Museum: Seodaemun Prison (& Oreo Bingsu VLOG)

Seodaemun Prison is a must visit for us foreigners to get educated about the rocky relationship between Korea and Japan. Us Brits especially since we're hardly taught any real world history in public school - not sure about private.

The walkthrough shouldn't take more than 2 hours. So if you're in Korea for more than a month, do visit!


Before coming to Korea I knew very little about Korean history, unfortunately. It just never really struck me (hard enough) to get me to actively learn about it in detail, well, all the necessary things.
I knew of the Korea-Japan issue from Kpop, in which if Kpop idols did something seemingly unpatriotic by doing something offensively Japanese, they will get backlash. There's also the 'rising sun flag' issue too.
Upon reading such news articles before, I didn't really comment on it much. Sure, I thought sometimes the hatred was unecessary and people were overreacting, but I also understood these were things that I wouldn't understand because I wasn't a Korean in Korea. So it was better to just keep my mouth shut. A good thing I did, because I was right. I didn't understand because I didn't know or understand on an emotional level. I didn't need to be a Korean to understand, I just needed to be informed in detail.

The museum had made me understand the suffering that Korean's had to endure through during the Japanese reign for 35 years (correct me if I'm wrong). The thousands of activists that fought for freedom, unjustly imprisoned and tortured inhumanely. The many comfort women that were wrongly raped. The Japanese stamping out Korean culture, in efforts to turn Korea into a second Japan - as my friend explained that Japan thought Korean's were more similar to them as opposed to the Chinese. 
I think seeing the torture devices and methods, as well as learning about the poor treatment of the prisoners, really got to me. It also hurt when I saw young faces on the walls of that room covered in records of the 5,000 activists that were imprisoned.

If I had learnt that my parents/grandparents/ancestors were treated in such ways, I too would hold special hatred towards their perpetrators. Especially when the perpretrator won't admit to their wrong doings.
So it's now easier for me to see why there are Koreans who are very sensitive to these issues.
Being Chinese, my parents also hold some hatred towards the Japanese, for they also raped Chinese women before and around WWII. Because of Japan and WWII in general, it was why my grandparents had moved to Vietnam. I was never told if Japan had ever wronged our family.

The visit, and realisations, hadn't made me hate Japan and it's people. All the Japanese people I had met so far, both in England and abroad in Korea, had been lovely people. Besides, they really have no part in the whole Imperialism period. They didn't do anything to us, so what's there to hate?
The hatred should really be directed at the ones who were in fact part of it, those who took an active role, and indirectly. And those who strongly support it even today/felt that it wasn't wrong? I feel nothing but disgust for them.

THE GLORIOUS OREO BINGSU!

And onto happier topics, that Oreo Bingsu in Sinchon!

Seodaemun Prison was surprisingly close (next door) to the Edae-Sinchon area!
After taking a stroll through Independence Park (in front of the prison), we took a look at the bus stop information board to see where we could head to close by for some food. To our surprise, a stop at Yonsei Uni was just a few stops away! So we took it, knowing the Yonsei area (Sinchon) in packed full of stores and restaurants.

Shortly after arriving in Sinchon, we passed a sign/board on the streets that shown a pic of the highly piled Oreo bingsu on the street . And it reminded me that I still had yet to try it out! Luckily my friend, who's not a fan of the typical red bean bingsu, was also very interested.
So we made it our dessert place.

The cafe is called POP.CON.TAINER, it's located on the second floor. It's extrerior is a bright orange.
When we went inside we were faced with a pop-art-like room filled with colourful paintings and bean bags! The place was cute and trendy. I love it. Wish this was in Anam. The staff mainly comprised of young Korean men (yes, all at varying degress of cute), with limited English knowledge. So they looked very intimidated for a second when they saw my American friend haha.
As usual, when my friend spoke to them in Korean they replied/asked questions in Korean whilst facing me *sigh*.
We paid for the bingsu at the till and plopped ourselves on some bean bags near the window, waiting for it to arrive whilst oggling at the cute decor and menu design. When the bingsu came we began snapping pictures - obviously, before digging in. The process of eating was difficult because the bingsu was so damn high, covered in powdered Oreo biscuit, and we were such noobs for starting at the bottom. After 15 minutes of eating and giggling over our mess (melted bingsu on the tray, and black powder everywhere,) it eventually killed us despite having a small-ish sized 'NY' sandwich beforehand. Much ice, much pain. The couple who sat at the table near us finished it within minutes. Clearly they didn't eat beforehand.

Cute pop-art decor. That couple (right) who gobbled up the bingsu like the pros they are.

13,000₩ for 2 people serving bingsu is indeed relatively expensive to other bingsus in the market. You can't walk in as a group of 4 ordering just one Oreo bingsu unfortuantely. Everyone has to order one thing at least. If it's a 2 people serving item, then it covers the 'entrance fee' of 2 people (I don't know what other way to put it). So for example, a group of 4 can order an Oreo bingsu and 2 drinks on the side. All 4 can share the bingsu and drinks that way. But regardless, you get a lot for what you pay for to be honest.

The menu's so cute! Wish I had more time to try out the other bingsus and drinks!