By Jamie Parker
South Korea’s nickname, “the Land of the Morning Calm,” comes from the Ming Dynasty when the emperor of China commented on the countries beautiful mountains, clear waters, and its amazing tranquility. But that all changed on June 25th of 1950 when the North crossed the 38th parallel and attacked the South to begin the Korean War. Over the next three years, the country would be torn apart by war. After the war it was said that it would take over one hundred years for the Republic of Korea to rebuild from the ashes of war. Earle Stone, a veteran of the Korean War describes the capital city of Seoul as a post-apocalyptic wasteland that he could only relate to Berlin at the end of World War II.
But instead of just rebuilding what they had prior to the 1950s, the Republic of Korea has risen like a phoenix from the ashes; brilliant and as beautiful as ever. After the war, Korea hit their industrial boom. According to the United Nations, Korea is now a world leader when it comes to innovation, technology, and overall economy. On top of that they have a top 20 Quality of Life ranking with Newsweek. But even with all of these fantastic reviews, nothing can quite compare to seeing their progress firsthand. My grandfather helped fight for that countries freedom, and it was an absolute privilege to see just how far they have come since then. Especially when you consider where there neighbor to the north is since the war. North Korea is on the constant brink of self-destruction, which is such a stark contrast to the South. South Korean’s actually pity – rather than fear – the North because of hopes of a future reunification. But that’s a whole other story! Anyway, Korea is back on the rise and the land of the morning calm is anything but that.
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