Incheon rich in history and culture
INCHEON, one of the gateways to South Korea, is a city with a rich tapestry of history, culture and modern amenities, making it a mustvisit destination, even for a short 12hour tour.
If you are pressed for time, there are a few great places to visit.
The Chinatown at Incheon is the largest in South Korea and according to tour guide Lisa Hong, its rich history dates back to the late 19th century when Incheon opened its port to international trade.
She explained to reporters from Sabah and Sarawak who were on a familiarisation tour to South Korea organised by the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) and Air Asia that the Chinatown became a hub for Chinese immigrants who settled in the area and established businesses, restaurants and cultural institutions.
She added that Chinatown grew and flourished to become the largest Chinatown in South Korea and a popular tourist destination.
One of the best ways to explore the offerings at Chinatown is on a buggy ride, which took the media group all the way to Freedom Park.
Among the must visit in Chinatown is the Samgukji Mural Street, where colourful murals depicting scenes of China’s three kingdoms, as well as the Fairytale village, where houses are painted with murals of cartoon characters.
The media group was also brought to the Freedom Park (Jayu Park) to learn about Korea’s fight for independence, as well as to the Incheon’s Citizen’s House. One of the prominent statues at the Freedom Park was that of General Douglas MacArthur for his role in liberating Incheon from North Korean control.
And according to Lisa, the Incheon’s Citizen’s House was opened to the public in 2005 and used to host various cultural, education and community activities in Incheon, South Korea.
After that, the group was transferred to the Songdo District for a lunch date with the Incheon Tourism Organisation at the Incheon Oakwood Hotel Buffet, and thereafter, visited the National Museum of World Writing System.
The National Museum of World Writing System is one of the few museums in the world dedicated entirely to the history and evolution of writing systems.
Visitors can explore various scripts, characters and writing tools from different cultures and time periods at the museum. It boasts an extensive collection of artefacts related to writing, including ancient manuscripts, inscriptions, calligraphy and printing materials, to provide insights into the diverse ways human societies have communicated and recorded information over millennia.
Next on the tour list was the Inspire Entertainment Resort Incheon, which we were informed was a facility with a 5-star hotel with 1,275 rooms; a 15,000seat performance arena as well as a year-round indoor water park housed beneath a glass dome to ensure a tropical temperature at all seasons.
Prior to returning to Kota Kinabalu on AirAsia’s direct flight from Incheon, the media group was treated to dinner at the Eunhaeng Namu Jib which served grilled fish and seafood, and at MADELIM Café, a forest theme establishment adorned with stained glasses, for drinks.
“Eunhaeng Namu Jib serves seafood-based cuisines so it is perfect for Muslim travellers to dine there. And it is also near the Incheon Airport,” said KTO’s MICE Manager, Hiza Idris.
She added that it is also an affordable place to eat, citing that two people can have grilled fish, green onion pancake, and nutritious oyster rice for only 38,000 KRW.
“For MADELIM Cafe, Incheon Tourism Organization has been promoting this as their Incheon Unique Space, since it is a 120-year-old
church turned into a cafe. In order to preserve the history and to attract visitors, the cafe includes regular art exhibitions and jazz performances every Saturday, and this is aligned with their effort to attract audiences of various ages to visit Incheon city,” said Hiza.