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I spent Seollal firstly visiting friends in Seoul and then headed over to Chuncheon in Gangwon-do with my buddy for some outdoor ice skating and perhaps a spot of ice fishing too. You may remember Chuncheon from my visit not long ago.

Indeed, it’s the second time I’ve been there in two months and it’s rapidly becoming my favourite city in Korea for several reasons. Firstly, Chuncheon’s a medium-sized, comfortable city of around 250,000 people – similar in size to Suncheon yet it seems to have more attractions and interests to keep you busy along with more Western amentities in the way of restaurants etc.; which leads onto my second reason being Chuncheon is beautifully located amongst mountains and surrounded by man-made lakes ideal for cycling, hiking, fishing, skating, and skiing depending on the season.

Thirdly, Chuncheon’s the set of several Korean dramas in the past and as such has become somewhat of a tourist destination for Japanese housewives and seemingly quite a few Chinese and Taiwanese tourists too given the number of authentic Chinese restaurants I saw – albeit not many but more than you’d expect in a Korean city of its size.

And, last but not least the people seem .. well, friendly and more accommodating to non-Koreans than in Suncheon. Chuncheon is nearby the DMZ and up until recently had a large US base smack bang in the middle of town but they’ve since moved out and it seems Japanese housewives and Chinese students have taken their place; the end result is that the locals are relatively accustomed to and accommodating to furriners, at least more so than in the Deep South of the ROK, where I live.

Being close to the DMZ means you see many young Korean soldiers on their compulsory military service and sense a somewhat more heightened attitude towards their long-lost brethren in the north. Chuncheon and Gangwon-do in general was the base of some of the heaviest fighting in the Korean War – it changed hands several times – and the locals suffered a lot during this time with the city being pretty much razed. As such, there seems to be somewhat more appreciation towards the Allied forces’ help during that time, at least more than you sense down here. Albeit, where I live was a Communist stronghold before, during and just after the war. The locals on the whole down here moderately appreciate not having to eat tree bark for breakfast like their northern brethren but hold a load more resentment than appreciation towards non-Koreans, no matter where they’re from. The longer I’m here, the more I realise this part. I am being a bit harsh here but I’ve become fairly jaded with this place as nearly all my Korean ‘friends’ here have gone on to show their true colours in one way or another eventually…

So, the contract’s up in four months. The economy’s screwed back home. Teaching English in South Korea’s an extremely comfortable job. Perhaps, a university job in Chuncheon is my next adventure! We’ll see  …

In the meantime here’s some pics and a video:

Looking across the frozen river to the lake and mountains

Looking down towards the frozen river & men ice fishing on it

Almost as good as Jesus! I can stand on (frozen) water!

Memorial commemorating Ethiopia's involvement in the Korean War

Skating on the ice of a frozen river

Oh, and a dumbass on skates.