Today we kept it simple and sweet. We started off with another tour of City Hall, but this time instead of learning about the history of the city and its fun facts, we got to go into the basement and see their situation room. While we were there, we learned all about Seoul’s traffic and pedestrian monitoring system. We also learned about something they call the “Green Zone.” This is an area encompassing Seoul that has been designated to be more eco-friendly. If a car does not meet certain emissions criteria, it can be subject to a fine if it enters the zone. It was interesting to see how much technology the city uses to manage traffic, safety, and environmental concerns all at once.

We also got to see the automatic and extensive traffic enforcement that happens in Seoul all the time. Computers are constantly scanning the roads for people who are speeding, driving in bus lanes, or committing other traffic violations. Once a violation is detected, it is reported, and the offender gets a notification on their phone within eight minutes. These cameras are also used for other things, like accident detection and traffic management. They can detect where accidents happen, then shut down certain lanes or on-ramps accordingly to help manage the congestion and backups caused by them.

We walked around for a while and then had some free time at the hotel before our final group presentation. My group presented on Samsung smart fridges and their societal, economic, and cultural impact on the world today and in the future. The presentation went extremely smoothly, and there were no hiccups.

Our final activity of the trip was a Korean cooking class. I have never claimed to be, and will never claim to be, a skilled cook. I know a few tips and tricks from my grandparents, but that is about it. With that being said, it was an extremely enjoyable time and a great way to end the trip. We made Korean sushi and glass noodles, which tasted delicious. I was always very intimidated by rolling sushi, so when I heard that was what we were going to be doing, I was convinced I was going to mess up. Thanks to the chef’s extremely helpful guidance, it all went well, and I did not burn anything down.