoul.
02:12Heading south, my route will take me via Daejeon.
02:15To the ancient city of Gyeongju.
02:17And onto the vast international port of Busan.
02:21Turning west, I'll visit Gwangju.
02:23That's become a symbol of the country's struggle for democracy.
02:27Before finishing on the subtropical island of Jeju.
02:45My journey today begins at one of the most heavily fortified strips of land on the planet.
02:52As I trace the old tracks of a long redundant railway.
02:56I've come to the frontier which divides the Korean people.
03:00I am at one of the most potentially dangerous zones of conflict between communism and capitalism in the world.
03:10Across that river lies North Korea.
03:13And the area known as the DMZ, the Demilitarized Zone.
03:18Because when the war between North and South Korea ended in 1953, hostilities ceased.
03:24But no peace was declared.
03:27And so still on that side are 1.2 million men under arms.
03:32And on this side 630,000 South Koreans ready to defend.
03:36Backed by nearly 30,000 Americans.
03:39And an American built anti-missile system.
03:42And the sense of tension here is palpable.
03:47The DMZ extends 2km each side of the ceasefire line.
03:53And is forbidden territory.
03:58But just below it on the southern side is the Civilian Control Zone.
04:03A restricted area where, with your passport, you can take a gondola to ride above the Imjin River.
04:11And view this extraordinary zone.
04:21How many people might wish to risk their lives to swim this river to freedom?
04:29Only a handful of individuals is thought to have defected across the DMZ,
04:35which is under constant surveillance and littered with land mines.
04:44My last visit to the demilitarised zone was less touristy.
04:47I was here as the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence.
04:52And I went to Pan Man John, which is where the armistice was signed in 1953.
04:57There is there a wooden hut with windows that crosses the ceasefire line.
05:02And it's possible inside the hut to walk into North Korea, and I did so.
05:07At each of the windows, there was the face of a North Korean soldier scowling at me,
05:13expressing the hatred and contempt that he felt for me as a representative of the West.
05:24Reminders of the conflict between North and South are everywhere.
05:28At what's left of Jiangdan Station, on the old Zhonggui Railway,
05:32now severed by the ceasefire line, is a rusted locomotive that once carried tanks and ammunition to the front.
05:40Riddled with over 1,000 bullet holes, it's a striking reminder of a war in which 2.5 million people
05:48died.
05:49Here, too, are monuments and memorials to the suffering of the past,
05:53which also symbolise hopes for peace and reunification.
06:00Visitors are invited to ring this 21-tonne peace bell made in traditional Korean style.
06:08And I'm very happy to do so.
06:10May it sound out across the world.
06:13And may all of us feel its reverberations.
06:24From close to the DMZ, I'm taking a train south to the capital.
06:30I'm beginning at Munsan Station to take a commuter service along the Jianggui to Gyeonggang Line.
06:58This railway, like much of the network in South Korea,
07:01is operated by CoRail, a government-owned corporation.
07:13In just an hour, this train will take me to the heart of Seoul,
07:18where I hope to get under the skin of the Republic of Korea.
07:30When I was born at the end of the Korean War,
07:33this was a land of ruins and refugees,
07:37of widows and orphans, of poor peasants toiling the land.
07:41But its per-capital wealth has grown to exceed Japan's
07:45and that of several Western European countries.
07:49Its televisions, household appliances and vehicles are bought across the world.
07:55And its culture is exported in the form of brilliant movies and irresistible K-pop.
08:02Using its excellent modern railway system,
08:05I will discover how gleaming glass skyscrapers have risen from the ashes.
08:12The city of Seoul sits on the river Han and is home to 10 million people.
08:18Covering 234 square miles,
08:21it and its neighbouring cities form a conurbation
08:25which is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
08:41the 7th century as the desert left.
08:52and the river is to the sea.
08:52the city of the sea.
08:58The native empire of the sea.
08:58The west-milaere where the north-milaere is planted in the area.
09:03Seoul Station, this is a good start to my journey,
09:06an architectural statement made in glass and steel,
09:10the meeting point of national and city lines.
09:26This dynamic 21st-century metropolis has been transformed
09:31since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
09:35But in amongst the towering office blocks and shiny shopping malls,
09:40there are reminders of Korea's past and unique culture.
09:53The huge Cheongbukyung Palace was started around the time
09:59that this city was first the capital of Korea, in 1394.
10:03And it is decorated in these many colours
10:07in a style that's known as Tancheong,
10:09which actually dates back many centuries more.
10:13This is a recreation.
10:15The palace was destroyed twice by the Japanese,
10:18once in 1592 and for a second time in the 20th century.
10:23But the fact that so many people flock here now,
10:26many of them in their traditional costume,
10:29suggests that in this buzzing, vibrant, modern city,
10:33there's still a longing for history.
10:37It also serves as a place for visitors to connect with their Korean heritage.
10:42Hello, Maya, I congratulate you on your beautiful costume.
10:46Thank you so much.
10:47Tell me why you're wearing it, please.
10:48This is like the traditional king costume and we're here at Gyeongbokgung,
10:54which is a staple piece of Korea's history.
10:57So I thought it would be like a good memory.
10:59Is this the first time you've dressed like this?
11:00Yeah, actually, and I really like it, it feels special, you know?
11:04Well, you look special.
11:06Does this palace mean something to you?
11:07Is this an important part of your heritage?
11:09Of course, like, not just me, but like just every Korean,
11:13like my parents, my grandparents.
11:14It's nice to have a palace like this where, like,
11:16there's a lot of foreigners and they come and visit to see our history.
11:20Huge pleasure to talk to you.
11:21Thank you, thank you.
11:22Your Majesty.
11:44Seoul is South Korea's political and economic centre,
11:47where daily life moves at a relentless pace.
11:50But in the heart of the downtown area is a wonderful oasis of calm.
12:00The seven-mile-long Chonggichon stream,
12:03with walking paths, waterfalls and bridges,
12:06is part of an ambitious urban regeneration project
12:10conceived to improve the quality of life
12:13and is hailed as a symbol of the city's renewal.
12:17Helping me to explore it
12:19is expat British journalist Raphael Rashid.
12:23Raphael, here in the heart of Seoul,
12:26we've got this fast-flowing stream with apparently very clean water.
12:30It's got fish in it.
12:31How long has this been like this?
12:33It's actually been here for only just over 20 years.
12:37Mm-hm.
12:37This place actually used to be an elevated highway, believe it or not,
12:41but eventually it was kind of falling to pieces and needed to either be repaired or removed.
12:50And it was decided in the early 2000s to basically get rid of it and restore the stream that once
13:00was underneath.
13:01What do we know about the history of this waterway?
13:04So, the Chonggichon stream in the late 19th century became quite putrid.
13:11It earned the nickname, the city's cancer.
13:14After the devastation of the Korean War,
13:16you had thousands of refugees from what is now known as North Korea
13:21and created a kind of slum or shanty town.
13:25What a transformation.
13:26Why at the moment do we have lanterns and gongs hanging over the water?
13:30Soon it's going to be Buddha's birthday.
13:32So, we have all these lanterns.
13:36This is, I would say, a kind of cultural corridor and it's become a landmark of Seoul.
13:41This is such a cosmopolitan place with burger bars and Italian restaurants
13:46and you hear English spoken everywhere.
13:48But I have seen people in traditional costume.
13:52Is there a bit of a hankering for something which is authentically Korean, do you think?
13:56Yeah, absolutely.
13:57I think South Korea developed so rapidly,
14:01didn't really necessarily think about cultural identity.
14:03The likes of Samsung or LG, people assumed that they were Japanese companies.
14:08Now that South Korea has become such a global superpower,
14:13young people especially are rediscovering their past traditions
14:16and being proud of being Korean.
14:27Here in the capital, the extraordinary transformation of South Korea is unmistakable.
14:34Left devastated by the war of the 1950s,
14:38in under 80 years it has risen to become one of the world's most advanced industrialised nations
14:44and Asia's fourth largest economy.
14:47Seoul, with its brash advertising and its shopping malls,
14:52is a temple to capitalism and consumerism.
14:56And it's hard to remember that just 30 miles away there is a different system,
15:02a hard-line communist regime where living standards have not changed since the end of the Korean War
15:09and where the population is indoctrinated to hate Western values.
15:15With no independent media allowed inside North Korea,
15:19the BBC World Service, based in Seoul, broadcast Korean-language radio programmes,
15:26which, despite being banned by the regime,
15:28can be secretly received north of the border.
15:32Wung-bi Lee is the news editor.
15:34Wung-bi, what a pleasure. I'm Michael.
15:36Hello, Michael. Great to meet you.
15:40Wung-bi Lee, when did the BBC start to broadcast to North Korea?
15:44And with what purpose?
15:45So, in 2017, BBC Korean service was launched,
15:49and the purpose was simple, to provide balanced news,
15:52because North Korean audience, obviously, they don't have access to outside information.
15:56Our programme is 15 minutes daily, going late night,
16:01and then repeats several times throughout the night.
16:04And given that they are so restricted and isolated,
16:07I assume that actually you have to explain quite a few things.
16:11That is correct, because there are many international stories
16:15that North Korean audience have no idea about.
16:18Is it unlawful in their country for them to listen to the BBC?
16:21Not only the BBC, it is unlawful for North Koreans to listen to,
16:26to the outside foreign media.
16:28Interestingly, radio is probably one of the safest advice for them,
16:32because unlike USB or cell phones, radio is a real-time information
16:38and it doesn't leave any trace.
16:41Despite the comfortable lifestyle of Koreans here in the South,
16:45the plight of relatives and friends across the border
16:48is never far from their thoughts.
16:50Attempting to flee North Korea is punishable by death,
16:53and many have died trying.
16:56However, since the partition,
16:58around 33,000 North Koreans have successfully escaped
17:02and settled in South Korea.
17:05In this downtown food hotspot,
17:07known as Dongdimun Grilled Fish Street,
17:10I'm meeting one of these extraordinary escapees,
17:14Il Hyuk Kim, who fled North Korea in 2011.
17:17Il Hyuk, a huge pleasure to meet you.
17:20Nice to meet you.
17:24Thank you very much indeed.
17:29How's Korean food?
17:31It's very good.
17:33Tell me, why did you leave North Korea?
17:36My father was arrested by North Korean regime
17:40because he used a phone to send my father's friends in South Korea.
17:48And that is a crime in North Korea?
17:51So he was arrested for four years in prison.
17:59Yes.
18:00But on the other day,
18:01my father, my family,
18:03my family,
18:04and he said,
18:05I don't have any hope in North Korea.
18:07Let's go to Korea.
18:08And he said,
18:10We swam the river to China.
18:14Nine people.
18:16With my father, mother,
18:20and elder brother,
18:22and a friend.
18:24How old were you then?
18:26I was 16.
18:28This must have been very dangerous.
18:30Yes.
18:32Because...
18:33When you got to South Korea,
18:40were you surprised by what you saw here?
19:06Do you value your freedom now?
19:09Do you value your freedom now?
19:11Do you value your freedom now?
19:12Do you value your freedom now?
19:13Do you value your freedom now?
19:15Do you value your freedom now?
19:16Do you value your freedom now?
19:18Do you value your freedom now?
19:21Do you value your freedom now?
19:24Do you value your freedom now?
19:26Do you value your freedom now?
19:31What kind of work do you do today?
19:36I am an activist for North Korean human rights.
19:40and I think it's going to be done with one another.
19:49You're a very brave man.
19:51And it's a privilege to meet you.
20:02I am so lucky.
20:04I was born in a country where I was educated,
20:06I had the chance to make money,
20:08and I was free.
20:09And of those three, the most important is freedom.
20:29This afternoon, I'm travelling around five miles south of the city centre
20:33to the district of Gangnam.
20:35Work began on Seoul's metro system in the 1970s,
20:40and it's now amongst the largest in the world.
20:44Seoul seems to me absolutely enormous,
20:48a never-ending line of high-rise buildings.
20:52In fact, there are a number of cities joined together
20:56with a combined population of 25 million.
21:00This, the Shinbundang metro line, has been built to relieve congestion
21:05between conurbations.
21:07It is the first line to have been designed, financed, and constructed
21:12by the private sector.
21:14It's only the fifth subway line in the world to have been designed to be driverless.
21:23Its trains have a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour,
21:28and they've rushed between 16 widely spaced stations.
21:32It is the fifth subway line in the space.
21:33It is the fifth subway line in the city,
21:51and it's the fifth subway line on the location of the island.
21:52What's going on?
21:53What's going on?
22:00It's the fifth subway line in the station.
22:02to explore the vibrant Seoul neighbourhood
22:04known for its shops and restaurants.
22:09It's also the home of a Korean sport
22:12that has exploded around the world.
22:15During the 1940s and 50s,
22:17there emerged a distinctively Korean martial art,
22:22which has pretty quickly gained recognition.
22:25In 2000, it became an Olympic sport.
22:27In 2018, it was declared Korea's National Martial Art.
22:33Its name derives from Korean words
22:35for the foot, the fist and discipline, taekwondo.
22:43Here at the Kukiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters,
22:47I'm meeting director of the demonstration team, Taeho Kim.
22:53Director Kim, hello.
22:55Hello. Nice to meet you.
22:56All these flags are all these countries involved in taekwondo.
23:08What is distinctively Korean about taekwondo?
23:12Taekwondo is a full-time recognition of a woman who can perform.
23:16It's a difference between the training and the heart of the world.
23:19It's a difference between other artists.
23:21What are the virtues or qualities that it teaches?
23:29Taekwondo's own manners are expressed all the time around the world.
23:33We're not going to be able to perform their dreams.
23:35We're not going to be able to perform a certain way,
23:37we're not going to have an impact.
23:41We have a level of exercise.
23:42We're not going to be able to perform the process of the right way.
23:45We're going to be able to perform a way.
23:49In the dojang, or training hall,
23:54Derek Kim's black belt team is practising for the next event.
24:17Wow.
24:17Absolute self-control, absolute perfection,
24:21coordination and terrifying yells.
24:29Oh!
24:31Kicks the board to pieces.
24:33Unreal.
24:43I don't want to meet that guy in a fight.
24:49With some trepidation,
24:51I've agreed to try out a few of the basics.
24:57Rarely have I felt such a fraud as now.
25:01Director Kim.
25:05Ladies and gentlemen, that was absolutely wonderful.
25:07Thank you so much.
25:11Today, we're going to practice Taekwondo Punch and
25:13then we're going to do a fight.
25:16I'm going to do a fight.
25:18Please, try me.
25:20One.
25:21One.
25:22Two.
25:23Three.
25:24Three.
25:24Three.
25:25Good.
25:31준비.
25:32하나.
25:33둘.
25:34셋.
25:38하나.
25:45셋.
25:47Ah, two, one.
25:49Okay, double punch.
25:51Double punch.
25:52Tap, one.
25:54Tap, one.
25:55Good.
25:56Right, three punch.
25:57Tap, one, two, one.
26:00Tap, one, two, one.
26:02Tap, one, two, one.
26:05Take 10.
26:07How many?
26:09This is where I do a somersault and kick one of these in the air.
26:17One, two.
26:20Ah!
26:21You can't do it.
26:26One.
26:27One.
26:28Two.
26:30Three.
26:38No more.
26:39Three?
26:40Yeah, no more.
26:43One, two.
26:45One, two.
26:46One, two.
26:49One, two.
26:50One, two.
26:53마이클, 당신이 격파를 성공하셔서 국교원의 명예단원으로 임명하겠습니다.
27:05네, 당신이 이제 국교원 태권도인입니다.
27:13ы
27:30The Republic of Korea has had to emerge from the ruins of the Korean War, and even more
27:37remarkably, it's had to endure 70 years of the constant threat of invasion by its northern
27:44neighbour. Given the fragility of the ceasefire, and how close the demilitarised zone is to
27:51Seoul, I find the calm normality of everyday life in the South remarkable. But it's not
27:59surprising that a popular pastime, and one that is distinctively Korean, is Taekwondo,
28:06a martial art.
28:09Next time, I love this old railway station, but I'm surprised to find this in Seoul. It
28:16doesn't look Asian.
28:19One step, two step, three step, four, five, six, seven, eight.
28:30So you don't have to worry about how much water you need to add to this recipe. It will automatically
28:34do it for you.
28:35That is insane.
28:37Thank you, everybody.
28:41Bye-bye.
28:43Bye-bye.
28:49Bye-bye.
28:57Bye-bye.
29:01Bye-bye.
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