How I Survived Ten Days Of Korea As A Muslim

Written by mohdazhar.

Photos by shahezuan and stdynn.

Days before my flight to Seoul, my friends and family were probing me on how I would survive the ten-day trip. Their concern: the city is famous for its pork and alcohol diet - two things that contradict my beliefs as a Muslim. Well, to be frank, I could see their worries coming true as soon as I landed on Incheon International Airport. Nonetheless, ten days flew by and I am proud to say that I have pulled it through.

So this was how I did it.

Mr Billy and I, posing in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Loving his MJ-inspired jacket!
Photo by stdynn.

For a city so alien to me, the help of a knowledgeable tour guide was certainly crucial. Fortunately, I had Mr Billy. A former lecturer and founder of a gem stone factory, Mr Billy was proficient in both the English and Korean language. Thus, he was able to communicate with the seven Muslim students (including myself), making sure that our needs were well taken care of. For example, ham sausages were replaced with omelette. Other non-halal meat was also replaced with squids. The special requests were usually made way in advance, and even if they were not, the meals were rectified almost immediately. Superb.

Seafood was prepared for most of the days. I learnt that the preferred seafood by the South Koreans are baby octopuses and squids. Finding fish or prawns in restaurants was like finding a black cat in a coal cellar. I only had the opportunity to eat fish on the second last day of the trip. And as ridiculous as it seems, the sight of the white meat gripped me with sheer excitement!

It was squids galore for the Muslim students in this trip. Hmm, now which shiny bald-head shall be my next victim?
Photo by shahezuan.

A quick check with one of my lecturers, Mr Douglas Kwon, a South Korean now based in Singapore, revealed that the South Koreans are a huge fan of squids. In fact, the diet was so popular that - according to a 2011 Los Angeles Times report- the country’s squid capital, Ulleungo, once suffered a drastic fall in squid catch due to overfishing. I remembered thinking to myself if squids are probably the next most famous thing in the country after K-pop.

Anyway, as the days grew by, so did my lassitude for baby octopuses and squids. It grew so bad that I began saying “Not you again..” whenever I tossed the shiny bald-heads into the steamboat pots! Nonetheless, I, along with the six other Muslim students, adapted to the diet. We mixed and matched the squids with different sauces or side dishes such as kimchi, ketchup or even seaweed. We were thankful that there were food for us to feast on, and we did all we can to make the best out of it.

That said, we took a completely different approach as we explored Seoul on ourselves during the free and easy days. This was the time when we had to find our own food to fill our innards. Thus, we decided to follow the ‘no meat’ guidelines. Two of the Muslim students, Nur Amirah and Fatin, were able to converse in basic Korean, and they were there to enquire stallholders if their food prepared contained any form of kogee (meat). I tried to do the same, but the experience was like a tongue twister for me.

The Seoul Central Mosque stood tall amidst the evening sunlight.
Photo by stdynn.

Just a day before our trip ended, Mr Billy brought us to Itaewon, a district famous for its Muslim environment. Rows of shophouses proudly displaying the Halal signs led me to one of the most beautiful structures in the city – the Seoul Central Mosque. Initially, I planned to capture an interview with a Muslim there, or maybe an officer of the mosque, but the idea was plonked down almost immediately as I stood star-struck in front of the 36-year-old mosque. The architectural design was delicate and simply breathtaking. 

Before leaving Itaewon, I managed to grab a roll of chicken kebab from one of the shophouses there. Each roll costs ₩ 4,000, which is around SGD 4.50. A refreshing aria surrounded me as I took the first bite. It was bliss. After nine days, this was something that I could fully indulge myself in. Secretly in me, I felt as if it was a reward, for I have survived almost ten days in Seoul.

As a Muslim.

Back in time... a trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace

Our last day in Seoul was marked with a must-see visit to the historical Gyeongbokgung Palace. Built by the founder of the Joseon dynasty - King Taejo - this is the grandest palace structure in the whole of Seoul. Burnt down by Japanese invasions in the 16th century, this palace laid in ruins for some 300 years before it was rebuilt in the late 19th century. Since the fall of the dynasty, this massive architectural feat has become the home of the National Folk Museum and the National Palace Museum, with one of the inner palaces transformed as the offices of the President.

Entrance of the Gyeonbokgung Palace

It takes about an hour walk around the palace grounds to really appreciate the beauty of this once-glorious palace and imagine the occupants that lived in this compound. For those who are waiting to re-live the days of a time long gone, fret no more as there are performances to showcase the 'changing of guards' that are obviously catered to tourists. Performative to say the least, but it surely give a glimpse of the past. Otherwise, the only other time we get a chance to view such a 'life' would be through the numerous Korean period drama that is taking the world by storm [i.e. 무신 (soldier); 해를 품은 달 (Haereul Poomeun Dal or The Moon That Embraces the Sun); 타임슬립 닥터 진 (Time Slip Dr. Jin); or even 왕의 남자 (Wang-ui namja or The King's Man)]

The 'changing of guards' ceremony with traditional costumes; musical instruments and weapons to simulate actual scenarios

A walk around the palace grounds

A performance hall to celebrate visiting dignitaries and/or other folk traditions

Doorway to the many rooms found around the compound

These urns were used to contain food preservatives, that were eventually used in making Kimchi and other foodstuffs

After about an hour of walking around the Gyeongbokgung Palace (Palace of Shining Happiness) and seeing the sights and knowing just a little more about this historic place, we reached one of the many exits. Security was tight around this area as the Cheongwadae (or Blue House), which is the official residential and office of the South Korean President, is just behind the Gyeongbokgung Palace where we all now stood.

Indeed, it was a little journey back in time that was most certainly memorable.

Photos and text by Felix Tan

In the rhythm of Journalism (Dong-A News Agency)

Dong-A News Agency, one of our last few stops for the trip, is the main headquarters of Dong-A Ilbo, one of the leading newspapers in Korea. Established in 1920, Dong-A Ilbo has reached a readership of over 2 million and the number is continually rising. Like most print news agencies around the world, Mr Suh I-Suhk, the General Manager of the Reder Service Team at Dong-A News Agency, lamented that there have been a steady drop in a number of readers going for print media. Instead, many are turning to online sources for their news updates. Dong-A News Agency currently has a free online version of their Dong-A Ilbo, but is thinking of charging their readers in the coming years.

When we first entered the building, we were brought to a room where Mr Suh I-Suhk,  briefed us on what to expect during the tour and a general rundown of the whole agency. Thanks to Mr Douglas, who was such a wonderful and excellent interpreter, that we were enthralled with all the things that greeted us at the newsroom. With the many 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' - and some occasionally gasps and shrieks (yup! seeing posters of our Korean idols definitely made some of us go ga-ga somewhat) - it was a visit well worth the wait.

Our tour then officially started, and we were led to the newsroom where we were filled in on the process of printing a newspaper. The room was divided in four sections – Sports, Education and Welfare, Hallyu (culture and trend) and lastly the International section.  We also noticed that the agency monitors other forms of media, such as TV channels and other newspapers, so as to keep up with their competitors and to maintain their position on top.

Our next stop was the editing room, where as its name suggests, all the editing is done. Edits are usually made in red, and pictures are looked over to make sure they are the best of the lot. Like what Mr Suh told us, a lot of teamwork is required to produce just one newspaper.

Mr Lim Hyun Taek, chief of the editing support team then showed us a powerpoint presentation, explaining how the newspaper was designed and printed. With a few clicks of the mouse combined with his experience in this area, Mr lim even designed and printed a page just for us!

Following that, 15 of us were chosen to visit a studio in the building, and were separated from the rest. The best part? The 15 of us are the first ones, outside of the agency to step into this studio. How cool is that!

The Channel A Studio is used to record their daily news programs and other live broadcasts. There are three multi vision screens in the studio used to broadcast live footages from the area outside the building. This way, events such as parades and protests can be filmed and broadcasted easily. 

Next up, we were brought to an open studio. An open studio is just like any other studio in the building, except that it is enclosed in glass, and the public can view the recording from outside. There are also speakers outside the building for the public to hear what is going on.

We then rejoined the rest of our friends and had a chat session with two reporters from the agency. The first was Ms Sue Jeon who works with the entertainment section and covering the Hallyu wave. Though she is just fresh out of university and had only been working there for about a year, she had many interesting insights to share, and we certainly benefited a lot from her. The other was Mr James Huh, who has been working at the agency for a massive 16 years! Questions were fast and furious, ranging from journalists' work ethics and professionalism to freedom of speech and censorship.

In all, our visit to Dong-A News Agency was very informative, and we learnt so much more about journalism. The people working there were very friendly, and even gave us a whole stack of drama posters as a parting gift. Looks like I have one more poster to add to my wall! 

Done by: KIM2CHI

Kimberly Ho

Kimberly Fong

Carmen Chia

Kelly-Angel Paulose

Lulu Tay Xin Yi

Pheobe Low