Lucky Us : Thanks to Them

A national holiday and a day off work today as the nation remembers all who fought and died during the Korean war. Sirens wail nationwide at 10am, a reminder to take ten minutes of your day for thought, prayer or reflection. A memorial service is held at Seoul National Cemetery, and many Koreans (especially the elderley) place the taegeukgi, Korea's national flag, outside their homes.

Often referred to as 'The Forgotten War' due to it being much lesser-known, talked about, recreated in movies, or written of in books than other wars of a similar ilk, the horrors, brutality and death toll were none the lesser for it.
You can check out a relatively brief history of events here, through which you can see how things could so easily have turned out differently, and The South I reside in today could have become a very different place.

The above shot is at a small concert that took place in our neighbourhood, with traditional dancers and plenty of music, including traditional female singing and instruments (which I was pleased to see was all performed by younger Koreans - nice to see the tradition being carried on) and some old-fashioned folk music, too.

The stick being carried by the young boy is part of a traditional Korean game known as tuho.
Seemingly brought over from China, it was popularised by the Goryeo dynasty's King Yejong in the year 1116. Most commonly played on New Years Day and around the Korean harvest festival of Chuseok, long wooden 'darts' are thrown into an ornate vase from a distance, and missed darts can sometimes gain added points if they sail through added hoops around the vases edge.
It was great to see the concert packed with spectators both young and old, and after a while of listening, snapping and people watching, I strolled on over to Play Coffee to enjoy the company of a cold beer and a good book, before meeting the wife for some patbingsoo, Korea's ubiquitous summer dessert - the perfect way to end the day.


You can view an incredibly interesting (and sometimes horrifying) collection of photographs taken during the Korean War here.
They are well worth a look, and for me, the first shot of the girl standing in front of the tank is one of the most though-provoking war photographs ever taken.