THE invitation to attend the 24th Congress of the International Federation of Journalists in South Korea had not only excited me but had also filled me with inquisitiveness. I wanted to know all about the country I was set to visit.

I began surfing the Net to get some basic information on this country but surfing can be very tiresome for it opens even those channels of information which one just doesn’t require. Once again my old and cherished Britannica proved to be helpful. It gave me exactly what I required — the history, weather, political scene,heritage and the political hostilities that exist between North and South Korea.

However, Indian travel agents must be the cleverest of people for they hold back most of the odds that a traveller is likely to face. Perhaps they think that the slow unfolding of odds is better than advance information on what to expect, lest the traveller changes his/her mind or gets apprehensive, becomes too demanding.

According to the flight plan given to me, I was supposed to be halting at Bangkok where hot vegetarian food was to be served. The agile airhostess baffled me by serving my dinner half-an-hour ahead of everyone else. I asked her why I was being extended this special treatment. "Oh, that’s because you are the only one listed for ‘Hindu Vegetarian’. I sank in my seat wondering whether there are Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and Muslim Vegetarians listed separately also?

The food turned out to be some concoction of South Indian vegetarian cuisine. The transit halt at Bangkok was for 45 minutes. Lazily, I roamed around asking irrelevant questions about dollar rates, cleaning practices and the number of flights that take off and land.

We took off again and after a few hours the captain announced that our plane was landing at Taiwan. How come this second halt? My travel agent had not given any indication that my flight will be a hopping one. The direct flight with just one stopover would have taken ten hours. However, this one consumed seventeen precious hours filling me with boredom and exhaustion. After loitering for three hours at the airport and visiting Duty Free shops, I discovered that contrary to general perception only water was cheaper than India! By the time I landed in Seoul, I had been served as ‘Asian Vegetarian’ and ‘Indian Vegetarian’, too.

A warm welcome at the Seoul Airport by hosts (Korean journalists) helped relieve most of the exhaustion and irritation. South Korea is blessed with rivers, besides the Yellow Sea. The coastal existence was amply stamped with trees, greenery and agriculture. The wide highways, coloured flyovers sparkling clean surroundings, fast cars of all brands made me think for a moment that I was in the U.S.A. I kept wondering where ancient Korea, with five thousand years of culture lay hidden.

Once inside Seoul, this question returned again and again. Korea has right hand drive and its streets are lined with shops with brand names like Mcdonalds, Basking Robbins, Dunkins, Pizza Huts, Reeboks, Nike etc. The wide-open roads, the disciplined traffic, pedestrians patiently waiting for green signals on zebra lines, the sky- high multi-storied buildings, modern housing complexes etc, remind one of America. Moreover, not a single woman was wearing those long fascinating dresses that Koreans were associated with. All men and women were in trousers and shirts.

Yes, South Korea is an ultra modern country today. It was ruled by Japan for 35 years.The Japanese even rebuilt their Monarch’s Palace. However, once the Americans helped them out of the clutches of the Japanese, South Koreans demolished the Palace built by the Japanese and rebuilt it again as per their architectural design.

America is everywhere. There is a huge American cantonment in the middle of north Seoul. Reportedly, South Korea is constantly in fear of North Korean attacks and hence clings on to American support. But the Koreans are also dreaming of unity between the North and the South. Today, South Korea is a Republic with an elected President but the palace is not open for public. The President lives and works from this palace.South Koreans are not allowed to even photograph it. However, the 300 journalists who had assembled for the world conference of the International Federation of Journalists were given a special treatment. They were escorted to the palace, which is in the old North part of Seoul, and shown around.

The majestic palace is hidden behind ornamental trees and has an artificial lake. This lake has all the coloured fish you have ever seen. It is like a fairy tale palace with a touch of American security zooming in and out. The palace architecture is such that it not only retains its ancient appearance and charm but also completely submerges with the surrounding mountains and majestically swaying trees.

South Korea today is an ideal example of a country truly moving into the 21st century. Their stress on education and health care has helped the nation to achieve goals of awareness, progress and modernisation. This is the reason why its so clean. You cannot spot anyone dumping garbage.

Similarly, South Korea has successfully lifted the idea of underground trains and services from London and spread it in the heart of the city. It works for 24 hours and what you witness at midnight is young boys and girls travelling to their part-time jobs. Incidentally, the crime rate in Seoul is amazingly low and the word ‘eve- teasing’ does not exist.

I have to share the Hann river experience with you. The 46- km-long river meanders through the heart of Seoul and yet maintains the sparkling clean appearance. This is because not a single Korean ever abuses it with either domestic or industrial waste. There are 19 bridges built on it to connect north and south Seoul. The bottoms of all those bridges are painted in green, red, blue and yellow which gives thme a magical appearance. On both sides of the Hann, the authorities have built play areas for citizen’s use. So you find South Koreans obsessed with every possible game — from skating to cricket; baseball to volleyball.

On the main subject of the conference, I will write next time.