이번역은, 율촌, 율촌역 입니다 ~ Yulchon Station

Front of Yulchon Station.

While looking for an article I read years ago about the remotest train station in South Korea, I came across a little mention of Yulchon Station in Yeosu city. Built in 1930 it was one of 12 small train stations designated as cultural properties in 2006. According to the Joongang Ilbo:

Further south in the countryside is Yulchon Station (1930) in Yeosu, South Jeolla, which was built during the Japanese colonial period and is a wooden facility typical of those commonly found in the Japanese countryside.

During an interim study on the project, researchers faced complaints that the government was trying to preserve a “leftover from the Japanese colonial era” but they decided the facility had value culturally and from a architectural perspective, so it was included on the list.

I visited Yulchon Station back in September, back when I was doing write-ups of defunct Jeollanam-do train stations for Galbijim, and because I had compiled those since-deleted profiles is the only reason the name jumped out at me. I'm not sure if the station is open to passengers these days. There were two employees inside, manning electrical contraptions, although there was nobody at the ticket window and no recent train schedule. I was able to spend a few minutes wandering through it and snapping pictures on both sides of the platform, something unthinkable back home.


Back of Yulchon Station.

The station is located in Yulchon-myeon (map), an administrative division of under 10,000 people in western Yeosu. It borders Suncheon on the west, and is one of many expanses of rural, undeveloped land that would fill in between the urban centers of Suncheon, Yeosu, and Gwangyang, should the merger take place. Also a reminder that village life and its various charms---not being facetious---is never too far away from anything in Jeollanam-do. Not sure too many people needed that reminder, as there are vegetable gardens growing across the street from Gwangju City Hall.


Field overlooking the village center.


"No, no, no, I said PRAY with Jesus."

By the way, I never found the article about the remotest train station in Korea. If I remember correctly it's somewhere in Gangwon-do, and the article talked with two guys who had to man this station way up in the mountains. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, could you please pass it along?

Yeosu's greens.

I apologize for a lack of hard facts in this entry. When I saw a post on Dave's mention a new golf course for Yeosu I thought the accompanying picture was interesting, and I've tried to Naver around for some information as best I could.

Yeosu resident kiwiduncan brings up an easily-missed point in all this hype about Yeosu's 2012 Expo. The idea of a "green" Expo is a goal as much as it is a theme. There are some projections about greening up the area, and you can find plenty of awkward English vaguely describing some aims on the Expo website, but I've seen little evidence of a commitment to the environment.

For instance there's the City Park Resort, an 18-hole golf course set for construction. According to this Dailan.co.kr article, the 1,163,458-square-meter site will also include a clubhouse and a 52-room tourist hotel, and will cost 90 billion won. And if I'm reading that article correctly---given my poor Korean that's unlikely---Yeosu wants to build 5 or 6 golf courses in town?


Drawing of the proposed 18-hole course, stolen from here.

Golf courses can be attractive, and some folks will turn on a golf tournament just to see the landscaping. But Yeosu and that area of the country prides itself on its natural scenery, so I don't think a new golf course---or five of them---will serve any great cosmetic purpose. And in a country like South Korea where open space is scarce, access to golf courses is a luxury, and an addition that won't serve the greater good.

Based on the following photograph, some homes and forest will be sacrificed for the new course.


Future location, perhaps, stolen from here.

I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly where this will go, but a couple of articles have said 봉계동, a small administrative division northwest of Chonnam University in old Yeocheon County. There have been protests against the displacement of homes and forests, but they were evidentally ineffective.

I don't live in Yeosu, and can't attest to these numbers, but based on Naver it looks like there are two golf courses in Yeosu already. Off the top of my head I know that nearby Suncheon has three country clubs and they're working on at least one more. And one of the article mentions a protester as saying, basically, that they're already putting in the 해양관광레저단지 (Haeyang Tourist Leisure Complex, roughly) in Hwayang-myeon, Yeosu, so why make more?

I have to guess that these additions are coinciding with Yeosu getting the 2012 Expo. But other parts of Jeollanam-do are developing as well. There's the Namak New City initiative going on in Muan, the Tourism and Leisure City in Haenam, the Gwangyang FEZ, and the Formula One tracks going into Haenam and Yeongam counties. The "Tourism and Leisure City" in Haenam, though, seems like it will be self-contained: people won't be visiting Haenam, they'll be visiting the resort. Same for other lesser-known resorts and waterparks in Naju and Jangheung. In Yeosu's case, these golf courses will have to complement the over developments coming over the next half-decade if the town will really become a popular tourist attraction. I mean, as the Yeosu Expo site says,

It is also an international marine resort tourism city in the new marine era of 21st century, developing into a beautiful port of Yeosu which is venturing into the world.

So there you go. But, as everybody knows, Yeosu doesn't have any attractions save for its quote-unquote natural beauty, and so while passing out construction contracts left and right will make some folks happy, I have to wonder if these plans aren't a bit . . . fucked up.

As kiwiduncan points out on that Dave's thread, it's unusual that, despite all the muddled Engrish about blue sea this and green environment that, all the upcoming developments thus far have been about expressways, airports, light rails, and distinctive landmarks. Given South Korea's track record on environmental issues---their reforestation efforts aside---I think that trend ought not to continue.


Future look of Yeosu? Stolen from here.

The Expo's theme deals with preserving the marine environment, so that's an easy excuse to build build build on land. So long as the golf balls aren't killing dolphins, I guess we're all right. I guess the only thing that could really screw up "The Massive Economic and Culture Event for Human" that is the Yeosu Expo would be if, like, a ship full of nitric acid crashed off the coast, or some shit like that. Oh, wait . . .

Koreans suck at reserve, writing headlines.

I'm doing a piece on Yeosu and the Expo for the next Gwangju News, and so I'm combing through as many articles as I can in order to put together perhaps the first semi-decent write-up of Yeosu's Expo ever written. I was trying to find some documented reasons why Yeosu lost the 2010 bid to Shanghai---because I can't for the life of me think why Shanghai would be considered more suitable than Yeosu, Jeollafuckingnam-do---when I came across this article titled "Yeosu Almost Perfect to Host 2010 Expo: BIE." A bit misleading, based on the article that follows. An excerpt, from Korea.net, emphasis mine:

Eugen Maegele, head of the inquiry mission of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) said Friday (March 29) that his survey team was satisfied with Yeosu's preparations for hosting the 2010 Expo.

Concluding a weeklong survey, Maegele said the 400-page long documentation, which the Korean bidding committee has submitted, is almost flawless.

In a press conference at the Incheon International Airport before departure, the survey team said they focused on Korea’s planning and preparation for the Expo and whether Korea is capable of hosting the event financially, economically and politically.

"Korea's preparations are quite satisfactory and we think Yeosu has an equal chance to host the Expo in 2010 with other rivals," he said.

When it came to the strongest impression that the BIE survey team received during the two-day inspection of the proposed venue site in Yeosu, Maegele pointed out Yeosu citizens’ warm welcome and the united support of the community.

According to him, support from the bidding country is important to host the world event and the BIE delegation witnessed strong support from the Yeosu citizens and the central and local governments during their stay.

When asked about weaknesses in the presentations by the Korean bidding committee and what Korea has to improve to host the Expo, he answered that the BIE delegation has no responsibility to advise the bidding country of any weak points.

TIME magazine on the 1948 Yosu-Sunchon Incident.

The TIME magazine website has two little articles about the Yosu-Sunchon Incident, both from November, 1948.

First is an article from November 1, 1948, titled "From One Source."

One day last week, Radio Moscow announced that Russian troops had begun to pull out of North Korea. On the same day, a Communist-inspired revolt broke out in Korea's southern tip.

The Russian withdrawal in the north worried South Koreans more than did the vest-pocket southern uprising. The Russians were leaving behind them a firmly installed Communist regime with a well-trained army of 150,000. The departure of the Red army was intended to bring pressure on the U.S. to withdraw its troops, leaving a South Korean constabulary and militia totaling about 60,000 to face the far stronger northern force.

Dr. Syngman Rhee, President of the two-month-old South Korean Republic, was in Tokyo visiting Douglas MacArthur at the time. Said MacArthur: "I will defend Korea as I would my own country—just as I would California."

With MacArthur's words to encourage them, the South Korean army energetically set about crushing the revolt. It had begun one morning before dawn, when 40 Communist members of a brigade stationed in the far southern port of Yosu shot their officers and bullied their sleepy comrades into attacking the city police station. They took over all of Yosu, then headed north, picking up confused recruits along the way. By the time they reached Sunchon, a city of 75,000, their force had grown to
around 2,000.

Brigadier General Song Ho's loyal troops quickly drove the rebels out of Sunchon, and chased them back into the rough, hilly country to the south. It was hard to tell friend from foe. Both loyal and rebel troops wore U.S. uniforms and carried U.S. weapons. Loyal troops finally put on white armbands. Said young Lieut. Colonel Kang Yung Noon: "What sadness that we had to fire our first bullets against our own brothers."

At week's end government forces had retaken most of the territory won by the rebels; they expected to recover Yosu soon. Asked who was responsible for the revolt, President Rhee said: "We really do not know." Then he pointed a finger to the north and added: "But all of our troubles come from one source."

Next is a report from November 8, 1948, filed by Carl Mydans, who was accompanying the government troops.

The pretty little valley of Sunchon ("Peaceful Heaven") rests neatly at the bottom of the rugged Chiri Mountains, twelve miles north of the port of Yosu. On the morning of Oct. 20, Sunchon's farmers were harvesting their rice, when they heard a siren and the rattle of small arms from the railroad station. They looked up to see 2,000 rebel soldiers and 400 civilians swarming off a train from Yosu.

The rebels approached Sunchon city peacefully; but as soon as they entered the city, police opened fire. Joined by a company of soldiers guarding the city bridge, the rebels fired back. After a short, sharp battle they were in full control. The hundred or so cops who surrendered were lined up against the wall of the police compound and riddled. Then the rebels, joined by part of the citizenry, paraded through the city under North Korea's Communist banner, singing "Ten thousand years to the North Korean People's Republic!"

Star-Spangled Shirt. When darkness came, Communist execution squads went from house to house, shooting "rightists" in their beds or marching them to collection points where they were mowed down. In 2-3-days, 500 civilians were slaughtered. U.S. Lieuts. Stewart M. Greenbaum and Gordon Mohr, Army observers in Sunchon, narrowly escaped death. The rebel sergeant assigned to kill them was an old friend, who had drunk beer with them in their billet many times. He took the two officers into a field, fired into the ground and then led them to the Presbyterian Mission of Dr. John Curtis Crane, who was barricaded in with his wife and four other missionaries.

From one of the doctor's shirts and a few colored rags the ladies made a 16-star, eleven-stripe U.S. flag and put it up. The rebels began pounding at the compound gate, yelling: "Let's kill the Americans!" Suddenly one shouted: "No, no, not them; they are my friends." It was the lieutenants' friend, the sergeant. The rebels went away.

For the first few hours the loyal troops who retook Sunchon were as savage as the Communists had been. On the big compound of the Sunchon Agricultural and Forestry School we found what was left of the entire population of Sunchon. Women with babies on their backs watched without expression as their husbands and sons were beaten with clubs, rifle butts and steel helmets. They saw 22 of them marched away to the primary school nearby, and heard the volley of rifles which killed them.

"Get the Americans Out." Two days later, entering Yosu, the town where the revolt began, the government troops were much better behaved. The Communists' occupation of Yosu revealed the pattern they would like to impose on all South Korea. After arrest and murder of police and loyal leaders, the rebels took over all communications, banks, schools and food distribution. They established a "People's Committee" as the new government. The "People's Committee" announced: "Our two-point program: 1) to oppose, to the death the killing of our brothers, and 2) to get the Americans out of here."

Though the recapture of Yosu has temporarily stalled the revolt, most of the rebel troops have, melted off into the countryside and mountains with their weapons. Yosu's fall was not the end of a war; it was only the beginning. The general civilian point of view was expressed by one woman we found squatting in a shack on the outskirts of Yosu just after the fight had gone by her door. When we asked her whom she was for she replied: "I'm for you. You are the strongest."

The Suncheon Agricultural and Forestry School is present-day Suncheon National University. A few days ago I posted about the placards around Suncheon that mark notable sites during the rebellion. The one on the campus reads:

At the time of the Yosun Incident, the quell force, made up of police and defense guard troops, used the Suncheon Middle School of Farming and Forestry (the predecessor of the present Sunchon National University) as their camp and headquarter when they attacked the insurgent forces in downtown Suncheon on Oct. 22th. The nearby Suncheon Northern Elementary School was the site of questioning and executing of civilians who were suspected of taking sides with the insurgents. The victims were executed without trial on the levee of a rice paddy behind the school's auditorium.

There are a few articles on the rebellion from the New York Times. I thought their archives were free, but since they're not, I can't get to them. Anyone interested can comb through these search results.

Local Link Dump (Yeosu, Beolgyo, Lotteria, 등)

** Yeosu was awarded the 2012 World Expo a few days ago. In the first round of voting its 68 votes beat out Tangiers' (Morocco) 59 and Wroclaw's (Poland) 13. Because nobody took two-thirds of the votes, a second round was held, in which Yeosu scored 77 of the 140 votes to Tangiers' 63. According to an International Herald Tribune article, the 2012 exposition will be of the three-month variety that focuses on a particular theme. Yeosu's is "The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities."

That is both the result of, and the reason for, some massive development in the region. In October the merger of Suncheon, Yeosu, and Gwangyang was announced, and the 2010 union will result in a city of over 720,000 people. In 2011 the KTX high-speed rail will reach Yeosu, making the city a roughly three-hour ride from the capital. I'm no economist, so the potential economic effects of the Expo are over my head, but according to Jeong Hak-geun of the Yeosu Exhibition Bidding Committee:

"The World Expo can bring about 11 billion dollars’ worth of production effects and over 4.3 billion dollars in added value, as well as 90 thousand more jobs. The World Expo can generate just as much economic benefit as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup. By hosting the World Expo, Korea can take its economy to another level. Also the city of Yeosu can take the opportunity to upgrade the city’s infrastructure and emerge as the coastal city of the future. Not only that, the entire southern coast region could undergo extensive development, which would encourage regional development and revive the local economy."

A guy on Dave's said that Yeosu airport might take some international flights (sort of a little confirmed here), and another guy said that the city will revamp the area around Dolsan Bridge and Jungang-dong, so you can put as much faith in those statements as you would any other thing on Dave's. I'd personally love to see them build a nice boardwalk on the waterfront that arches from the west end of Dolsan Bridge, around Janggun-do island, past the ferry terminal and Jinnamgwan, and nearly to Odong-do island. Now, walking from that side of the bridge to the nice little pedestrian area on Jungang-no in Jungang-dong involves a 30-minute trek past unsightly shipyards, markets, unoccupied buildings, and more markets. The markets add character, and ferries are important, so I'm not in favor of sweeping them under the rug. However, that could be such a pretty, vibrant area, with a view worth making the trip for.

If they do go ahead with the merger, I'd like to see them put in a light-rail that connects the bus terminals and/or the main points in each city. I'm talking out my ass a little, because I have no idea how much intercity travel currently occurs, or how much (if any) demand there is for more efficient transportation. Moreover, given the sprawl that characterizes both Gwangyang and Yeosu, and given that the new city will be larger than Busan and Ulsan combined, I suspect it would be difficult to build a new public transit system to meet everyone's needs. I do know, though, that I've never made the 21.4-mile trip from the Suncheon Intercity Bus Terminal to the Yeosu Express Bus Terminal in under 45 minutes. A light-rail would remind me of a subway, and since I like subways, I'm unilaterally deciding to go ahead with my plan.

They are working, though, on tons of expressways that will increase connectivity between Yeosu and Gwangyang, Suncheon, Jeonju, and Gyeongsangnam-do throughout the next eight years. But since I hate driving, and hate the traffic caused by other people driving, I am not throwing my support behind these projects.

It looks like they will also build a big, distinctive landmark, similar to the Eiffel Tower I guess, in celebration. I'm all for distinctive architecture and for actually having a building taller than the blocks and blocks and blocksandblocksandblocks of apartments.

There's no shortage of hyperbole and melodrama in the papers. From the Chosun Ilbo:

The earnest hopes of the residents of Yeosu, with a population of less than 300,000, ended up moving the world. Overcoming the pain of defeat, Yeosu was chosen as the host of the World Expo 2012.

From the Korea Times:

It was a rare good news at the crack of the dawn. Yeosu's successful bidding for the 2012 World Expo was further encouraging as it, albeit temporarily, outcast the relatively gloomy atmosphere due chiefly to the stagnant presidential campaigns replete with seemingly less qualified candidates. Signs of an economic slowdown originating from the mortgage crisis in the United States have been depressing the nation and its stock market. We believe it was a result of ``total diplomacy'' with the government, businesses and the Yeosu citizens having combined forces over the past 500 days. They deserve acclaim.

I like to roll my eyes at slogans and Konglishy public relations, and part of me does find it kind of silly that little ol' Yeosu aspires to be an international city. Good for Yeosu, though, and I don't want to piss on their parade. I really don't expect to be here in 2012, but when I read about the exposition in the papers it will be a nice reminder of my time here. I expect, if I do stay a little while, to see a lot of exciting changes and developments. (I'm really just pulling for a light rail, a boardwalk, and a Burger King, though).

** If Lee Myung-bak is elected, the Chungcheong provinces will become a hub of science and business. (Korea Times)

** Wonderful headline: "Wow, lots of guys had sex with a 15-year-old" (Sports Hankook Ilbo, translated by Korea Beat)

** While trying to find stuff about the Yosu-Suncheon Incident (여순사건), I came across this page (some unpleasant photographs) and found a picture of the area around Beolgyo's Rainbow Bridge, presumably taken in 1948. The old thatched-roof cottages really stand out against the hillside. The bridge today is, for some reason, divided into two sections: the older stone arch and the newer flat part. Apparently it was divided in the past, too, and in the picture below the "newer" section looks pretty ricketty.



Contrast that with a photo taken in October, a short distance away from the above.


** After carefully weighing all the evidence, Professor Emiritus at Yonsei University and Korea Times columnist Park Kyu-tae boldly proclaims "I think that the pros of the Internet far outweigh the cons." (Korea Times)

** In Suncheon, Lotteria restaurants outnumber McDonald's by about seven to one, and in Jeollanam-do it's 19 to 4. Many foreigners are staunchly anti-Lotteria, and I avoided the place my first two years. But, for the sake of variety, it is nice to go there once in a while, and some of the things there are pretty good. My favorite is the Hanwoo Bulgogi Burger, which is a very tasty sammich. It only has 644 calories (more than a Big Mac), so you can eat four and still be under your daily recommended dosage.

Does anyone else have such a hard time formatting their blogspot entries? I've edited this thing about five times, and the spacing and placement of pictures still isn't correct.

Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang to merge by 2010.

This is pretty big news for me, and I just found out about it while doing a google adventure. I guess news of the agreement broke in early September. In an effort to bolster Yeosu's chances of hosting the 2012 World Expo, these 3 neighboring cities plan to merge, creating a metropolitan area of 700,000 + in three districts. Basically, what that means for me is there will be a lot more work to do on the Galbijim Wiki, haha.

From the Chosun Ilbo:

The cities of Yeosu, Suncheon and Gwangyang in South Jeolla Province are to be merged into a new metropolis-level city. The new city will have an area of 1,856 sq.km, a little larger than Busan and Ulsan combined (1,820 sq.km), and a population of more than 720,000. At a debate hosted by Yeosu MBC on Wednesday, Yeosu Mayor Oh Hyun-sup, Suncheon Mayor Roh Kwan-kyu and Gwangyang Mayor Lee Sung-woong agreed to merge the three cities by 2010 to maximize the effect of investments in the region around Gwangyang Bay and create a new, more competitive city.

From the Dong-A Ilbo:

The city is reportedly planning to further integrate with Hadong and Namhae in the Gyeongnam region. That is an ambitious scheme to remove the distinction between the Yeongnam and Honam regions. The immediate objective for the integration of Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang is to be selected as the host of the World Expo. Currently, Yeosu is far smaller than its competitor cities overseas in terms of population size. The three cities intend to sign an MOU for integration before November 27 when the host will be selected. As the World Expo’s effects will equate to 10 trillion won of output growth and the employment of 80,000 people, it is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Gwangyang has POSCO’s steel mill, which is the largest in the world, while Suncheon has long been a famous education city. Therefore, once integrated, they could be an invincible team. There have been 40 cases of integration of local administrative districts. The Yeosu of today was born by merging Yeosu City, Yeocheon City and Yeocheon County in 1998. Suncheon is the combination of Suncheon City and Seungju County in 1995. Likewise, Gwangyang is the combination of Dong Gwangyang City and Gwangyang County in 1995.

From the Korea Times:

According to Yeosu Community Research Institute, 62.6 percent of Yeosu residents, 65.1 percent of Suncheon residents and 60.9 percent of Gwangyang residents were in favor of the merger.

Again, this is pretty surprising, and will create a very bizarre metropolis. As the Dong-A Ilbo article says, all three cities were assembled countless times by absorbing, realigning, and renaming different towns, villages, and fields. In fact, much of Jeollanam-do is this way, which is why, when you see the banner in your school describing your town's history, there are so many name changes throughout the centuries, as suchandsuch-ri was elevated to suchandsuch-myeon, which was absorbed into someother-myeon, which was divided . . . and so on, until the Japanese came and undid all that.

Anyway, when you drive through Suncheon or Yeosu (can't speak for Gwangyang), you find a lot of sprawl, and a few minute outside of either city you'll find factories, mountains, rice fields, or water. Suncheon, as we know it today, is a product of Seungju and Suncheon towns; Yeosu has three city halls from prior mergers; Gwangyang . . . is boring. So this will be messy.