- 5 weeks ago
Great Korean Railway Journeys - Season 1 Episode 1 - DMZ to Seoul
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01South Korea by rail
00:04These trains are capable of more than 200 MPa the
00:09Opportunity to explore one of the world's most successful countries
00:13amidst towering skyscrapers in gleaming mega cities an
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. The sense of tension here is
00:41Powerful. I'll see how out of destruction and partition South Koreans have forged an impressive new identity
01:19I
01:19Am exhilarated to be in South Korea a country that is compared to a shrimp between two whales
01:25those being China and
01:28Japan 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
01:421948 following 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 and the Capitalist Republic of Korea in
01:59the South with over 50 million
02:01Which I'll be exploring
02:08Beginning near the dividing line I'll travel to the capital of Seoul heading south my route will take me via
02:14Daejeon to the ancient city of
02:16Gyeongju and on to the vast international port of Busan
02:21Turning West I'll visit Gwangju that'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 and the area known as the DMZ the demilitarized 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 and on this side
03:33630,000 South Koreans ready to defend backed by nearly 30,000 Americans and an American built anti-missile system
03:42and
03:43The sense of tension here is palpable
03:48The DMZ extends two kilometers each side of the ceasefire line and is forbidden territory
03:58But just below it on the southern side is the civilian control zone a restricted area where with your passport
04:06You 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
04:24To swim this river
04:26To freedom
04:29Only a handful of individuals is thought to have defected across the DMZ which is under constant surveillance and littered
04:39with landmines
04:44My last visit to the DMZ was less touristy I was here as the United Kingdom Secretary of State for
04:51defense
04:51And I went to Pan Manjong which is where the armistice was signed in 1953
04:57There is there a wooden hut with windows that crosses the ceasefire line and it's possible inside the hut to
05:05walk into North Korea
05:06And I did so
05:07At each of the windows there was the face of a North Korean soldier scowling at me
05:12expressing 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 a thousand bullet holes
05:43It's a striking reminder of a war in which two and a half million people died
05:49Here too are monuments and memorials to the suffering of the past
05:53Which also symbolize hopes for peace and reunification
06:00Visitors are invited to ring this 21 ton peace bell made in traditional Korean style
06:07And 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
06:32To take a commuter service along the Jianggui to Yunggang Line
06:58This railway, like much of the network in South Korea, is operated by Co-Rail, a government owned corporation
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
08:15And 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
08:58The city of Seoul
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
09:30Has been transformed since the end of the Korean War in 1953
09:34But in amongst the towering office blocks
09:38And shiny shopping malls
09:40There are reminders of Korea's past
09:42And unique culture
09:53The huge Cheongbukyong Palace
09:57Was started around the time that this city was first the capital of Korea
10:01In 1394
10:03And it is decorated in these many colours
10:07In a style that's known as Tanjong
10:09Which actually dates back many centuries more
10:12This is a recreation
10:14The palace was destroyed twice by the Japanese
10:18Once in 1592
10:19And for a second time in the 20th century
10:22But 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
10:49This is like the traditional king costume
10:52And we're here at Gyeongbokgung
10:54Which is a staple piece of Korea's history
10:56So I thought it would be like a good memory
10:59Is this the first time you've dressed like this?
11:01Yeah, actually
11:02And I really like it
11:03It feels special, you know
11:04Well, you look special
11:05Does this palace mean something to you?
11:07Is this an important part of your heritage?
11:09Of course
11:10Like not just me
11:11But like just every Korean
11:12Like my parents, my grandparents
11:14It's nice to have a palace like this
11:16Where like there's a lot of foreigners
11:17And they come and visit to see our history
11:20Huge pleasure to talk to you
11:21Thank you, thank you
11:22Your Majesty
11:23Yeah
11:44Seoul is South Korea's political and economic centre
11:47Where daily life moves at a relentless pace
11:51But in the heart of the downtown area
11:53Is a wonderful oasis of calm
12:01The seven mile long Cheonggyecheon stream
12:04With walking paths, waterfalls and bridges
12:07Is 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
12:18Helping me to explore it
12:19Is expat British journalist Raphael Rashid
12:24Raphael, here in the heart of Seoul
12:26We've got this fast flowing stream
12:28With 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
12:37This place actually used to be an elevated highway, believe it or not
12:41But eventually it was kind of falling to pieces
12:45And needed to either be repaired or removed
12:50And it was decided in the early 2000s
12:53To basically get rid of it
12:56And restore the stream that once was underneath
13:01What do we know about the history of this waterway?
13:04So the Cheonggyecheon stream
13:06In the late 19th century
13:08Became quite putrid
13:11It earned the nickname
13:12The city's cancer
13:14After the devastation of the Korean War
13:16You had thousands of refugees
13:19From 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
13:28Hanging over the water?
13:30Soon it's going to be Buddha's birthday
13:33So we have all these lanterns
13:35This is, I would say, a kind of cultural corridor
13:38And it's become a landmark of Seoul
13:41This is such a cosmopolitan place
13:44With 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
13:54Which is authentically Korean, do you think?
13:56Yeah, absolutely
13:57I think South Korea developed so rapidly
14:00Didn't really necessarily think about cultural identity
14:03The likes of Samsung or LG
14:06People assumed that they were Japanese companies
14:08Now that South Korea has become such a global superpower
14:12Young people especially are rediscovering their past traditions
14:16And being proud of being Korean
14:27Here in the capital
14:29The 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
14:41One 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
15:00There is a different system
15:02A hard-line communist regime
15:05Where living standards have not changed since the end of the Korean War
15:09And where the population is indoctrinated to hate Western values
15:16With no independent media allowed inside North Korea
15:20The BBC World Service based in Seoul
15:22Broadcast Korean language radio programmes
15:25Which 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, when did the BBC start to broadcast to North Korea
15:44And with what purpose?
15:46So in 2017, BBC Korean service was launched
15:49And the purpose was simple, to provide balanced news
15:52Because North Korean audience obviously
15:54They don't have access to outside information
15:57Our programme is 15 minutes daily
15:59Going 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
16:12Because 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
16:25To listen to the outside foreign media
16:28Interestingly, radio is probably one of the safest devices for them
16:32Because unlike USB or cell phones
16:35Radio is a real-time information and 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
17:15Who fled North Korea in 2011
17:18Il Hyuk, 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
17:32Tell me, why did you leave North Korea?
17:36My father was arrested by North Korean regime
17:40Because he used a phone
17:44Send my father's friends in South Korea
17:47And that is a crime in North Korea?
17:51So, he was arrested for...
17:55For four years
17:57In...
17:58Prison?
17:59Yes
17:59For five years
18:00But on a day
18:01My father and his family came together
18:03So, he said
18:04He said
18:06There is no hope in North Korea
18:07He said
18:09He said
18:09We swam the river to China
18:13Nine people
18:16With my father, mother
18:19And elder brother
18:21And a friend
18:23How old were you then?
18:25I was 16.
18:28This must have been very dangerous.
18:30Yes.
18:33Because...
18:33When you got to South Korea,
18:41were you surprised by what you saw here?
19:06Do you value your freedom now?
19:31What kind of work do you do today?
19:36I am an activist for North Korea.
19:49You are 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,
20:07I had the chance to make money,
20:08and I was free.
20:10And of those three,
20:11the 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 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.
21:23This trains have a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour,
21:28and they rush between 16 widely spaced stations.
22:00I'm alighting at Gangnam Station,
22:02to explore the vibrant Seoul neighbourhood known for its shops and restaurants.
22:10It'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,
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 for the foot, the fist, and discipline.
22:40Taekwondo.
22:43Here at the Kukhiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters,
22:48I'm meeting director of the demonstration team, Tae-ho Kim.
22:53Director Kim, hello.
22:55Hello. Nice to meet you.
22:57All these flags, are all these countries involved in Taekwondo?
23:09What is distinctively Korean about Taekwondo?
23:12Taekwondo is a full-time training.
23:16It's a difference between the heart and heart.
23:21What are the virtues or qualities that it teaches?
23:26It's a good thing for the world to be able to do well.
23:35We are trying to perform the best practices of the world.
23:36We are trying to make a better way in the world.
23:37We are trying to perform the best practices of the world.
23:39We are trying to perform the best practices of the world.
23:41Shall we go inside and maybe I can see some Taekwondo?
23:45Yes.
23:46Let's go.
23:46Let's go.
23:48Let's go.
23:49Let's go.
23:50In the dojang, or training pool,
23:54Derek Kim's Black Belt Team is practising for the next event.
23:59Yeah!
24:01Ah!
24:05Ah!
24:11Ah!
24:13Ah!
24:13Ah!
24:17Wow. Absolute self-control, absolute perfection, coordination and terrifying yells.
24:29Oh! Kicks the board to pieces. Unreal.
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. Thank you so much.
25:14Please, Charlie.
25:21One.
25:21One.
25:22Two.
25:23Two.
25:23Three.
25:24Three.
25:25Good.
25:31One.
25:33Two.
25:34One.
25:39One.
25:44One.
25:47Two.
25:49One.
25:52One.
25:53One.
25:54One.
25:54One.
25:55One.
25:55Three.
25:57One.
25:58One.
25:59One.
25:59One.
26:00One.
26:09Two.
26:13One.
26:18One.
26:19Two.
26:20One.
26:21One.
26:26One.
26:28Two.
26:29Two, one.
26:38Three. No more.
26:39Three?
26:40Yeah, no more.
26:43One, two.
26:46Wow!
26:48Two!
26:53마이클, 당신이 격파를 성공하셔서 국교원의 명예단원으로 임명하겠습니다.
27:09당신이 이제 국교원 태권도인입니다.
27:30한국국토정보공사
27:31The Republic of Korea has had to emerge from the ruins of the Korean War.
27:36And even more remarkably, it's had to endure 70 years of the constant threat of invasion by its northern neighbour.
27:45Given the fragility of the ceasefire and how close the demilitarized zone is to Seoul,
27:52I find the calm normality of everyday life in the south remarkable.
27:58But it's not surprising that a popular pastime and one that is distinctively Korean is Taekwondo, a martial art.
28:08Ha!
28:10Next time.
28:11I 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.
28:30So 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.
28:36That is insane.
Comments