This summer, 13 Students and two faculty members are traveling to South Korea to study Korea’s remarkable economic journey in the post-war period, while strengthening their skills and deepening their understanding of leadership in action in the world. Please enjoy these blog posts below from Ted ’27 and Linnea ’27 who share about exploring the natural beauty and philosophical design of Changdeokgung Palace and reconnecting with Korean friends over dinner and showcasing leadership through creative group projects.
By Ted ’27:
Today, after taking the bullet train back to Seoul in the morning and eating some very delicious bibimbap for lunch, we visited the Changdeokgung Palace, which was the auxiliary or second palace for part of the Joseon dynasty and acted as the main Seoul palace for several of the final kings. We first walked through the three main palace buildings and walls, which were built unusually, with 90 degree turns and angles, for better harmony with nature in the area. This connection to the natural world is what Changdeokgung Palace is known for. After learning about the political and residential purposes of various buildings in this widespread area, we walked into the larger part of the property: the secret garden. We were toured for one hour along a rolling, forested path with two ponds and small houses or buildings on the way. The ponds were made as squares with circular islands in the middle to signify the connection between the Earth (square) and the sky (round). The Chandeokgung palace is special because it’s 70% natural forest and only 30% manmade structures, emphasizing traditional Korean beliefs in harmony and implementation of nature, even in the most royal and political places.
By Linnea ’27:
After visiting Changdeokgung palace, we took a quick stop at a tea place in Bukchon Hanok Village. Here, members of the group got to relax for a quick second before our busy night. We took the metro back to the hotel and after a brief setback due to room keys not working, everyone checked into their rooms, and we promptly set off to see our classmates for dinner. We all took the metro into Seongsu and enthusiastically greeted our friends from Korea. After walking around with them for a little, we went to a delicious dinner. At dinner, we got to catch up with our friends that we had not seen since graduation, and their experience helped us cook traditional Korean food! It was great to hear about their lives in Korea since we now have more background knowledge on Korea and the different areas of Seoul. There was laughter everywhere and all group members enjoyed eating dinner with local friends! After dinner, we all said goodbye and took the metro to a room near our hotel for our daily debrief. Earlier in the day, we were given small groups and tasked with imagining a company where we would each lead in a way that suits our personal strengths. We presented these companies at our debrief and it was amazing to hear the creativity and depth of the companies, despite not being given much time to design them. The winning group was awarded a souvenir from Busan, and we spent the remainder of the debrief discussing our goals for our last day together in Korea and giving lots of shoutouts! Afterwards, we finally returned to the hotel, ready to rest up for our last day together!
