Yup. That's what you'd see if you visit the mourning altar for the Sewol ferry disaster victims at the Seoul Plaza. It was set up for everyone who wanted to offer flowers and prayers for the dead and to condole and sympathize with their families.
Messages from children and adults are written on the yellow ribbons and yellow boats. The ribbons are hanging on the walls, while the boats are sitting on the lawn as if waiting to set sail.
I went to offer a white chrysanthemum at this altar today. I walked under the white canopy and followed the line. The mourners stood in front of the altar in groups, and before our group went in, each of us was given a white chrysanthemum, a flower that symbolizes grief. There were two lines in our group and luckily, I was in the second one. A Korean gentleman in black standing to the right of the altar gave instructions to each group and I was able to observe what the mourners on the first line did before our turn.
(The mourning altar)
The standing in line, the waiting for our turn, the bowing at the altar and the laying of the white chrysanthemum were all routine but done with a sad message of sympathy and a prayer for the victims' eternal rest. And I wondered. Was the greed and craving for more profits and money at the expense of the safety and lives of these children a routine, too? And what message does this say to everyone?
Well, the message has always been loud and clear, but I guess nobody was listening. All these decades of advancement and development, Korean society has become materialistic. It seems to me that everyone loves to flaunt new 'this' and new 'that' to friends, relatives, and neighbors. Everyone wants to earn lots of money so they can buy 'this' apartment and 'that' car. And I guess, if the owners behind that ferry company scrimped on safety and loaded the boat with more cargoes because of this greed, then this national tragedy IS the message.
(A mother explaining to her son)
(Yellow boats)
As I was leaving the altar site, I passed the white tents clothed with thousands of yellow ribbons with messages. On the open area were hundreds of yellow paper boats with messages written by children. And perhaps, like most visitors and mourners at the Seoul Plaza these days trying to understand this tragedy, I see not only yellow, white or black. I also see one other color. The color of greed.
I hope everyone wakes up and realizes this, as it seems the society has forgotten what it actually treasures the most. Because all the time, we're always late to realize what's important to us...until it's gone.
We couldn't be writing messages in yellow ribbons, or even put up altars and offer white chrysanthemums every time there's an avoidable tragedy.
(The white chrysanthemum I offered)
Though those responsible must be held accountable, the authorities should ensure everyone's safety in all modes of transportation so that accidents like this don't happen again.
Though yellow and white may be the colors that are most obvious these days, it's that other color that is causing all the grief, pain and anger.
(At the Sejong Art Center entrance)
Yes, how about a different type of K-pop experience?
If you're heading to Seoul for sightseeing and wanted to squeeze in a K-pop concert into your itinerary, but couldn't find any K-pop concert scheduled while you're here, then you can do the next best thing: attend a K-pop hologram concert!
(My ticket courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization)
Some friends who were recently in Seoul to do some sightseeing and shopping have asked me whether they'd be able to catch a K-pop concert while they were here. Unfortunately, there wasn't any K-pop concert scheduled, but fortunately, there's the K-pop hologram concert!
On the ninth floor (9F) of the Lotte Fitin Building right in the heart of the Dongdaemun shopping district, four times in a day (2PM, 4PM, 6PM and 8PM) from Tuesday to Sunday (it's closed on Mondays), the KLive hologram concert is enjoyed by local and international tourists who want to experience a different kind of a K-pop concert. Lotte Fitin Building is accessible from Exits 11 or 12 of the Dongdaemun Culture and History Park Station.
(I forgot the name of this bboy crew. They're doing some popping and locking before the audience)
Utilizing holographic technology, KLive features Big Bang, 2NE1 and Psy, who perform a couple of their hits in their three-dimensional images as if they are right there on the stage singing, dancing and interacting with the audience in flesh. And in between their dance numbers, even if the K-pop stars talk to their audience in Korean, there are translations in English, Japanese and Chinese on the dialogue boxes above the stage. And while everyone goes home with a different kind of a K-pop experience, three lucky members of the audience will go home with prizes based on a random selection of photos from the photo booth.
(High up the ceiling is Daesung Wings)
(After these Korean photographers saw me taking
a picture of Daesung Wings, they followed, too.)
And while waiting for the hologram concert to start inside the KLive hall (which can accommodate 300 fans), there are gift shops, a cafe, a photo booth, experience and exhibition spaces outside, where the fans can shop and have their photos taken with the K-pop stars.
(2NE1)
Aside from the performances of Big Bang, 2NE1 and Psy in hologram, three bboys perform some locking and popping by the entrance to start the concert. These dancers also perform with the holograms during KLive concert.
(2NE1)
(Psy and his Gangnam Style)
So, if you're heading to Seoul and may not have the time to catch a K-pop concert, click this KLive website for more information and direction.
It is, indeed, is a different K-pop experience.
The cafe culture in Korea is huge. That's why, when you walk around Seoul, you'd see one coffee shop after another. A neighborhood wouldn't be complete without one, even if it's just a kiosk.
And just like any Korean, I also like sitting in coffee shops or cafes. But unlike any Korean, who usually loves to order iced americano, I prefer an iced cafe mocha! Ha-ha-ha!
All these years of living in Seoul, I must have sat down in hundreds of cafes. Why? Because that's where I update this blog, chat with friends, grab something to eat, read a book, write my essays, and most important, work overtime!
Yes, during my busy work days, I usually extend my working hours....at a coffee shop! That's why I always like sitting in a cafe that closes past midnight! I remember one time, at a coffee shop in my Hannam-dong neighborhood in the Yongsan District, I was so engrossed in my work that I lost track of time until...the crew told me that they were closing! It was 11:30PM! I got kicked out of a cafe! Ha-ha-ha! Too bad, that cafe already closed down; I liked their soft seats and tables. And of course, their iced cafe mocha in tall glasses!
During those hundreds of cafe visits for me, I sometimes observed what other people were doing, which gave me an idea. What about a series of blogs about them?
I will be sharing stories soon...from where I sip.
On that morning of April 16, when I learned of the news that a ferry sank near Jindo en route to Jeju-do, I also thought that everything would be okay. South Korea is a country equipped with advanced communication systems and maritime rescue equipment and personnel.
And just like everyone else who thought of that, I was wrong.
The news that followed the early updates were then impossible to understand; just impossible to believe. The whole incident was like a disaster movie. But unlike some disaster movie that have some semblance of a happy ending, this one is tragic. Very tragic.
These days, I have refrained from updating this personal blog as I just could not get myself to write about places I've just been and events I recently attended. With the whole nation in mourning, it wasn't right to be blogging about something 'festive'.
This maritime tragedy brought me back to the spring of 2010 when a South Korean frigate was sunk by North Korea. Forty-six sailors died in that sinking and an altar was set up at the Seoul Plaza.
But this one is beyond understanding. These were just kids, barely out of high school, and each one had his and her future just ahead of them. I have read the news of the accounts of the survivors and the videos in the kids' phones and their messages. They basically were just left behind by the ferry's captain and crew, the people who were supposed to look after their safety. None of us can even imagine what happened inside the cabins when everything was turned upside down, disorienting everyone, with the whole room turning dark and was gradually filled, not only with the cold sea water, but also screams for help and cries for their mothers.
None of us can.
And I will not even attempt to imagine what their fathers, mothers and other family members are going through right now. For the victims whose bodies were recovered, maybe, just maybe, the parents would have a closure of some sorts. But for those still missing, the wait is just as agonizing as when the news about the sinking broke out and realizing that their child was on that boat.
Let's just hope that, although it's sad to finally come to terms with the fact that the probability of finding a survivor after all these days is almost nil, their bodies would be finally recovered and be finally laid to rest. And that those responsible, such as the crew and the management that ignored the safety of passengers and risked the seaworthiness of the vessel in exchange for profit, would be brought to justice. And most important, that everyone in the maritime industry and government's emergency response teams would learn from this disaster.
Last week, I joined the thousands of people who joined in expressing their hope and prayers for the return of those still missing by writing them on yellow ribbons and tying them on the cords by the Cheonggye Stream. Parents, kids, office people and even international tourists took time to join the whole country in mourning.
I watched people tie the yellow ribbons on the cords, which then swayed in the cool spring breeze as if to let the wind carry those messages, bringing it to their recipients wherever they may be.
But sadly, as I write this tonight, the search for the missing still continues and the mourning for those confirmed dead is observed in all corners of the country.
For now, we don't know when the search will be over, but do join me in expressing this simple message...
"We are all waiting for you to come home..."
