It’s the big issue of the day, so I guess I should say at least one thing about it, besides the fact that I think the idea is retarded for a variety of reasons, most of which I don’t want to get into right now. Let me just say this — unlike 99 percent of the rest of the Republic of Korea, I’ve actually been to the Jincheon/Eumseong area, which is one of the four prospective sites to which our tireless head of state wishes to move the nation’s capital. Actually, one of my favorite temples — Botap-sa — is located there. It’s a nice enough place as far as towns in the middle of bumfuck nowhere go, but I have no clue how a place without even a decent video room (and there really aren’t any, having searched the town thoroughly with my wife) will be able to serve as the capital of the Republic of Korea.
To be fair to the town, however, the wife and I had some pretty good gamja-tang there.
Anyway, I thought we were moving toward the era of national unification? Now you’re not only moving the capital further south, but you may very well stick it in a town most North Koreans probably haven’t even heard of?
And I think I mentioned this to the Oranckay once, but given the fact that the word “Seoul” means “capital,” does that mean we’ll have to rename the city when “Seoul” is no longer the “seoul”?
5 Comments
so we hit Iran in 05. Give the SoKo’s time to move, and hit the NoKo’s in 07?
I think they may consider revising to the old names of Seoul,
1. Han Yang
2. Han Sung
3. Kyung Sung
I strangely feel that #3 will never be adopted…it was given to Koreans by the Japanese rulers.
I’m sure there are other old names of Seoul. I feel pretty confident that PaekJae, Shilla, and Koryo all had different names for the same place.
Nope.
There was nothing where Seoul is now during Paekche, Shilla and Kory??. Kory??’s capital was in Kaes??ng (and of course the court was, er, moved, to Kanghwado while the Mongolian barbarians invaded freely the rest of Kory??… Apparently, they didn’t like water too much!
Can you imagine the scene? The royal court on boats sailing off to Kanghwado (which ain’t that far…), and the Mongolians warriors beating the ground on the shore in rage… “Come back you coward! Come back!” And the court followers waving them to come and catch them if they can… Bah!
By the way, it is around then that the ?짚?????????? was founded: Oe-Kyujanggak, the “Outside Royal Library”, from which my countrymen borrowed a few books, while the librarians had taken a green-tea break. Apparently, their loan is overdue. Bleh…
The ????????? is today inside SNU’s campus, but has little to do with the thing that was originally in Kaes??ng.
For a country rattled with turmoil, in the economic doldrums and politically unstable, this “capital move” is absolutely insane.
The political capital should be moved to Daejon. The South Koreans having their political capital inside the range of North Korean artillery is INSANE.
According to people I know in the USFK, in wargame simulations just about the only scenario where the North Koreans win a second Korean War is some variation on holding Seoul hostage and South Koreans capitulating to North Korean threats to incinerate the city. The South Koreans win under any other scenario cause S. Korean military technology/equipment isn’t from the 1960s, they have fuel for said equipment and the South’s soldiers actually eat 3 means/day but regardless, just about everyone in Seoul dies.
As for names after Seoul isn’t the capital anymore .. I’m partial to Keijo … kidding kidding. Please don’t send no e-mail death threats.
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