Camp Humphrey

For the third day in Korea, the Plus3 Korea group visited Camp Humphreys located in Pyeongtaek. In the tour of the exclusive facility, we talked with various sergeants, lieutenants and a 3-star general. To begin the tour, the General, Lieutenant General Christopher C. LaNeve, introduced us to the camp through a captivating video, before telling us about his journey through the military. I was most shocked by the military’s discipline during the General’s speech. At one point, the slideshow was not working, so the general instructed his lieutenant to fix it at once. The before easy-going lieutenant firmed up at the General’s request, responding with a “yes, sir!”.

At the conclusion of the General’s speech, we had a tasty lunch at the base’s cafeteria before meeting with the United Stated Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) of the Eight Army. During the tour of the four different divisions, I was able to see various unique, army-specific vehicles and machinery. One of my favorite vehicles had a long claw with a mine detector. This vehicle was part of a convoy of vehicles which helped armed forces progress in a battlefield. Altogether, the technological innovation of the various army vehicles was a joy to see!

To conclude our tour of the army base, we drove the perimeter of the base, noting key buildings with the help of our army tour guide. Something unique about Camp Humphrey is the large civilian presence integrated within the compound. To accommodate them, a town was practically built, with a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools. There are also various gyms and theaters to entertain the town’s people. During out visit, we were informed that 95% of the camp was occupied, well above the minimum threshold of 50%. At the end of the tour, I correctly answered a trivia question and received a coin, commemorative of the army base.

Namsan Seoul Tower

After returning from Camp Humphrey, two friends of mine, Alex K. and Alex. T, and I walked up a mountain to reach Namsan Seoul Tower. This building towers over Seoul, serving as the center point of the capital city. The walk itself was strenuous; we walked roughly a mile, climbing ~70 flights of stairs in half an hour. After we reached the top, we met up with some other friends before going up to the tower’s observation deck. The views from the top were incredible! We were able to observe many of Korea’s key landmarks, like the Lotte World Tower, the Gyeongbokgung Palace, and the Blue House. After finishing our observation of the capital city, we walked down the hill a different path, to reach the hotel after roughly an hour and walk. To conclude the day, we had some Korean BBQ and proceeded to get a good night’s rest.

“It always seems impossible until it is done”.

– Nelson Mandela