Seoul: The refulgent capital of South Korea

**Seoul, the vibrant capital city of South Korea PHOTO BY**
**Joe Ombuor**

Seoul, the refulgent capital of South Korea is unmatched when it comes to tunnels and underground facilities in general. Simply put, Seoul is the city of a thousand tunnels.

For, going down a tunnel in Seoul can be anything from crossing a dual carriageway to getting into an underground mall or accessing the city’s metropolitan subway. It can as well be escaping the heat or cold above, depending on the season.

Ranked the fifth largest metropolitan in the world and 10th most economically powerful city, Soul’s underworld I marvelous, partly designed as a safe haven from bombs after the city sprung from the ruins of the Korean war that has never officially ended. Seoulites will tell you what holds to date is but a ceasefire of the three-year conflagration that claimed over a million lives when it lasted from June 1950 to July 1953 after soldiers from the communist north invaded the capitalist South.

A visitor from Nairobi and other third world cities is instantly hit by the clean environment where streets and pavements are not just swept but washed, the absence of seedy street families and urchins, the shortage of potholes, cracks, litter or abandoned trash.

Stand up eateries by the roadsides and in the alleys are aplenty for frugal or cash strapped spenders, but they are neatly maintained. Well paved, properly lit alleys transform into open air hawking points at night, with everything on offer from foodstuffs to textiles, electronics, leather items, massage and all at affordable prices. The hawkers are clean and orderly. City askaris as we know them in Nairobi are nonexistent.

Zebra crossings along major thoroughfares are crossable to both motorists and pedestrians strictly on a green signal from the lights. Jaywalking across the roads and random movement by vehicles as often happens here attracts heavy punishment. Result? Order prevails on the streets. Those in a hurry are advised to use the innumerous tunnel crossings to avoid a clash with traffic rules.

Like Nairobi, Seoul is drained by a river, but the Han River is mighty, clean and alive with marine life, unlike the stinking sewerage that is Nairobi River, thanks to our slovenly and corruption that has played havoc to what the Maasai called enkare Nyrobi (cold water).

More remarkably, tap water in Seoul is officially certified as consumable, making expensive bottled water that is an obsession with urban Kenyans unattractive. Hotel guests are encouraged to drink tap water without misgivings.

Public transport is efficient and attractive as opposed to the hideous contraptions christened matatu plying the streets of Nairobi with an endless trail of shouts, loud music (sheer noise if you like) and rogue crew that commuters have to contend with for lack of something better. The buses and taxis of Seoul are commuter friendly, welcoming and efficient. Like the rapid metro trains that move at amazing speeds, the buses operate on time with fares paid at vending machines. Touts, as we know them on our shores, do not exist.

To discourage littering, Ko-rail (the body that manages the trains) gives a token refund for any ticket disposed of at the vending machines after use. The trains and the railway stations are impeccably clean.

Though pollution is hardly noticeable, Seoulites commonly wear surgical masks to shield themselves and others against airborne viruses. It is also said the masks are meant to sieve off pollutant dust wafting from industries in neighbouring China.

The city surrounded by beautiful mountains and hilly landscapes was in 2010 named World Design Capital for its architectural uniqueness. Modern landmarks include the 123 floor 555 metre high Lotte World Tower, the 235metre high Namsan Seoul Tower, a radio, television broadcast and communications hub, the 72 floor 334-meter tall Parc 1 tower and the 54-floor Trade Tower in Gangnam District to mention but a few.

**Inside underground Train in Seoul PHOTO BY Joe Ombuor**

Seoul dates back over 2000 years and is home to several UNESCO World heritage sites among them the royal tombs of the ancient Joseon Dynasty, the Changdeok Palace, and the Jongmyo shrine among others.

This melting pot of history and modernity provided the venue for the 2019 Global Peace Convention that coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Korean struggle for liberation.