During October 4th~5th, Hyundai Motors and Korea Industrial Technology Foundation for Cross-Media and Culture organized a tour for KDI School students under the banner of “Experience High Technology Industries” and “Visit Various Cultural Sites” of Korea. It was fully sponsored by the Hyundai Motor Company. Three bus loads carried the feel of anxiety and happiness from Seoul to the deep west of Korea. First destination, Asan.

Hyundai Motors factory in Asan

An energetic tour guide leads the students into a sprawling auto parts section of the factory, stopping from time to time to give facts and field questions from the curious students. We watched as robots moved with majestic assurance to cut and shape the car body parts to calculated precision, leaving us in awe as the excitement builds at each stage of the way. In this plant, robots rule the world and according to our tour guide, the plant is 90% automated and humans only enjoy a limited role of ensuring the robots and other machines remain at full service. Next stop, Dangjin.

Hyundai Steel Company in Dangjin

The facility produces high-quality automotive steel for Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors. A state-of-the-art steel production facilit y, it employs the latest environmentally friendly technologies which help to contain the possibility of air pollution. The plant currently has a total capacity of 20 million tons of all steel, out of which are 3 million tons of automotive steel sheets which they plan to increase to 4.6 million in 2014. With an annual production worth over US$24 billion, the company contributes over 110,000 jobs towards the Korean national economy. Later in the evening students retired to bed at the Kensington Resort in Namwon after some fun of making lanterns and learning K-pop dancing.
Namdo Folk Food Museum

This trip was full of surprises at all turns. After having an American breakfast, although tempered a little bit with some tantalizing Korean tastes, we visited the Namdo Local Food Museum to experience how traditional Korean food is prepared. We actually prepared our own lunch, following ser ving instructions and demonstrations by professional chefs. Our dish was called JABCHAE, a mixture of different vegetables and meat.

Biennale Design Exhibition

Students also visited the Gwangju Biennale International Exhibition. It was the 5th edition since its inception in 2005 and this year’s theme was “Anything, Something”. As the staffs informed us, the 2013 exhibition sought to “explore cultural habits, shared knowledge and coded contexts that inform the many unspoken way” people communicate with each other.

World Kimchi Festival

Say Kimchi! Hosted by the Gwangju City and organized by the Gwangju World Kimchi Festival Organizing Committee, the World Kimchi Cultural Festival added more bite to our eventful journey on October 5th 2013. It was the 20th Commemorative Ceremonies Kimchi and Korea is looking forward to it being included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Touted for its nutritious value, it was amazing to learn about the extra care and effort that is expended in its preparation and the students were accorded the privilege of preparing their own kimchi.

Seoul in our hearts – the journey back home beckons

All good things come to an end. This trip would not be an exception. A four-hour road trip took the students back to Seoul and after two or three layovers along the way, the journey had gone so smoothly.

By Michael MOLELEKE (2013 MPP, Botswana)