These few days seemed to be filled with nostalgic memories for me, all of them related to Park Sihoo-ssi, one way or another. It was Suwon on Monday, Macau on Tuesday and today, it is Songdo, touted as the City of the Future!
On Monday, I saw a photo posted on DCinside Park Sihoo Gallery. I am not sure if I should call it a Park Sihoo-ssi photo because, you can just barely make out his head in that photo 🙂
Park Sihoo on location shoot in Songdo for Neighborhood Hero
Found him? I understand this was shot on location in Songdo, or “island of pine trees”.
Other than Suwon, Songdo was another place I visited with my Taiwanese friend during our 2013 Seoul trip. This City of the Future was an impressive, brand new city being built on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land in a marshy area which used to be home to fishermen. Along Incheon’s waterfront, Songdo was planned as an ultra modern, self contained international metropolis. It would have the state of art technology and innovation, international standard of living for both locals and expatriates with world class amenities such as international schools, malls and supermarkets, ground transportation and a conducive green environment, open spaces and beautiful landscape for rest and relaxation.
Imagine… artificial intelligence in motion with free moving, free thinking, intelligent robots among city dwellers, a city powered by renewal energy and recycled waste, self-driving, driverless cars ruling the roads, genetically designed superhumans free of common diseases and illnesses, teleporting and telecommunication beyond the physical….infinite possibilities!
Songdo is the City of the Future. Is this the base for ex-secret agent Park Sihoo-ssi?
What was my impression of Songda then in 2013? The City of the Future had been envisioned but it would be a long while yet, with substantial commitment and investment to arrive at the planned future state. The hardware was being built. It was the one city in Korea where all signages, including those of shops and major buildings were in Korean and English! Walking the talk on internationalisation – at least from the hardware angle! The plan called to attract international businesses especially high tech companies to be based there and to fulfil the vision of the City of the Future. The city then had the walkways and the motorways, just waiting for city dwellers to move in, breathe life and bring it to vibrancy. Then, the city was eerily quiet…I don’t know about now.
Even the water works has a futuristic feel in this modern metropolis
“Neighborhood Hero” was on location shoot in Songda earlier in the week. I wonder if this was the hub of secret service activities? In my mind and what I have seen in the movies, high espionage equated with high technology and what better place to portray this than in this high tech City of the Future? Will we see some fancy moves by Park Sihoo-ssi and better still, some fancy future state of the art spy technologies? Hmmm? We wait to see when the drama goes on air on 23 January 2016!
City of the Future or otherwise, this foodie was more concerned about her stomach! I had my first taste of Maeuntang 매운탕 or Korean spicy fish soup in a restaurant in Songda overlooking the Incheon waterfront. The food was excellent with the freshest of fish, as was the quiet, unobstructed view of the sea and beach.
Get ready for Park Sihoo-ssi, the action hero in the City of the Future
Time for another visit to Songda to see how far it has gone down the road of development? And maybe a chance to catch a spy in the thick of the action?
Now, where else did my friend and I go during our 2013 Seoul trip? Which of these places could we spy an ex-secret agent like Park Sihoo-ssi in camouflaged action? Hmm…Incheon city? The DMZ? Gangnam? We wait to see 🙂
Songdo with its state of art technology and world class standard of living
未来之城松岛
这几天，不知怎么的，心里有着许多怀旧的回忆，所有的都与施厚君有关联。周一是水原，周二是澳门，而今天是松岛，也被捧为未来之城！
这周一，我看到了在韩国粉丝网站 DCinside Park Sihoo Gallery上的一张照片。不知道应该把它称为施厚君的照片吗，因为，妳只能远远看到他的一个头 🙂
找到他了吗？据我所知，拍摄地点是在松岛，或“松树岛”。
我与我的台湾好朋友在2013年旅行首尔时，除了水原，松岛是另一个地方我们游玩过。称为未来之城的松岛是建在1，500亩的填海土地，之前是渔民住的一片沼泽地。 令人印象深刻的是，它是一个全新的城市。松岛沿着仁川海滨，被规划为一个超现代， 独立，自包含的国际化大都市。这将有先进的技术和创新，本地居民和外籍人士可以享有世界一流的设施，如国际学校，商场和超市，交通和环境绿化，开放空间和美丽的风景，可以在工作之余放松娱乐。
想像，人工智能的自由行动，自由思想，和城市居民一同居住生活的智能机器人，一个以再生能源和循环废弃物为能源来发动的城市，自驾车，无人驾驶汽车是交通常态，基因设计的超人，完全不会患上常见和疾病，意念移物和电信超越物理….无限的可能性！
在2013年，我对松岛的印象是如何呢？未来的城市还是个概念，还需要大量的时间，承诺和投资，才能实现未来理想的状态。硬件正在铺设，仍然在建。在韩国的城市当中，这是唯一一个城市里，所有的指示牌，包括商店和主要建筑物都是以韩文和英文标注的！真正的走向国际化 – 至少在硬件方面！在计划中，主要目的是吸引国际企业特别是高科技企业，以满足未来之城的愿景。人行道和高速公路已经建好，只待着城市居民入住，呼吸生命和人气给这新都市。城市当时好宁静…..不知道现在是如何？
“邻家英雄”最近在松岛外景拍摄，不知道这是秘密服务活动的中心吗？。在我的心里和我所看到的电影里，高密度间谍活动需要高技术的支撑，未来之城可能就是特工工作的地方？我们可以在这里看到施厚君的一些特工行动和间谍技术吗？嗯？答案等2016年1月23日，电视剧开播时揭晓吧！
作为吃货的我当然会到处找美食。在松岛时，也不列外！ 我记得在松岛仁川滨江的一家餐厅第一次尝试了韩国辣鱼汤 Maeuntang 매운탕。非常美味鲜艳，还可以观赏美丽的海景呢！
隔了这么多年后，是该再去一趟松岛，参考发展的状况啦！也许有机会观察到前秘密特工的间谍行动呢？
还有什么地方我和我的朋友在2013首尔之旅， 去过的？那些地方是有机会看到一名前特工像施厚君，在伪装行动的？嗯…仁川市？在非军事区 DMZ？江南？我们看着吧 🙂
Where to chance upon action hero Park Sihoo-ssi again? Can you spot him among the people in the street?
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11 Comments
멋져요.오늘도 즐거운 하루가 시작되는 나로서 활기찬 생활을 이어가고 있습니다만 좋은 시간을 보내시길 바랍니다.
Awesome. Even today we continued with vibrant life as I have only the beginning of a good day We hope you have a good time.
Seven years ago on my trip to my son’s family in the States, I met a lady who told me that her grandson was an English teacher at one of Seoul’s univeriasties. Visitin him she was amazed of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, that could compete with many European and American capitals, due to its modernism, development, infrasturcuture
Due to its cultural level, nice people and their hard work to make their capital the most beautiful one. I was surprised to hear so many good things about Seoul and South Korea, which at the time I didn’t know too much. Four years later I discovered KBS channel on my TV, and everything that lady told me proved to be real. And my interest grew to know more about this country and its people. Three years ago I discovered PSH and his dramas , and watching them I improved my knowledge about this beautiful country, with its so hard working people,. Today reading your description of the City of the Future, Songda, I’ve been also astonished about this futuristic new city designed to become an ultra modern metropolis, using the latest technology. The more I know about the efforts of K. people to build a very modern and developed country, he more I admire this people and its country. If I were young and in good health I’d like to visit Seoul. But I enjoy instead your excellent and detailed descriptions of so many cities in S.K., being also the locations of PSH’s new drama “NH”. Thanks Nance for your effort in sharing and I’m still waiting for more new reports.
Stefania Lupu, I am so envious to hear that you have a KBS channel on your tv. I am in the land where I presume there are more Asians than where you are, yet I don’t have KBS channel on tv. I get very limited K dramas from my subsribed Hong Kong internet tv which gives me an hour a day 6 days a week, that’s all, often repeating the same show now and then.
Yes, I can say I’m happy and being translated in English it;s very easy to watch movies, dramas,or news. But most of all I’d like to watch PSH’s new movie “Love After Love”, and also his drama “NH”, in January 2016.
Stefania Lupu How soon you get to see Love After Love? If I rely on my subscribed tv I will never get to see both Love After Love and Neighbourhood Hero or perhaps 5 years later my suscribed tv might air Neighbourhood Hero(if I am lucky)
KBS , being a channel for international viewers, broadcasts K. dramas as soon as the first episode is ready. And everyday , from Monday to Friday I can see an episode. Not movies ,only dramas, So to watch “LAL'” I must get the DVD. As for “NH” I’m waiting January 2016 .
Stefania Lupu, I hated Seoul the first time I went there more than 20 years ago. It was still so militant and the first thing that greeted me at the airport then were soldiers with machine guns and rough and tough men who think they rule the world. Korea has come a long way now and for the better. I came to like it because of one man and that man is Park Sihoo-ssi. Because of him, I got to like what Korea has to offer 🙂
I hope the whole Korean government and nation read this statement of yours Nance. This can be the most powerful fan’s support any man can show his country what he can do for his country. I like Korea though everything is alien to me and I never stepped foot there, it’s the 10 years watching K drama on tv without the need to know who is who what is what yet the messages, the culture these K dramas sent out are positive messages, good manners, strong family values, integrity, loyalty, honesty plus some subtle good humour, to me the best export Korean has given the world is their K dramas with positive messages healthy society when these fundamental good values are diminishing fast in the new generation (cyber bully etc etc you name it we have it in today’s declining moral days).
My successor in HK was posted to Seoul in the early 2000s, successor ended up married Korean. I wonder if I did not leave that job would I end up living or lived in Seoul….haha
Sihoossi Park 박시후 씨 Nance, I want to make sure that you extract your above statement “I hated Seoul the first time I went there more than 20 years ago. It was still so militant and the first thing that greeted me at the airport then were soldiers with machine guns and rough and tough men who think they rule the world. Korea has come a long way now and for the better. I came to like it because of one man and that man is Park Sihoo-ssi. Because of him, I got to like what Korea has to offer” , I just wanted to make sure you make this gyst of whatever you would present to PSH in due course. As I said ” I hope the whole Korean government and nation read this statement of yours Nance. This can be the most powerful fan’s support any man can show his country what he can do for his country””.