The Marmot’s Hole

Lots of photos from Hyundai Asan’s initial run of its Kaesong tourism project Friday. Some of the more interesting ones:

• The North Koreans may not drink Coke, but they do drink Kokoa!
• Seonjuk-gyo. What’s the Seonjuk-gyo, you might ask (other than a stone bridge, as you can tell by the photo)? From the JoongAng Ilbo:

  “One well-known site is Seonjukgyo, a stone bridge less than 10 meters long that’s the site of a sad story.
  Jeong Mong-ju was a loyal subject and a renowned scholar in the last years of the Goryeo Dynasty, when the generals of the Lee family, who would eventually found the Joseon Dynasty, were rising in power. The Lees hoped to win Jeong over to their side, but he kept his fidelity to the very end, when he was beaten to death with iron bars while crossing this bridge.
  Later, a bamboo tree, which is considered a symbol of fidelity, grew near the bridge, giving it its name (”juk” means bamboo). It’s said that the bridge is still stained with Jeong’s blood.”

  Jeong Mong-ju should not be confused with Korea Football Association boss Chung Mong-joon, who some might wish to beat with iron bars for waiting so long to sack national team coach Jo Bonfrere (who ended up, ahem, resigning on his own). By the way, the “stains” are visible in the second pic.

• Nice pic of the tomb of Koryo founder Wanggeon. Of course, to visit the set of the TV historical drama “Taejo Wanggeon,” you don’t have to go to North Korea (shameless Mungyeong plug).
• While we’re on the subject of kings’ tombs, here’s some very nice stone statues from the tomb of King Gongmin. Serious history buffs wanting to learn more about King Gongmin and his attempt to free the Koryo kingdom from Mongolian dominance are encouraged to read Political Power Groups of Koryo Dynasty after the Period of Yuan China’s Intervention. Of course, some say King Gongmin was gay, although his love affair with the Mongolian princess that would later become his wife is quite famous. Oh, did you want to read Mongols and Western Asians in the Late Koryo Ruling Stratum?
• The original Seonggyungwan, which was the Koryo kingdom’s highest center of learning.
• And what would a tour be without a visit to a temple — stone pagoda in front of Yoengtong Temple.
• Happy, smily Kaesong residents.
• Yeah, I guess the Bakyeong Waterfall is cool.
• For lunch, the tourists were treated to traditional Kaesong cuisine. If the photo of the food doesn’t interest you, perhaps the photo of the two North Korean waitresses at the Channamsan Hotel will.