Water Skiing in Busan
/
0 Comments
As many of you already know, I have
spent a lot of time in the port city of Busan. For my ninth visit, I had the opportunity to put
on a wet suit and head out on the ocean for some water skiing. Once I arrived in Busan, after a good night’s
rest, I headed out bright and early the next morning to Korea Maritime and
Ocean University (KMOU) located in Yeongdo-gu.
Photo with the KMOU president,
professors, and students
KMOU was established in 1945 and is
comprised of four colleges, five graduate schools, and has over 10,200
students. It is the only university in
Korea that specializes in maritime sciences and engineering. Over the years, the university has seen visits
by Korean Presidents Yun Posun, Park Chung-hee, and Lee Myung-bak. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul and Consulate Busan have
collaborated with the university several times in the past including our
Coastal Cleanup Day Diving Project in 2015 and a relay swim that I participated
in earlier this year.
Thank you President Park for your warm
welcome!
I was greeted by KMOU President Park
Han-il, who has recently been re-elected to a second term, as well as one of
the water ski instructors, Professor Jang Jae-yong. After speaking with them, I headed off to attend
one of Professor Jang’s classes to speak with the students about their personal
aspirations. The water skiing itself was
a great experience and I am thankful to KMOU for letting me take part in their
class. Afterwards, I had a nice
discussion with the students over a delicious lunch of fried chicken and pizza.
Enjoying a nice discussion over fried chicken with the students
After lunch, I joined President Park
Han-il on a boat tour of the Oryukdo islets. There is a popular Korean song called “Come
Back to Busan Port” by Cho Yong-pil that mentions the Oryukdo islets. President Park Han-il shared a rousing
rendition of the song on our tour with his great singing voice.
A boat tour of the Oryukdo islets (KMOU
photo)
A sneak peek of the Oryukdo islets
Do you know how the islands got their
name? Literally translated, Oryukdo
means “Five-Six Island.” When the tide is high, there are six visible islands. However, when the tide is low, a small
land-bridge that connects two of the islands becomes exposed, turning two of
the islands into a single larger one—hence the name, “Five-Six Island.” Regardless of how many islands are showing,
they are very beautiful, and I want to thank President Park Han-il, Professor
Jang Jae-yong, and all of the students and staff at KMOU for making this trip so
fun and memorable.
