The day started off pretty standard with breakfast at the hotel. Soon after, we were off to visit the HY company and bottling facility. HY, now part of the Fredit Company, is one of the biggest yogurt drink and probiotic producers in Korea. The drinks are only around 65 mL but are some of the most popular refreshments and can be found in most convenience stores and supermarkets. If you are lucky, you may even see someone driving an electric cart filled with the yogurt drinks around the city. The probiotics within the drinks are especially good for citizens of Seoul by reducing the negative effects of air contaminants that collect in the body. During the tour of the bottling facility, we got to witness the steps going into making these delicious drinks. First, they melt plastic beads and mold them to the shape of the bottle. As they go down an assembly line, defected bottles are removed and recycled. The rest of the bottles are cleaned with compressed air and then filled with the yogurt drink. Lastly, a foil seal is put on top. Nearly everything was automated, with fast paced conveyer belts and robotic arms moving large pallets of drinks. It was marvelous how efficient the process was with the aid of robotics.
After the tour of the HY plant, we took a lunch break at a local restaurant. We were served a beef, tofu, and seafood stew with a wide variety of mushrooms. As usual, we received many sides accompanying the stew. I am starting to get used to using chopsticks and sharing sides and dishes among the whole table. The stew was delicious and helped fuel us up for another tour. Before leaving, we took a quick ice cream break at the convenience store Nice to CU, which can be found all throughout Seoul. I got a vanilla and custard flavored ice cream fish.
Our last group tour for the day was at TK Elevators. We visited their Korea headquarters, factory, and testing tower. Orgininally Thyssenkrupp elevators in Germany, the company bought Dongyang Elevator in Korea. Eventually, the company was rebranded as TKE and has a prominent headquarters located in Korea. Since then, Korea has been installing elevators, escalators, and moving walkways throughout the world. The tour of the facilities started by visiting the employee lounge area, equipped with golf driving simulators, air hockey, ping pong tables, and a pool table. After enjoying some friendly competition, we learned about some of the most recent innovations by TK elevators. These include the TWIN (two elevator cabs in one shaft), MULTI (a ropeless elevator system that can move both vertically and horizontally), and MAX (a real-time cloud-based system that identifies faults or errors before they occur in the elevator). Living through the struggle of waiting for an elevator in the Cathedral of Learning, it was interesting to see how elevator companies are continuously trying to make elevators faster, more efficient, safer, and more versatile. We then went to the top of the testing tower and got a good view of the farms that surround the headquarters. The testing tower is just one of several across the globe that TK uses to test its new elevator concepts. Only after extensive testing and proving that all features and safety measures work properly will TK be able to put products on the market. On the topic of safety, we proceeded to go through a fun interactive safety experience. With the deadly consequence of falling during installation or maintenance, TK Elevators set up a fall test for us to experience the safety measures taken to prevent falls. First, there was a free fall into a foam pit. Following this was a contraption that lifted people up in harnesses before dropping them gradually. This simulated a fall from an elevator car and the effect the safety harnesses have. Lastly, we toured the manufacturing facility where we got to see workers fabricate different components of the elevator cars and electronic systems. After concluding the tour, we returned to the hotel.
We ended the day with free time to get dinner and explore more of Seoul. I got the chance to take the subway to the nearby Bongeunsa Buddhist Temple. The temple was so serene and had a mystic feeling. It was unlike any church or cathedral I have visited back home or in Europe. There were even Buddhist monks walking around and singing songs in some of the temple buildings. After enjoying a bit of peace in the middle of Southern Seoul, we went to the Starfield COEX Mall, a massive underground shopping mall. We checked out some stores, ate an amazing Korean seafood boil, and saw the Starfield Library. The library had larger than life bookshelves in the middle of the underground mall. We ended the night relaxing on the rooftop terrace of our hotel, getting a great view of the illuminated city.
