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Joseph: Today on "Travelscope," I explore Seoul, Korea, the world's third-largest city, sparkling with high-tech prosperity and yet still honoring its natural environment and cultural history.

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Joseph: At the end of the Korean War, Seoul was in ruins, and as recent as the 1970s, Seoulites were poorer than their brothers in the North.

Today, Seoul is rated by many as the third-largest city in the world and sparkles with high-tech prosperity.

Its recovery is nothing short of miraculous, yet not surprising, considering Korean attributes such as ingenuity, perseverance, and determination.

A stroll along Cheonggyecheon illustrates all of the above.

The 3.5-mile revitalized stream that literally began life as a royal sewer and was later covered by a 50-foot-wide elevated highway was transformed in 2005 into a peaceful pedestrian walkway, complete with waterfalls and fountains and art and, most importantly, nature.

Where once dilapidated shantytowns lined the riverbanks, today native trees, plants, and grasses grow, and a touch of the natural has returned to Seoul's skyscraper-rich downtown.

This waterside pathway is also an historic connection.

It links Seoul's cultural icons, like the Gyeongbok Palace, the Dongdaemun East Gate, and the Gwangjang Market, where I'm visiting this morning.

Oh, here's a side note to my hometown of Los Angeles.

Hey, LA, take a hint from Seoul, Korea-- save our river.

The Fortress Wall of Seoul was begun in 1396 during the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled from the 14th through the 19th century.

The wall encircled the city for about 11 miles, and after centuries of suffering the ravages of war and weather, 7 reconstructed miles remain.

It's been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the east gate, Dongdaemun, is designated Treasure of Korea Number One.

These are the ancient floodgates that date back to the Joseon Dynasty.

They were discovered during the excavation of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

Actually, these gates were here and then torn down during the Japanese occupation to create a stadium that was built for the celebration of Emperor Hirohito's birthday.

A blend of historic structures, innovative design exhibits, like the 21,000-LED rose garden, and unusual stores and inventive spaces, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza is the Korean design industry's most iconic landmark.

It measures up to Seoul's reputation as the world's design capital.

Wow!

Isn't this something?

There's been a market in this location since 1905, and the Gwangjang Market continues to serve the people of Seoul.

This is a huge market.

There are over 5,000 shops and stalls, 20,000 people work here, and more than 65,000 people a day come here to eat and shop.

It opens at 9 AM, and when it closes... nobody seems to know.

Oh, this is really interesting.

That, I believe, is blood sausage, and then that sushi-looking thing is called kimbap.

That's like a rice cake that's in a tomato sauce.

Some people call it Korean gnocchi.

It is lovely, lovely stuff.

Hello.

Woman: Hi.

[Speaking Korean] This is a pancake-- well, it's a bean pancake, and they're extremely delicious and very reasonably priced.

They're making them right here.

Can't be any fresher.

I'm going to have something to eat.

Come and join me.

Ahh!

Food for all occasions.

Look at this.

These are the vegetables, the onion pancake, the bean pancake; over here is a kimchi pancake.

Boy, if you haven't-- I'm sorry.

I'm going to have to eat with my hands.

I can't manage the chopsticks.

This is soju?

This is really dangerous.

It actually tastes quite good.

I thought at least it would taste like alcohol.

Gun bae, which means, "Have a drink," and normally, it means finish it off, but thankfully, no one is forcing me to finish it off.

Oh, look at this!

Wow.

What is it?

Red bean.

Ah!

Red bean porridge.

Mmm!

Delicious.

Delicious.

Kamsahamnida.

Gun bae.

Mmm.

Mashi-soyo.

Delicious.

Vendor: Kamsahamnida.

Joseph: Kamsahamnida.

Seoul is made up of 25 districts and hundreds of dongs-- neighborhoods.

While Myeongdong, located in the heart of Seoul, features hip boutiques and a million shoppers a day, Insadong is lined with lush gingko trees and is a center for folk art and crafts.

Hilly Samcheong-dong embraces the modern and historic.

Chic shop and stylish restaurants look out on ancient Changdeokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok village, the living repository of many of Korea's surviving traditional houses.

The Artee is a great way to go through the Bukchon neighborhood.

You see a lot of hanoks, which are the traditional houses.

Of course, a lot of them have been repurposed for businesses or for guest houses, art galleries, museums, and this is a pretty exclusive place to live because you're really living on royal ground.

This is where the VIPs of the Joseon Dynasty lived.

The Japanese came in.

They redivided the area and made little small homes.

This is one of the oldest.

You can see from the gate.

It's reminiscent of some of the palace gates you'll see throughout the city.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in the 14th century, at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty, and consisted of more than 500 buildings.

During the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 16th century, the palace was completely destroyed.

It was rebuilt by the Joseon Dynasty in the 19th century, and then, during the annexation of Korea by the Japanese which began in 1910, the palace was once again totally destroyed as part of the Japanese effort to systematically wipe out the Korean identity.

At the end of the annexation, which ended at the end of the Second World War in 1945, there were only 10 buildings remaining.

In the 1990s, the Koreans began the reconstruction of the palace and planned to bring 80% of the palace back to its former glory.

An added appeal of a visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace is the thrice-daily changing of the guard.

It's a solemn, beautiful display, yet at Deoksugung Palace, located in the heart of the business district, the experience can be a more personal one.

They told me that Deoksu Palace, which is right in the heart of Seoul, is a smaller, more intimate, more friendly palace for their changing of the guard, and they're exactly right.

I came to observe, and now I'm part of the show.

Man: OK. Two.

And three.

[Applause] [Music playing] All this marching around has made me hungry.

Surely at popular Myeongdong, I can find something good to eat.

Young-Sun, everyone in the United States knows about Korean barbecue, but I've learned here in Seoul that there's more than one kind.

What are we having tonight?

Today, we're going to eat the bulgogi.

What's the difference between this kind of barbecue and what other people think of as Korean barbecue?

Bulgogi is just that they put the charcoal, and there is a grill, that's it, but the [indistinct] that you can see, they put some special sauce so you can enjoy the soup and beef together.

OK. Well, the only thing left is for you to tell me how do you say "bon appétit" in Korea?

Bon appétit in Korea is... [Speaking Korean] [Repeats phrase] Yeah.

Perfect.

What does that mean?

"I'm eating very well."

"I'm eating very well."

You're eating very well.

Mmm!

[Repeats Korean phrase] I'm eating very well.

It's a short trip from Seoul to what has been called the scariest place on earth-- the Demilitarized Zone, the no-man's land between North and South Korea.

The experience begins outside the zone, at Imjingak Park, where memorials like the Gyeongui Train and Tracks to Nowhere and the Freedom Bridge, used by returning POWs, recall the conflict.

Even more poignant are the monuments, such as the Mangbaedan Altar and Peace Bell, where prayers for unification are offered.

[Gong reverberates] The park sets the stage for the official DMZ tour to come.

There are 51 million people living in South Korea and 24 million in the North, and for more than 60 years, they've lived separated from each other.

These are some of the ribbons that people who have come here to have an experience on the DMZ have left, as prayers for unification and peace.

I'm just adding mine to them.

About 100,000 visit the DMZ each year, on strictly supervised tours.

Photography is forbidden in most locations, yet limited access is allowed to areas such as the Joint Security Area, where you can look out across the divide and take a step into North Korea.

I'm in North Korea.

Now I'm in South Korea.

We're here with a press group inside T-2, which is one of the buildings in the Demilitarized Zone, and actually, right now, I am standing in North Korea.

What strikes you when you're in this place is how easy it is for me to move back and forth, and yet how difficult it is for the people of South Korea and North Korea to come together.

Stretching across the Korean Peninsula along the 38th parallel, the Korean Demilitarized Zone is 155 miles long, 2.5 miles wide, and about 34 miles from Seoul.

It is the aftermath of what is sometimes called, or has often been called, the Forgotten War, which began on June 25, 1950.

It was hardly forgotten by the Koreans who live on either side of the DMZ, and especially the families of the more than 3 million Koreans and close to 37,000 UN and US soldiers who died during the Korean War.

Although a truce was signed, nothing was settled, and hostilities continue.

A tragedy of the Korean War is that both Koreas are operating at half strength.

With half their talents and creativity, what has allowed them to survive in the South is being rooted in their history and traditions.

Korean ceramics began 10,000 year ago, reached its peak during the Joseon Dynasty, was crushed during the Japanese occupations, and is in the middle of a resurgence.

Every other year, Cerapia, Icheon World Ceramic Center, hosts an international gathering of artists which features exhibitions and workshops.

As Master Choi knows, no matter the artistry and the preparation, it's never certain, always a surprise, to discover what gifts the kiln has granted.

[Master Choi speaking Korean] Master Choi, how long does it take to do something like this?

[Master Choi speaking Korean] A month, but how long have you been doing this?

How many years?

[Speaking Korean] Ha ha!

So it took 45 years and one month to make something like this, but you're not satisfied-- not good enough, right?

No good.

Ha!

Well, it's pretty darn beautiful.

What do you do when they're not good?

[Speaking Korean] Out of 100... Hmm... [Speaking Korean] Joseph: So this is part of the 90%.

Some of the things he turned down were pretty much works of art, as far as I'm concerned.

I wish I'd caught him before he threw that platter down, but it was so nice of him to give me that.

Some of the things that he considers a defect are some other people's perfection.

Back in Seoul, Young-Sun and I head to Korea House for experiences that spotlight Korea's cultural richness.

So many different kinds of meals you can have in Korea, and one of the most elaborate is the dynastic cuisine, which is reminiscent of the way that the Joseon Dynasty ate in the 14th century.

The feast flows amid oohs and ahhs with a grace and abundance that fills the room, the table, and our bellies.

Ooh!

Wow!

Ooh!

Everything is like a big surprise.

Ooh!

Ooh... Wow.

How do you say "enough" in Korea?

Enough?

Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Korean] If I just pat my tummy, I guess everybody will get the idea.

Yeah.

Ha ha ha!

To get to the heart of Korean gastronomy, I donned traditional dress for a course on the most Korean of foods, kimchi.

In many countries, if you're going to cook, they give you an apron.

Here in Korea, they give you an outfit-- and an apron, as well.

[Speaking Korean] In Korea, we have more than 120 types of kimchi.

What we're going to make is a possam kimchi.

So the big part of this is the preparation.

I can tell.

How long does it take to make a kimchi?

One hour.

Dump it in?

Yeah.

That's easy.

Pear soup, the garlic, ginger.

We put it together.

The fish sauce.

The sauce?

Yeah.

It smells like fish sauce.

Sugar?

And... Chili powder.

Chili powder.

The Korean dishes are very, very spicy.

This is the fun part.

You get to get your hands in there.

Now... OK.

So this one is like this.

OK.

So... [Speaking Korean] Ah.

You can create and design?

[Speaking Korean] This does this.

Tuck it all in.

I wonder what mine will look like.

Ooh!

Wow!

Nice.

Mmm!

Is it good?

Mmm.

Very good.

Kamsahamnida.

Joseph: National and local festivals abound in Korea and are celebrated with special decorations, foods, and drink.

Korea is a multi-religious country, yet Buddhism has been practiced since the fourth century, and Buddha's birthday is a national holiday.

I prepare for the festival at the Bongeunsa Temple.

Founded in the eighth century, it sports a 46-foot statue of Maitreya Buddha, "the loving one."

Their Temple Stay program offers those interested in learning more about Korea's traditions the opportunity to partake of the temple's cultural activities.

Woman: Please choose the color.

Joseph: I could choose any color?

We usually use green color for this part, but you can use any other color.

This is your own flower.

OK.

I love that.

Glue 3 pieces of petals.

When you glue, inside of the cut, about one centimeter.

How many of these do you do in a day when you have people here, part of your Temple Stay program?

40 or 50.

40 or 50 people a day?

That's a lot of Buddhist prayers going out in the world.

Yeah.

I like this color.

This is very nice.

It's gorgeous color, very colorful.

Yes, very colorful, isn't it?

Yeah.

Mine is going to be a very colorful lotus.

Now, were you always Buddhist?

I was born in Buddhism.

Well, I always have loved traveling to Buddhist countries because the people are always very peaceful...

Yes, you're right.

And very gentle.

Buddhism faith is very calm and very soft.

That's a very nice way of putting it.

Will these end up being lotus lanterns?

I mean, will I be able to light them?

This one is paper.

Oh!

So it would be a lantern, but not for very long.

Ha ha ha!

For Buddha's birthday, you make the lotus.

What does the lotus represent?

The lotus flower bloom in the mud.

According to Buddhism, the lotus flower symbolizes Buddha's enlightenment, while the mud represents delusion of our minds.

It says so much about Buddha.

He honors the fact that we're human beings.

Yeah, right, right.

And that we have-- part of who we are is the mud and the bad thoughts, but we have an opportunity to come out of the mud.

Right.

I love that.

How did I do?

It's perfect.

You did a good job.

It probably doesn't look like any other lotus ever.

First time, right?

It is my first time.

I have a good teacher.

You're a good student.

Thank you so much.

OK.

So there we are.

It's a perfect balance.

I love this one.

[Speaking Korean] I'd like to share about how do we make tea and do we drink tea.

I will make a green tea.

Green tea is a very delicate tea.

How long have you been a Buddhist nun?

11 years.

11 years?

And I understand, here in Korea, Mahayana Buddhism is practiced.

Yeah.

Mahayana Buddhism.

How does that differ from other Buddhists?

With the Mahayana Buddhism, we take care of our people, so that's why I'm here in the Temple Stay program-- for helping people and sharing Buddha's teaching.

And...

The green tea into the pot.

What made you want to become a Buddhist nun?

I really want to follow his teaching.

His teaching is, people are suffering because of 3 poisons-- greed, hatred, delusion.

That's enlightening, just hearing you say that.

Ha ha ha!

Now, was it hard to become a Buddhist nun?

First time, it was very difficult time, but now, I'm used to it, so it's OK. OK.

So is it ready to drink now?

Yeah.

You can drink green tea, Korean green tea.

Beautiful.

What an honor to drink the tea that you have shared with me.

Thank you.

Me, too.

Here you are.

Oh, you serve me.

That's right.

Wrap the teacup with your right hand.

Check the color, and smell it.

When you smell it, just try to be mindful, and then we start to drink, but we don't drink it all at once.

Sip two or three times.

When you sip, please try to be mindful temperature or taste, whatever.

It's delicious.

Kamsahamnida.

You're welcome.

The face of Buddha is soft and calm, yet the evening temple drum enthusiastically calls all beings' attention to Buddha's path to enlightenment.

During the Buddhist celebration, the Lotus Lantern Festival makes the temples radiant repositories of light, as gods and guardians illuminate the way to the festival's climax, which takes over the streets of Seoul.

[Music playing] Have you been to the Buddha's birthday celebration Lantern Festival before?

Woman: Mm-hmm.

What can I expect?

You can expect lots of people carrying lanterns and dancing.

There's a dragon that will breathe fire, lots and lots of music.

And you don't have to be Buddhist to enjoy it, right?

No.

Joseph: The parade just continues to go on and on and on.

It's a joyous occasion, a way for people to come together, enjoy in peace and in celebration.

It's Buddha's birthday.

How are you?

It's so nice to see you.

Great.

I told you we'd see you.

Yes, right.

I saw you in the crowd, and your aura just drove us right to you.

I just wanted to have the opportunity to say, happy Buddha's birthday to you.

Happy Buddha's birthday.

Thank you.

Happy birthday, Buddha day.

The parade converges on Gwanghwamun Plaza, located at the center of Seoul.

Tens of thousand of people and hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns gather to honor Buddha and chant for peace on the Korean peninsula.

It is a ceremony that reaches beyond Korea and envelopes the global community with its prayers.

[People chanting] Thank you for joining me on my South Korea adventure.

This was my first visit to Korea, and while Seoul's modern skyline and prosperity amaze, Korea's extraordinary history, traditions, and customs remain cornerstones of its culture.

Whether it's ancient treasures, historic neighborhoods, surprising natural beauty, exciting cuisine, spiritual experiences, or just a heartwarming greeting, whatever you do and wherever you go, something fascinating awaits.

Korea is about the size of Pennsylvania, and for more than 60 years, it has been a country divided.

With South Korea as example, imagine what the Koreans will accomplish united again.

Some elsewhere think that unlikely, yet Buddha teaches change is constant, and Koreans know that they have risen, Phoenix-like, from the ashes time and time again and that they have a knack for making miracles, and I, for one, believe that they will do it again.

Until next time, this is Joseph Rosendo, reminding you of the words of Mark Twain-- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

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Stay in touch-- 888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

You're just picking up some street food here.

That's right.

That's right, Joseph.

I'm out walking the dog and getting a little kind of a fish cake.

I like it, and Grigsby likes it.

We kind of share it on the walk.

For people who don't know South Korea, what would you say to them?

Come on to South Korea.

It's a great place to come.

There's a lot of things to do in Seoul.

There's beautiful countryside.

The food is great.

People are very warm and friendly.

Tons of fun.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Good luck to you.

Well, if it's good enough for the ambassador and his dog, then it's good enough for me.

Dried fish.

Mmm!

Mashi-soyo.

Delicious!

Ha ha ha ha!