- 18 minutes ago
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 amidst towering
00:15skyscrapers in gleaming mega cities and
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
01:03The ATX Fanshawe train number four hundred one-y-seven
01:08Departing towards Bukul at 18.25
01:11It's now approaching 5-1-1
01:14The ATX Fanshawe train number four hundred one-y-seven
01:24Departing towards Bukul at 18.25
01:30My Korean excursion which began at the frontier with the north is nearing its end in the south of the
01:37peninsula
01:40My impression of Korea from the train window is that it's in two parts
01:45City and mountain and the trains cut through the mountains in tunnels and on viaducts
01:53It's an amazing achievement of civil engineering
01:56But the tunnels are very frequent and they're very long
02:00So don't expect to get many glimpses of spectacular Korean countryside from the train
02:11Starting at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea my first stop was the dynamic capital of Seoul
02:19I've visited Daejeon and historic Gyeongju before exploring the southern port of Busan
02:25From Gyeongju in the west, I'll travel to the city of Gwangju
02:31Synonymous with Korea's fight for democracy and I'll finish on the subtropical volcanic island of Jeju
02:41This morning my high-speed KTX train traveling at almost 200 miles per hour has brought me to Gwangju the
02:49country's six largest city with a population of one and a half million
02:55The transport hub of the southwest on the river Yong in the center of North Juella province
03:01It lies at the foot of Mount Mu Dung almost 4,000 feet above
03:14In the rural area of Gwangju Dong around eight miles out of the city
03:19I've come to discover a passion that is integral to this nation's culture
03:26One food could be said to be the most characteristic of Korea
03:31They'd be making it for more than 3,000 years in the cold winters of the peninsula
03:37People had no access to fresh food and they staved off starvation by in the autumn
03:45Fermenting vegetables that were then stored
03:48It's called kimchi and today it appears at breakfast lunch and dinner
03:57South koreans eat around 2 million tons of the spicy dish every year and over the past decade
04:05It's become increasingly popular around the world at her village restaurant kimchi expert ran lim
04:11He's going to share a recipe with me mrs. Lim. Hello
04:17What a pleasure to meet you
04:19I understand that you are a sort of champion of kimchi making
04:35Fantastic now tell me about some of the things we have here, please
04:41My favorite food is for the last year
04:42I have a recipe for the last year
04:45I have to put it in the mixture
04:47And, like, put it in the mixture
04:51I have to put it in the mixture
04:54And put it in the mixture
04:55I have to put it in the mixture
04:55Oh, lovely ingredients
04:59Beautiful, aren't they beautiful
05:02In the summer, the seeds and vegetables
05:30How many people might be gathered together?
05:33If you have a kimchi, you have 7-10 people.
05:39It's about 3-4 days.
05:42I put them in a bag.
05:45I put them in the bag and put them in the bag.
05:56Will you show me, please, how you make a kimchi?
06:11What's in this spicy sauce?
06:19I put them in the bag.
06:21This is a barley.
06:26Lovely smell.
06:28You seem to have wonderful vegetables.
06:32Are all these vegetables from close by?
06:34I put them in the bag.
06:43This is a land in the south.
06:46It's called a mother's land.
06:48The land in the south is a mother's land.
06:53It's a mother's land.
07:02Everything is so fresh and so beautiful.
07:08No substitute for the hands, it seems.
07:11And now, this is the ice.
07:16Yeah, we're spreading that all over there.
07:19Leaf by leaf, yeah.
07:23How did you learn to make kimchi?
07:25I learned from my mother to my mother.
07:29When I was married, I came to make food.
07:34So I made this kimchi a little better.
07:39I made this kimchi a little better.
07:42I made this kimchi a little better.
07:52Mmm.
07:55It's very good.
08:03It's got this very spicy sauce.
08:08It's really lovely.
08:10It's so good.
08:12Congratulations.
08:14Your family and your friends are very lucky.
08:36Here in the centre of the city,
08:39I've come to investigate a dark chapter in South Korea's history.
08:44Here in the centre of the city, May 18th Memorial Park was opened in 1998 to honour the people who
08:53fought for the nation's freedom.
09:02Since the division of the peninsula into south and north, the Republic of Korea has been a beacon of capitalism,
09:10but not always of democracy.
09:13During the 1960s and 70s, there were military coups, the imposition of martial law and the suspension of basic civil
09:24liberties.
09:25Here in Guangzhou, in response in 1980, first students and then other citizens began to demonstrate demanding freedom.
09:34And that uprising was crushed with many people killed.
09:40But that violent reaction is now seen as a key moment in the recovery of democracy, because it was a
09:48national disgrace never to be repeated.
09:53Army General Chun Doo Hwan led a military coup and declared martial law in April 1980.
10:01People took to the streets, calling for democratic elections, and Guangzhou became the centre of the protests.
10:08I'm meeting former chairman of the Bereaved Families Association, Suman Chong.
10:14Hello.
10:14I'm Michael.
10:15Nice to meet you.
10:16We meet in front of this very emotive monument to the victims of the uprising of 1980.
10:22Please tell me about your connection to those events.
10:29In May 1980, during the Guangzhou Democratic Uprising, my younger brother was arrested by the martial law troops and killed.
10:38Arriving in downtown Guangzhou with a group of people to hold a memorial service, I was also arrested and detained.
10:47On the 18th of May, around 600 students, demonstrating against the suppression of academic freedom, were met with tear gas,
10:55batons and live ammunition.
10:58Others joined them and an estimated quarter of a million people took to the streets, demanding an end to military
11:05rule.
11:06How was your brother killed?
11:09After being arrested by the martial law troops, my younger brother was beaten and collapsed in front of the provincial
11:15government building on May 20th.
11:18He was transported to a military base and he passed away.
11:23After nine days, army tanks moved in to crush the rebellion with brute force.
11:30Official government figures estimate that 165 civilians were killed, but those involved believe it was closer to 2,000.
11:40At that time, all roads from Guangzhou to other cities were blocked.
11:45All means of communication were cut off, including newspapers, TV and radio.
11:51The government at the time concealed the atrocities committed by the martial law troops against the people.
11:57However, over time, people came to learn about Guangzhou.
12:04Over the following decade, the pro-democracy movement continued to grow nationwide.
12:10And in 1993, South Koreans elected Kim Yong-sam, their first civilian president in more than three decades.
12:19As you look back on it now, what role do you think the uprising has played in the history of
12:26modern Korea?
12:28Korean democracy is rooted in the blood shed by the citizens of Guangzhou during the May 18th democratic uprising.
12:37I believe the people have a much higher level of democratic awareness than the politicians.
12:46That democratic spirit was tested in 2024 when President Yoon Suk-yeol suddenly declared martial law,
12:55a move that was dramatically thwarted by parliament a few hours later.
13:01As someone who experienced May 18th, I believe that this recent martial law would never succeed.
13:08You were right, it did not succeed.
13:13Today's Korean people would never accept a coup.
13:20More than 700 people who lost their lives in the protests are buried here in the Park Cemetery.
13:28May 18th is a national day of commemoration to honour those who took part in the uprising,
13:33and they're remembered inside this monument.
13:40Mr. John, how many names do you think there are here, and will you please show me the ones that
13:46are of most importance to you?
13:50He died here a few seconds.
13:57J. J. J. J. J. J. Saint,
13:58anh.
13:59J. J. Y. J. J. Donc,
14:02J. J. Y. J. J. J. J. J.
14:25How long were you in prison?
14:29It must be a very moving experience for you to come to this beautiful monument.
14:54Mr. Zhang, it has been a great honour to meet you.
14:57Thank you. You fought for freedom and to honour the memory of your brother.
15:18My tour has taken me the length and breadth of South Korea by rail.
15:23This morning, on the final leg of my journey
15:25at the far south of the peninsula,
15:28I'll set sail from Wondo to Jeju,
15:31one of more than 3,000 islands scattered around the coast.
15:40From the ferry terminal,
15:42it's a two-and-a-half-hour trip across the East China Sea.
16:00I'm very excited to be on my way to Jeju, which is the largest island in Korea.
16:07It was formed two million years ago by an eruption,
16:11and that has left a volcano nearly 2,000 metres high,
16:15making it the tallest mountain in the country.
16:19The island's a bit more than 70 kilometres long,
16:23about 30 kilometres wide,
16:25home to more than 600,000 people,
16:28and very popular with Korean holidaymakers,
16:32who find it both relaxing and romantic.
16:36For my part, I find volcanoes scary and fascinating.
16:5360 miles from the mainland,
16:56Jeju is dominated by Mount Hala,
16:58Korea's largest volcano in the centre of the island.
17:08To the west of Jeju City Port, on the northern coast,
17:13Kheopje Beach is considered the best on the island.
17:26Although Jeju is very close to the Korea mainland,
17:29there is a subtle change in climate to subtropical,
17:32and that has led to extensive forestation
17:35of the slopes of the volcano,
17:37and now there's a lovely network of hiking paths that run through.
17:43Jeju attracts around 15 million tourists every year,
17:47mostly from within Korea,
17:49but also from China, Taiwan and Japan.
17:52Along its coastline,
17:54perfect white sands contrast dramatically
17:57with projections of black volcanic rock.
18:08I'm standing on solidified lava,
18:11and that island is one of the so-called parasite cones
18:14that can be found across and around Jeju.
18:18These are lesser extinct volcanoes, known here as Aurum.
18:25The power of the volcano is terrifying.
18:28Lava pours forth at more than 1,000 degrees centigrade,
18:31and it can form underground passageways
18:35as it melts the rock on its way.
18:37And when that cataclysm is over,
18:40it can leave beautiful caves.
18:44Just behind the beach, Halim Park,
18:47covering 25 acres,
18:49is one of the island's most popular sites for visitors.
18:57Beneath its glorious botanical gardens are Hyopje Caves,
19:01a South Korean national monument.
19:03I'm going to explore them with Yongmun Jeon,
19:06Professor of Volcanology at Gwangju's Joseon University.
19:12Professor Jeon, my privilege to meet you.
19:14I'm Michael.
19:16Welcome to Korea.
19:18Welcome to Jeju.
19:19Welcome to the very famous cave.
19:21That's fantastic.
19:22I'm really looking forward to this.
19:24This sort of geological wonder is known as a lava tube.
19:28Here is one of the largest on the island,
19:31extending for over 200 metres.
19:34Professor Jeon, I am so amazed, so surprised,
19:37at how big this lava tube is.
19:42200,000 years ago, the hot lava moved this way,
19:46and several days, it slowly, slowly melts
19:48and makes some very huge lava tube.
19:51Two million years ago, the volcano activity starts.
19:55This island is still an active volcano.
19:57Wow.
19:58We seem to have these stalactites.
20:01These cannot be made of volcanic rock.
20:04This rock is not volcanic rock.
20:06It's a yellowish colour.
20:08It is carbonate.
20:09Yes.
20:09Very special, very strange features.
20:12Normally, lava tube is black colour.
20:14Yeah.
20:15Where did this limestone come from?
20:16Yeah, this is very interesting.
20:18So, near the coast, there are many that developed
20:21the white beach, composed of the shell fragments.
20:25The shell fragments moved by the wind,
20:28and then the rainwater dissolves the mineral.
20:32And then they seep into the cave,
20:35make us some new crystal.
20:36Right, and we can see the water still coming through.
20:38Yeah, still crystal, still making.
20:40How unusual is this?
20:42It is unique.
20:43Unique?
20:43Yes.
20:44Wow.
20:44The caves are divided in two types, the limestone cave
20:47and the lava tube simultaneously.
20:49It's very beautiful.
20:51It's fantastic.
20:53Now, how unusual are these lava tubes in the world?
20:57Lava tubes only discovered in the volcanic area,
21:01like Hawaii, Canary Island, and then Iceland only.
21:06Not too many.
21:06How many do you have here in Jeju?
21:10Over 200.
21:12Wow.
21:18Professor, here we have what looks like a pillar.
21:21Yes.
21:22When the lava moves inside the cave,
21:25the lava is very hot, extremely hot,
21:27and the ceiling and the bottom part is melting down.
21:30But this part remains.
21:32A tough bit of rock that has survived.
21:35Yes.
21:35I wanted to ask you about another feature of Jeju,
21:39this thing called Aurum.
21:41Aurum, yeah.
21:42Aurum is the small volcano,
21:44is the eruption by just one time.
21:46The Hala Mountain is a central volcano.
21:50There are 420 Aurum that scatter all over the Jeju Island.
21:54It is the evidence of the active volcanic eruption again and again.
21:59Are volcanologists like you able to predict
22:02when there could be another eruption?
22:04Yeah, 1,000 years ago,
22:06volcanic activity happened in this island.
22:08But nowadays, we check in the monitoring
22:10and then lava fluctuation,
22:12maybe several hundred years will be exploding again.
22:15But now it's the same.
22:16We've no need to worry.
22:18Not today.
22:18Not today.
22:19It's been the most wonderful visit.
22:33Jeju's dramatic landscape and natural beauty
22:36have made it a popular place to visit.
22:39But away from the crowds,
22:41rural life has changed little over the years.
22:43A few miles along the coast,
22:46in the village of Gwidiok,
22:47I've come to discover a traditional community
22:50that's unique to the island.
22:53The henyu, the word means women of the sea,
22:58dive without breathing equipment
23:01to recover seafood from the depths.
23:03They are descended from countless generations of women
23:07who have similarly risked their lives.
23:10As I near the end of my Korean adventure,
23:13I am privileged to meet these fearless women
23:17who are also a precious Korean cultural phenomenon.
23:21to keep the people alive and feel like they are
23:24in the next three-months- près.
23:37Morning, ladies!
23:39Good morning.
23:41Good morning.
23:43Good morning.
23:45Good morning.
23:45I love you, too.
23:46Good morning.
23:47Good morning.
23:47Good morning, good morning.
23:48I love you.
23:50Well, you can't remember the little things.
23:52Mmm.
23:59You're the one that you're young when you're young.
24:01If you're young, you're like,
24:02you can't move.
24:08Hanyo have made a living and supported their communities diving off Jeju's shores for hundreds of years.
24:16How long have you all been doing this?
24:1950 years.
24:2150 years, 50 years.
24:2510 years.
24:2810 years, 10 years.
24:29You're the babies.
24:30The newcomers.
24:33And what is it you catch?
24:35It's a huge octopus.
24:40Is it dangerous?
24:45It's a huge octopus.
24:48My goodness.
24:58Where are the abalone and the sea creatures?
25:00Are they on rocks?
25:01Are they deep down?
25:03Where do you find them?
25:04Big stones.
25:05Big stones.
25:06Big stones.
25:07Under the big stones.
25:11So you have to move the big stones.
25:13You have to be strong.
25:15We use this one.
25:17We use this one.
25:18Wow.
25:20Oh, look at that vicious weapon.
25:22How long could you hold your breath?
25:25One.
25:25One.
25:26I admire you.
25:27I admire you so much.
25:29You are so brave.
25:31Today, just a few thousand Hanyo are keeping the tradition alive.
25:35But at its peak around 60 years ago, over 20,000 women made their living diving here for up to
25:42seven hours a day.
25:45No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
25:49Why only women?
25:52Why only women?
26:00Before their dives and on their return, the Hanyo gather around the campfire of their stone bull dock, or meeting
26:08place, to cook some of their catch and to sing traditional songs.
26:12A quick journey from the sea to the stomach.
26:21Ladies, I will soon leave Korea.
26:25When I'm at home 9,000 kilometers away, I shall think back to my lovely meeting with the Hanyo women.
26:33Will you sing a song for me, please?
26:35What do I cover for the place here?
26:35Is it gathering food in the U.S.?
26:36Today is a very easy, easy and fun.
26:39One is a joyous throw.
26:45Let's begin.
26:47One is a joyous throw.
26:51Come and it's an extra smallbow.
26:54Come and it's an extra mile and do it.
26:55At the next time without letting it be nice and little of Much of our body inside.
27:00Come and it's an extra mile and here is to try the不 time on the Lapse.
27:04wire
27:32The
27:33Come back safe. Bye-bye.
27:39MUSIC PLAYS
27:59Koreans have suffered terribly from colonisation and from war,
28:04and even today, the people in the north
28:07are some of the poorest and most repressed in the world.
28:11But the progress in the south has to be seen to be believed.
28:18Skyscraper-crammed cities are squeezed between mountains
28:21and efficiently connected by high-speed trains
28:25that rush through tunnels and over viaduct.
28:28Things work here.
28:30Koreans are buzzy and competitive,
28:33and yet they have a culture of working together.
28:36Whilst enjoying the welcome here,
28:39I've also felt admiration and even envy.
29:12MUSIC CONTINUES
29:13.
29:14.
Comments