Seoul Searchin' - Sock It To Me!

2:33 PM Seoul, 1:33 AM ET

Seoul is a bustlin' kind of town. After very little sleep (see previous post) I finally met the rest of my group - reporters from the Daily News, LA Times, Sacramento Bee, Deseret Morning News and a freelancer. We are being led around by a former ambassador to Vietnam, our guide Ji-Hyuk and our translator Amy, whose cellphone seems to have the combined capabilities of every one of my electronic gadgets, camera and laptop.

Our first stop was the Human Rights Commission where we watched a Powerpoint slide presentation (pronounced 'powerpoint' in Korean) where we learned about human rights abuses in Korea and the newly formed commission's accomplishments. Among those was the recommendation, though by no means the one most touted, to change of the name of crayons that connoted racial discrimination, such as 'skin color'.

Next we went to the press building for the Blue House, as the president's residence is know. We met with the South Korean president's advisor on unification and foreign policy. Alas, it was off the record.

Lunch at a noodle house


and then a walk through Insa Dong



I didn't buy a pair of these...