Wed 21 Sep 2022, Day 9/61. So we drove south into the Anglican Diocese of Daejeon to Aida’s rural church in Naesu, built on land provided by the family. It felt remote and yet we visited two nearby remarkable places.
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Aida Kim’s church in Naesu
Wed 21 Sep 2022, Day 9/61. In the precincts of Seoul Cathedral there’s a bust of the first Korean Anglican priest, Father Mark Hei Jun Kim. My host Aeduk Kim and his sister Aida Kim, both priests, are his descendents. Last Wednesday we visited Aida’s church.
Diocesan website
Rather self-referential. But here’s the Diocese of Peterborough website about my journey: https://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/aboutus/news/a-journey-to-korea.php
Remembering the 2014 Korean ferry disaster
Tue 20 Sep 2022, Day 8/61. On 16 April 2014 the ferry MV Serol sank off the western coast of South Korea, killing around 250 pupils from one school in Ansan (안산). The disaster had major repercussions in Korean national life & politics.
Ansan is just 23 km from Osan. On Tuesday we visited the Memorial set up for the pupils: reconstructions of each of their classrooms as they were on the day of the tragedy.
The Queen’s funeral
Mon 19 Sep 2022, Day 7/61. Very special to be able to watch the funeral live on the other side of the world. A little surprising though that I had to switch away from the BBC to Sky News.
Photo from Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport at https://flickr.com/photos/49429730@N08/52371505094, available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
British Ambassador tweets following Cathedral Service.
Sun 18 Sep 2022, Day 6/61. Tweet from the British Ambassador to the Republic of Korea following the service at Seoul Cathedral at which he gave the eulogy.
New Zealand’s Ambassador tweets about Cathedral service
Sun 18 Sep 2022. Day 6/61. A tweet from New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea following the service in the Cathedral, in which he played a part.
Moving to Osan for two weeks
Fri 16 Sep 2022. Day 4/61. Today I left my Seoul hotel & was driven down through an unseasonal rainstorm to Osan, 45 minutes away. Osan is best known for the nearby US Air Force base where President Biden landed in May.
But it’s also the location of the link church for our three churches in Kettering & my base for most of the coming fortnight.
One immediate thing I noticed was how I’d taken the hotel air conditioning for granted. It’s gone 11 at night, still 24C & 94% humidity.
Architecture, urban planning & society in Seoul
Fri 16 Sep 2022, Day 4/61. Fascinating visit to the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture, revealing how architects & planners have responded to the needs of Korean society. One example is last year’s exhibition ‘Our Happy Life: Architecture and Well-Being in the Age of Capitalism’.
This could be seen as reflecting a society infamous for its pressures to succeed in education & work and with a higher suicide rate than any other developed nation. I noticed a few new small spaces set aside for relaxation in the heart of Seoul and wondered if this was one response.
An older example is the way Korean architects, after the defeat of their Japanese occupiers, sought to replace buildings inspired by Japanese architecture with more authentically Korean buildings.
Jet lag
Fri 16 Sep 2022, Day 4/61. I thought I’d escaped jet lag, but perhaps because I was doing very little. Today I had a detailed planning meeting for Sunday’s service, a walk-through in the Cathedral & a meeting with the Bishop. I now know I have jet lag!
My journey to Korea 