My tour of Seoul started at the airport arriving from my trip to Taiwan. I was picked up from the airport by an Assistant Dean from the School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, from whom I learned that Korea has 11 dental schools. Interestingly, the airport had infrared cameras installed prior to the immigration area to detect if anyone with a fever who poses an infection risk. The drive to the hotel MayPlace was pleasant crossing the Hangang River (or Han River) which divides the city in a south and a north part.
The next morning, I visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace. On my way, walking the 30 minutes to the palace, I was impressed by the displays of various live fish in front of eateries.
The palace was built in 1395, also commonly referred to as the Northern Palace because its location is the furthest north when compared to the neighbouring palaces of Changdeokgung (Eastern Palace) and Gyeonghuigung (Western Palace) Palace. "Remarkably, the most representative edifices of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Gyeonghoeru Pavilion and Hyangwonjeong Pond have remained relatively intact. Woldae and the sculptures of Geunjeongjeon (The Royal Audience Chamber) represent past sculptures of contemporary art.”
The Sumunjang (or the gate guard) was first introduced in 1461 under King Sejo. The gate guards were not only managed systematically also managed the gate passers. Since 2002, the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation exhibits the comparable environment of Joseon dynasty with the weapons, the armours, and the traditional clothes.
Many of the tourists dressed up in traditional HanBok costumes that could be rented next to the palace.
Afterwards, I visited the Lotte World Tower and had a snack in the lounge on the 123rd floor enjoying the amazing view.
Next day, an academic from the Seoul Dental School picked me up for a visit to the War Memorial.
I have learned a lot about historical armies, wars and armour beginning at 900 AD and expanding into different dynasties including the occupation by the Japanese.
The most important part, however, was for me the Korean War (1950-1953) about which I knew only the basic facts. I have learned the role of the 24th Division under General MacArthur's command. My hosts' grandparents had been captured by the communists during the war, their fate still unknown as most of the 100,000 citizens that got kidnapped. Among the kidnapped were many government officials, National Assembly members, soldiers, policemen, journalists, religious leaders, artists and scholars who were exploited for North Korean's propaganda efforts.
Then, I had lunch with Ice Cold Noodle Soup and Kimchi as well as a slice of Asian Pear for desert. One of my lunch hosts made a point that he never understood what pear-shaped meant in English anatomy books or the like until he had a pear outside Korea where all pears are round. Cultural differences!
They gave me these polished metal chopsticks (not very helpful) and also cut the noodles in pieces using huge scissors even less helpful). I washed my pants as they got a few spots.
The next day, the official conference-related tours started. So, I met the co-presenters for the first time during the tour of the Secret Gardens at Changdeokgung Palace which was the second royal villa built following the construction of Gyeongbukgung Palace in 1405. Changdeokgung Palace’s rear garden was constructed during the reign of King Taejong and served as a resting place for the royal family members. Changdeokgung Palace was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Committee in December of 1997. I was amazed to learn that they even had underfloor heating in some of the buildings constructed in the 15th century. There is also a night tour offered but is limited to 100 people.
I learned that none of the academics from the Seoul Dental School that is about 500 metres away have ever visited the Secret Gardens—they all work too hard, up to 52 hours per week as I was told. Here a picture of the Secret Gardens from a window of the Dental School.
Then, we had a Korean-style lunch during which I learned that Japanese eat only with chop sticks, but Koreans also use a spoon. After lunch, we embarked on a Seoul National University Campus Tour, including the academic study environment where their dental students work. We also visited the brand new education areas, such as the Digital Dental Center and the Dental Library. In addition, we visited the dental hospital (SNUDH) where about 1,000 patients are seen every day. Their technical lab employs 11 dental technician.
On the day of the conference, Saturday, I presented on "The Use of Data for Better Dental Education and Research” following by a video-recorded interview. The 2nd SNUSD International Conference for Future Dentistry featured topics ranging from "Surface modification of titanium for the enhancement of osseo- and soft tissue integration” by Kiyoshi Koyano Dean, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University to "Involvement of non-neuronal cell activation in ectopic orofacial pain mechanisms” by Koichi Iwata Professor, Nihon University.
More pictures here.