Eighth Army Soldiers experience Korean culture By Pfc. Jewel Park, Eighth Army Public Affairs YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — Twenty soldiers from Eighth Army took part in a United States Forces Korea-wide Korean Cultural Program over a period of 2 days. This program was sponsored by the Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) in accordance with the Good Neighbor Program in order to enhance ROK-U.S. relations. This intensive program aimed at providing a full experience of Korean history and culture to USFK soldiers, with a special emphasis on Korean military history and culture. “We wanted to introduce various aspects of Korean culture to the USFK Soldiers to make their time in Korea more meaningful,” said Lt. Col. Lee Young-kwon, who works in the Cultural Policy Division at the MND. “This is an intensive and fast-pace program designed for Soldiers, and we aimed at providing a high-quality tour with a military bent.” Departing from Yongsan Garrison, the Soldiers travelled around the peninsula to visit places of military significance. They visited Pyeontaek Naval Base, where they saw the salvaged ship Cheonan, sunk by a north Korean torpedo learned more about the incident. The group also saw Yeonmudae Palace and a traditional Korean folk village in Suwon, where they watched a sword and spear exhibition and received hands-on experience with Korean archery. “It was awesome, more than I would ever expect to learn about Korean culture,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class David McNeil, a C4I (command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence) technician at Commander Naval Forces Korea. “I’ve been back and forth between Seoul and Osan probably 10 times, but I’ve never stopped at Suwon, or the Cheonan Memorial. Going out to Suwon today and experiencing the folk village was pretty amazing,” The Good Neighbor program serves as a liaison between Korean nationals and USFK service members fostering an exchange of culture between the United States and Korea to draw the citizens of both countries closer. (Photo by Cpl. Dongkyun Hong & Pfc. Jewel Park, Eighth Army Public Affairs)
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 06:52:29 +0000
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