Nothing comes to mind, really

I headed to the National Museum again today so I could see the rest of it (it's a gigantic museum). A lot of what I saw was prehistoric stuff, which, even though I was an anthropology major and a history teacher, still bores the piss out of me. Plus, with such a huge collection, its easy to reach the point of overload. On top of it, it was CROWDED, and there were way too many young kids. Now, I am all in support of getting kids interested in going to museums, but I really think there should be minimum age. Like, no kids under 7. Leave them home with grandma, or have a Kid Check next to the Coat Check. They don't appreciate a museum anyways and do nothing but cry and yell and get in the way of people that actually do care about seeing the displays. There should also be a ban on talking loudly in a museum. Like when you take a flash photo or get too close to a painting and the guards come over and scold you -- I think that once your voice goes over a certain volume, the guards should be able to come over and zap you with a cattle prod.

Is my annoyance showing yet?

Anyway, here are some photos.

A father teaches his young son a bit of geography.

A very elaborate incense burner.A crown , but I don't recall the time period it was from.

Some figurines from the prehistoric era seem to contradict all the stereotypes about the ummm, size, of Korean men. As I was leaning it to take this photo, a group of kids with their teacher crowded around to look also, to my slight embarrassment. It was pretty obvious that what I was zooming in on.

A replica of a a royal throne from the Chosun Dynasty. The painting you see in the background is standard and was usually placed behind most thrones.

This bad boy was simply labeled as a "Punishing Stick." Makes the wooden spoon my mom used to use look like a toothpick.

There was also a special exhibit devoted to Dokdo (독도), an islet located in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Often called the Liancourt Rocks in English and Takeshima in Japan, it is the last remaining disputed territory between Japan and Korea, and therefore a huge symbol of nationalistic pride. Historically, Dokdo has been considered part of Korea, and Korea retains official possession today. Japan, however, disputes the claim. In fact, an article came out in the Korea Herald today about Japanese textbooks which state that Dokdo is a part of Japan, which is sure going to add fuel to the fire in the ongoing tensions between the two nations.


So why do both nations want what looks like just some big and mostly uninhabitable rocks? Well, first of all, they are rich in marine resources, like fish and seaweed. And some scientists believe that there may be natural gas there, but none has been discovered yet. Secondly, the location is extremely strategic in terms of defense. And for Korea, it is just another thing that Japan is trying to take away from them, even though the occupation ended over 60 years ago. So of course, Koreans are rabidly defensive of Dokdo, hence the special exhibit.

I find the choice of the word "longing" to be odd, given that the island already belongs to them. The entrance to the exhibit

Model of Dokdo

It was a nicely done exhibit, but only mildly interesting to me as a foreigner. There was some info about the ecosystem and history, mostly in Korean. The largest portion of the exhibit was devoted to dozens and dozens of various historical texts and maps showing or citing Dokdo as being part of Korean territory. Nothing supporting the Japanese claims, obviously. I personally haven't really researched the Japanese claims, so unfortunately I can't say anything about them. Being in Korea of course has given me the idea that Japan's claims are bunk, but if I was living in Japan it might be the other way around.

An ancient map, with Dokdo indicated by the red arrow.

At the end of the exhibit you could write a postcard and stick it in the mailbox. I am not really sure where the postcards are sent. I wrote one anyways, something about the power and beauty of the ocean. It was all that really came to mind in the moment.

Alright enough of the yakking, I've got bootlegs to watch!