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Great Korean Railway Journeys S01E01 DMZ to Seoul
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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 mega cities
00:18architectural statement
00:21I'll ride the wave of Korean culture sweeping the West. It's got this very spicy sauce
00:27and encounter ancient civilizations and traditions
00:33On a peninsula divided by war along a border between capitalism and communism
00:39The sense of tension here is powerful. I'll see how out of destruction and partition
00:45South Koreans have forged an impressive new identity
01:18I am exhilarated to be in South Korea a country that is compared to a shrimp between two whales
01:25Those being China and Japan and 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. It was officially divided in 1948
01:43Following the Second World War and has evolved into two starkly contrasting states
01:50The Communist Democratic People's Republic of North Korea home to around 25 million
01:56And the Capitalist Republic of Korea in the South with over 50 million, which I'll be exploring
02:08Beginning near the dividing line, I'll travel to the capital of Seoul
02:11Heading south, my route will take me via Daejeon to the ancient city of Gyeongju
02:17And on to 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
02:26Before 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
02:51As I trace the old tracks of a long redundant railway
02:55I'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
03:14And the area known as the DMZ, the Demilitarised Zone
03:18Because when the war between North and South Korea ended in 1953
03:23Hostilities ceased, but no peace was declared
03:26So 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
03:48The 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
04:02A restricted area where, with your passport, you can take a gondola to ride above the Imjin River
04:10Thank you
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 landmines
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 Manjong
04:53Which 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
05:06And I did so
05:07At each of the windows there was the face of a North Korean soldier
05:11Just scowling at me
05:13Expressing the hatred and contempt
05:15That 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
05:30On the old Zhonggui Railway
05:32Now severed by the ceasefire line
05:34Is a rusted locomotive
05:36That once carried tanks and ammunition to the front
05:40Riddled with over a thousand bullet holes
05:43It's a striking reminder of a war
05:46In which two and a half million people died
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
06:05Made in traditional Korean style
06:07And I am very happy to do so
06:10May it sound out across the world
06:12And may all of us feel its reverberations
06:24From close to the DMZ
06:26I am taking a train south to the capital
06:30I am beginning at Munsan Station
06:32To take a commuter service
06:34Along the Jianggui to Yunggang Line
06:58This railway, like much of the network in South Korea
07:01Is operated by CoRail
07:03A government owned corporation
07:06This railway, like much of the network in South Korea
07:13In just an hour, this train will take me to the heart of Seoul
07:17Where 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
07:36Of widows and orphans
07:38Of poor peasants toiling the land
07:41But its per capita wealth has grown to exceed Japan's
07:45And that of several Western European countries
07:49Its televisions, household appliances and vehicles
07:53Are bought across the world
07:55And its culture is exported
07:57In the form of brilliant movies
07:59And irresistible K-pop
08:01Using its excellent modern railway system
08:05I will discover how gleaming glass skyscrapers
08:09Have risen from the ashes
08:12The city of Seoul sits on the river Han
08:16And is home to 10 million people
08:18Covering 234 square miles
08:21It and its neighbouring cities
08:23Form a conurbation
08:25Which is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth
08:35The city of Seoul
08:35The city of Seoul
08:37Go to London
08:37What is your city of Seoul
08:38How to make your city a beautiful city
08:40With the city
08:41When you are out of the Bay
08:42With the city of Seoul
08:50And you are sort of
09:04good start to my journey, an architectural statement made in glass and steel, the meeting
09:11point of national and city lines.
09:27This dynamic 21st century metropolis has been transformed since the end of the Korean War
09:33in 1953. But in amongst the towering office blocks and shiny shopping malls, there are
09:40reminders of Korea's past and unique culture.
09:53The huge Cheongbukyung Palace was started around the time that this city was first the capital
10:00of Korea in 1394. And it is decorated in these many colours in a style that's known as Tanjong,
10:09which actually dates back many centuries more. This is a recreation. The palace was destroyed
10:16twice by the Japanese, once in 1592 and for a second time in the 20th century. But the
10:23fact that so many people flock here now, many of them in their traditional costume, suggests
10:30that in this buzzing, vibrant modern city, there's still a longing for history. It also serves
10:38as a place for visitors to connect with their Korean heritage. Hello, I congratulate you on
10:44your beautiful costume. Thank you so much. Tell me why you're wearing it, please. This is like
10:50the traditional king costume. And we're here at Gyeongbokgung, which is a staple piece of Korea's
10:56history. So I thought it would be like a good memory. Is this the first time you've dressed
11:00like this? Yeah, actually. And I really like it. It feels special. Well, you look special. Does this
11:06palace mean something to you? Is this an important part of your heritage? Of course, like not just me,
11:11but like just every Korean, like my parents, my grandparents. It's nice to have a palace like this,
11:16where like there's a lot of foreigners, and they come and visit to see our history. Huge
11:20pleasure to talk to you. Thank you. Thank you. Your Majesty.
11:23Yeah.
11:43Seoul is South Korea's political and economic center, where daily life moves at a relentless
11:50pace. But in the heart of the downtown area is a wonderful oasis of calm.
12:01The seven-mile-long Chonggichon stream, with walking paths, waterfalls and bridges, is part
12:07of an ambitious urban regeneration project conceived to improve the quality of life, and is hailed
12:14as a symbol of the city's renewal. Helping me to explore it is expat British journalist, Raphael
12:22Rashid. Raphael, here in the heart of Seoul, we've got this fast-flowing stream, with apparently
12:29very clean water. It's got fish in it. How long has this been like this? It's actually been
12:34here for only just over 20 years. This place actually used to be an elevated highway, believe
12:41it or not. But eventually, it was kind of falling to pieces and needed to either be repaired or
12:49removed. And it was decided in the early 2000s to basically get rid of it and restore the stream
12:59that once was underneath. What do we know about the history of this waterway?
13:03So, the Chonggichon stream, in the late 19th century, became quite putrid. It earned the
13:12nickname, the city's cancer. After the devastation of the Korean War, you had thousands of refugees
13:19from what is now known as North Korea, and created a kind of slum or shanty town.
13:25What a transformation. Why, at the moment, do we have lanterns and gongs hanging over the water?
13:30Soon, it's going to be Buddha's birthday. So, we have all these lanterns. This is, I would
13:37say, a kind of cultural corridor. And it's become a landmark of Seoul.
13:42This is such a cosmopolitan place, with burger bars and Italian restaurants, and you hear English
13:47spoken everywhere. But, I have seen people in traditional costume. Is there a bit of a hankering
13:53for something which is authentically Korean, do you think?
13:56Yeah, absolutely. I think South Korea developed so rapidly, didn't really necessarily think
14:02about cultural identity. The likes of Samsung or LG, people assumed that they were Japanese
14:08companies. Now that South Korea has become such a global superpower, young people especially
14:14are rediscovering their past traditions and being proud of being Korean.
14:28Here in the capital, the extraordinary transformation of South Korea is unmistakable. Left devastated by
14:36the war of the 1950s, in under 80 years, it has risen to become one of the world's most advanced
14:43industrialised nations, and Asia's fourth largest economy.
14:47Seoul, with its brash advertising and its shopping malls, is a temple to capitalism and consumerism.
14:56And it's hard to remember that just 30 miles away, there is a different system, a hard-line communist
15:04regime where living standards have not changed since the end of the Korean War, and where the
15:10population is indoctrinated to hate Western values.
15:16With no independent media allowed inside North Korea, the BBC World Service, based in Seoul,
15:22broadcast Korean-language radio programmes, which, despite being banned by the regime, can be
15:29secretly received north of the border. Wung-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, when did the BBC start to broadcast to North Korea, and with what purpose?
15:45So, in 2017, BBC Korean service was launched, and the purpose was simple, to provide balanced
15:52news, because North Korean audience, obviously, they don't have access to outside information.
15:57Our programme is 15 minutes daily, going late night, and then repeats several times throughout
16:03the night.
16:04And given that they are so restricted and isolated, I assume that actually you have to
16:09explain quite a few things.
16:11That is correct, because there are many international stories that North Korean audience have no idea
16:17about.
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 the outside foreign media.
16:28Interestingly, radio is probably one of the safest devices for them, because, unlike USB
16:34or cell phones, radio is a real-time information, and it doesn't leave any trace.
16:41Despite the comfortable lifestyle of Koreans here in the South, the plight of relatives and
16:47friends across the border is never far from their thoughts.
16:50Attempting to flee North Korea is punishable by death, and many have died trying.
16:56However, since the partition, around 33,000 North Koreans have successfully escaped and settled
17:03in South Korea.
17:05In this downtown food hotspot, known as Dongdimun Grilled Fish Street, I'm meeting one of
17:11these extraordinary escapees, Il-hyeok Kim, who fled North Korea in 2011.
17:18Il-hyeok, a huge pleasure to meet you.
17:20Nice to meet you.
17:25Thank 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 because he used a phone to send my father's
17:46friends 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 that one day, my father was in the room and said,
18:05I don't have any hope in North Korea.
18:07I said, I'm going to go to Korea.
18:10We swam the river to China.
18:14Nine people with my father, mother, and elder brother, and a friend.
18:24How old were you then?
18:25I was 16.
18:28This must have been very dangerous.
18:30Yes.
18:32Because if you go to North Korea, you're going to get hit right away.
18:39When you got to South Korea, were you surprised by what you saw here?
19:05Do you value your freedom now?
19:10Do 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.
20:10And 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.
20:51In fact, there are a number of cities joined together with a combined population of 25 million.
21:00This, the Shinbundang metro line, has been built to relieve congestion between conurbations.
21:07It is the first line to have been designed, financed and constructed by the private sector.
21:14It's only the fifth subway line in the world to have been designed to be driverless.
21:23It's trains have a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour,
21:28and they rush between 16 widely spaced stations.
21:43It is the first line to have been set to be found in甚麼.
21:47It is the first line to have been designed to be found in the country.
21:51It is the third line to have been designed to be found in two areas.
22:00I'm alighting at Gangnam Station to explore the vibrant Seoul neighbourhood known for
22:05its shops and restaurants.
22:09It's also the home of a Korean sport that has exploded around the world.
22:15During the 1940s and 50s, there emerged a distinctively Korean martial art, which has
22:22pretty 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 for the foot, the fist and discipline, taekwondo.
22:44Here at the Kukiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters, I'm meeting Director of the Demonstration Team,
22:51Taeho Kim.
22:53Director Kim, hello.
22:55Hello.
22:56Nice to meet you.
22:56All these flags, are all these countries involved in taekwondo?
23:02Yes, that's right.
23:03Currently, taekwondo has 200,000,000,000 people in the world.
23:09What is distinctively Korean about taekwondo?
23:12Taekwondo is a full-time recognition of anyone who can do.
23:21What are the virtues or qualities that it teaches?
23:25What are the virtues or qualities that it teaches?
23:41Shall we go inside?
23:42Shall we go inside and maybe I can see some taekwondo?
23:45Yeah.
23:45Nice to meet you.
23:50In the dojang, or training pool,
23:54Derek Kim's black belt team is practising for the next event.
24:12Oh!
24:17Wow.
24:18Absolute self-control, absolute affection, coordination and terrifying yells.
24:29Oh!
24:30Oh!
24:31Kicks the board to pieces.
24:33Unreal.
24:43I don't want to meet that guy in a fight.
24:49With some trepidation, I'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.
25:18Please, show me.
25:20One.
25:21One.
25:22Two.
25:23Two.
25:23Three.
25:24Three.
25:25Three.
25:25Okay.
25:25Good.
25:31준비.
25:32하나, 둘, 셋.
25:36네.
25:38Left hand.
25:39하나.
25:40하나.
25:42둘.
25:43하나.
25:49Okay.
25:50Double punch.
25:51Double punch.
25:52Tag.
25:52Tag.
25:53Tag.
25:54One.
25:55Good.
25:56Right, the three punch.
25:57Tag.
25:57Tag.
25:58Tag.
26:00Tag.
26:02Tag.
26:03Tag.
26:03Tag.
26:04Tag.
26:06Agua-agua-agua.
26:09Tag.
26:09This is where I do a somersault and kick one of these in the eyes.
26:17One, two, ah!
26:22You can't do it.
26:26One.
26:27One, two, ah!
26:31Oh!
26:37Three.
26:38No more.
26:39Three?
26:40Yeah, no more.
26:42One, two, ah!
26:48Two!
26:54마이클, 당신이 격파를 성공하셔서 국회의원의 명예단원으로 임명하겠습니다.
27:01Wow!
27:09네, 당신은 국회의원 태권도인입니다.
27:13네, 당신은 국회의원의 명예단원으로 임명합니다.
27:34한국의 국회의원은 국회의원을 제공하셔서 감사합니다.
27:3970 years of the constant threat of invasion by its northern neighbour.
27:45Given the fragility of the ceasefire and how close the demilitarised zone is to Seoul,
27:52I find the calm normality of everyday life in the south remarkable.
27:57But it's not surprising that a popular pastime and one that is distinctively Korean is taekwondo,
28:06a martial art.
28:10Next time, I love this old railway station, but I'm surprised to find this in Seoul.
28:16It doesn't look Asian.
28:19One step, two step, three step, four, five, six, seven, eight.
28:29So you don't have to worry about how much water you need to add to this recipe.
28:34It will automatically do it for you.
28:35That is insane.
28:40Actually, I watched it from the hospital.
28:40I love you.
28:41¶¶
29:07Transcription by CastingWords
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