DAY 5 (28th September 2023) – SEOUL (Nami Island)
We had an early morning flight to catch, taking us back to Seoul for the remainder of the adventure. We knew that by the time we settled back into the city, we would only have time to do one thing, and we chose to travel towards the east, about 2 hours away, to Nami Island, an almost “purpose-built” tourist destination, although it does have its own little history. Nestled in one part of the Bukhang River, this half-moon shaped island attracts visitors from all over the world since it was popularised in the Korean romantic drama entitled “Winter Sonata” starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo.
We were back in the city after night has fallen over the land, glad to have covered this area, although admittedly the island felt a little too touristy for us!
Nami Island
Our 9:45am flight from Jeju Island to Gimpo International Airport was uneventful, as expected, and then we arrived at Fairfield by Marriott Hotel by noontime. A quick lunch later, and we were on our way to Nami Island. We had the option of going to the island on a zipline from an 80m-tall tower built on the west bank of the river – we can reach the island in one-and-a-half minutes! Or the boring option, which is via the ferry. We later found out that the queue for the zipline was more than 3 hours, and the that we had to get our tickets way in advance. The boring option, it was.
Nami Island was named after a young war general who was accused of treason in the 1400s, and his body was said to have been buried on this island. It wasn’t always an island and only became so after the construction of the Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944, flooding the low-lying areas and disconnecting it from the main land. When the Nami Island Co., Ltd bought over the island, they made the island into what it is today, helped immensely to be popularised in 2002 due to Winter Sonata. Many scenes from the drama were shot here on the island, and thereafter, the famous bronze First Kiss Statue was erected.
The Metasequioa Lane is probably the single most outstanding feature of the island. Planted in the 1970s, the trees have grown majestically tall and almost in straight lines, creating a romantic feel as you walk down the path in middle. This, too, was featured prominently in the aforementioned K-drama. In autumn, the whole area is transformed into bright overtones, in various hues of orange and red. Too bad we were a month too early to witness that for ourselves.
Apparently, in the drama, one of the scenes had the two main characters making mini snow figurines on a table, which they proceeded to push closer and closer as they talked, until the snow figurines “kissed”. Well, I didn’t watch the drama (Bro. Ray: Readers please advise!), but perhaps it was a precursor to the “real” kiss later on in the drama? Anyway, there are two permanent “snow figurines” made of concrete that had been painted white, which have been left on a table in the park. We found that.
There are other things referencing the drama, but maybe it seems like I have been promoting the drama too much, so I will move on… There are, of course, other sculptures and buildings featured on the island that had nothing to do with the drama. One of them is the very unique “Mother and Child” sculpture (Janggang and Hwangha Statues), created by the world class artist Yu Qing Cheng. The “mother” depicts nature and the earth while her enlarged breasts represent China’s two primary rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers.
There had been much debate about the sculpture, which to some may be deemed offensive and unnecessary, compounded by the fact that the sculpture was created by a Chinese, not a Korean. Well, judge for yourself.
Unfortunately, I am unable to find out more about the other statues and sculptures in the park. To me, it seems like they are randomly placed in various locations around the island. It may have a significance, but maybe the locals would understand the significance more.
We boarded almost the last ferry out of the island, after dinner at one of the restaurants. It was already dark when we left. The night feel of the island was certainly different once all the lights came on. We made our way back to Seoul thereafter.
Summary of Day 5
I am probably not the most appreciative of the references to the Korean drama, hence didn’t really go gaga over the things that were on the Nami Island. In fact, most of the exhibits probably just flew by me, hence I didn’t take more photos of the places with references to the drama – yes there were more, such as the First Kiss Glass Sequoia Bridge. I think we passed by it, but it wasn’t anything “special” other than it was featured in the drama. The other being the bicycles that the protagonists rode on, which was apparently put up on display, somewhere in the park, as well.
Even though the island was mostly a purpose-built for tourism, admittedly it did have its charm. The controversial Mother and Child sculpture will forever be an enigma for me, as it straddles between artistry and obscenity. Anyway, the experience is something new for us – that’s what adventure is all about!
