Peace signs in Tapgol Park

Take a step in Seoul and you’ll trip over one of the nation’s treasures. Just two weeks ago I went looking for an art gallery and stumbled into Changdeok Palace. Then on the weekend we went looking for the city’s largest Buddhist shrine and instead found ourselves in Tapgol Park, the site of a fifteenth century temple.

It’s number two on the list of Korea’s three hundred and seven treasures. The walls of the temple have been long torn down, but in the park’s back pocket is a ten-story stone pagoda, pointing up in its glass home, daylight glowing white as rain dripped down its sides.

All along the courtyard walls are images of Japanese destruction. We placed ourselves amongst the soldiers, held hands up to pointed guns and surrendered. The war scenes hold history; remind visitors of the spot Korea first read its papers of independence.

At the street side entrance five locals clad in disposable ponchos paused to take a picture of one jumping off the memorial steps into rainy sky. In the puddles down below her white blur shot past stone engravings.

She saw my camera click so she cranked her head and extended two fingers towards us. After all of the imperial violence I had to nod and say to self: Peace. Yeah, I like that.