Today our group started the day by visiting Seoul’s City Hall to learn about TOPIS (Transport Operation and Information Service). TOPIS is a high-tech traffic monitoring system used by Seoul to automate traffic patterns, public transportation, and monitor citizens violating driving laws. Our class was able to visit the TOPIS facility, which was located in an underground nuclear bunker in the city hall building. One of my major concerns about this technology was the ethical aspect. Is traffic monitoring a violation of privacy? A student asked a question regarding these privacy concerns, which was answered with the fact that TOPIS only tracks overall traffic data and does not record any information regarding individuals. Overall, I think the technology is a net good, and I found this smart system to be the largest one I’ve encountered in the trip.
After the TOPIS visit, I spent the afternoon polishing up our group presentation about Hyundai, which made up about 20% of my class grade. Although I was nervous to speak in front of the whole class, the presentation was quick and went a lot better than I thought it would.
In the evening, I spent my time making japchae (glass noodles) and kimbap (meat and vegetable rolls) in a Korean cooking class. Although I had little experience cooking, I was able to choose a partner with more experience. I chose Nick, who was already familiar with the kitchen due to his time working at a restaurant. Considering my minimal skills, the food turned out pretty well. Overall, I was proud of my work.
Once the cooking class ended, I spent the rest of my night in Hongdae, one of Korea’s nightlife locations. Personally, I’ve seen lots of videos and memes on the internet about it, so I thought I would visit and see what it was like. Something that I noticed immediately was how different the atmosphere was compared to the rest of Seoul. Hongdae was much louder, and there were clubs and bars on every block. I spent some time with my friends visiting all the different attractions, and it was a memorable way to end the trip.
I look forward to returning back home tomorrow!