July 12, 2009 - Seoul, South Korea
“Defeat the enemies strategy.”~Sun Tzu
Although Korea and Japan work well together today, Japan's demonstrative occupation of the peninsula from 1910-1945 continues to leave a bitter taste in Korean's mouth. In addition to destroying the royal palaces in Seoul, the Japanese imprisoned many royal men, called Yangbons, until they died and impregnated many women - in essence eliminating Korea's pure noble bloodline.
Perhaps South Korea is paranoid, but who can blame them. After the Japanese left in 1945 and the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953, South Korea rebuilt Seoul (less than 30 miles from border) with military strategy in mind. If North Korea invades, defensive ground lines are a s follows:
+ Line 1: ROKA (Republic of Korea Army) defends 38th parallel
+ Line 2: South Korea destroys roads from border into Seoul by blowing thick cement slabs, some currently serve as advertising billboards
+ Line 3: Bridges on Han River exploded as the population retreats south (holes are already drilled in all bridges, ready to be packed with dynamite)
+ Line 4: South shore Han River buildings imploded to create massive rubble obstacles
An air attack would have minor impact, due to limited oil supplies and practice of pilots. Military fighter pilots practice per year:
+ United States = 210 hours per year
+ South Korea = 160 hours per year
+ North Korea = 5 hours per year
Rumor also holds the average North Korean military heights have decreased by 3" in the last 15 years due to poor diet.
In the evening, a group of 13 men and 6 women headed to the Dragon Spa, located in downtown Seoul. In the 6 story family vacation/amusement park of spas, women and men are segregated for privacy on the 4th and 5th floors. Women enjoy outdoor and indoor pools of varying temperature and ingredients, along with optional messages, scrubs, and steam treatments. Although we never visited the 6th floor beer garden or basement movie theater, the men dressed in blue pajamas and the women in green met on the 1st floor for dinner and laughs in the pine sauna, salt room, frozen igloo, and heated Egyptian pyramids.
