International Plant Trek Part 2: Seoul

After four fantastic days in Shanghai, we said goodbye to our CLGO friends and headed to the second destination of IPT: Seoul!  The day numbering picks up from the last post...

Day 5: Shanghai to Seoul

After a morning of last-minute shopping in Shanghai, we had quick lunch of dumplings before boarding the bus to Hongqiao Airport.  The flight to Seoul was only an hour and a half, but since it was an international flight we were treated to a full-service meal and a pretty comfortable ride.

Upon landing in Seoul, the first thing that we noticed was reliable access to high-speed wifi.  Coming from China where many websites are blocked or unavailable, it was quite a change to be able to connect to everything again.  Josh Chang was like a proud papa bringing all his friends to see his homeland, and we couldn't' have been happier to have such an enthusiastic host!  Our flight was almost two hours late, so what was supposed to be a very laid back arrival turned into a bit of a scramble to make it to our first destination: Korean BBQ!

Welcome to Korea!

Luckily we made it to the restaurant and they were very accommodating to let us stay until late into the evening eating some fabulous platters of meat and getting our first taste of the local favorite soju.

Korean BBQ!

Some folks stayed out for late-night karaoke, but by that point I was pretty tired and headed off to get a good night sleep before our last day of official tours.

Day 6: LG Electronics and GM-Korea

Our last day of official tours started by boarding what has to be the nicest bus that I have ever ridden.  We soon realized that the buses in Korea are a step up from what we're used to: the public buses are like Greyhounds and the private coaches are like business class!  After scarfing down a quick breakfast of Korean rolls, we headed out for a day of company visits.

Riding in style...and eating some breakfast

The first stop of the day was at the LG Electronics R&D center.  No pictures from inside but I can say that we saw some pretty amazing stuff, including a curved OLED TV and a robotic vacuum that can double as a home security system and an intercom.  The company was very welcoming and spent a long time answering our questions about the industry.  It was interesting to hear that a large growth opportunity for them is the auto industry.

Arriving at the LG R&D Facility

Stop two of the day was at a GM Korea plant.  It turns out that GM is now the second-largest car producer in Korea, second only to Hyundai.  They make nearly 800,000 cars per year across five main plants and export most of them to countries all over the world.  Since we had missed out on the GM tour in Detroit due to the Polar Vortex craziness, this was my first visit to an auto plant.  I was definitely impressed by the level of automation in the body assembly process, though I was a little surprised that the interior installation was still almost completely manual.  It makes sense though because the interior installation is much more intricate and customized for every car.  I was blown away by the fact that the line is making a car every minute and they are all different in either color, style, brand, or destination (you could look down the line and see steering wheels on either side!).  The plant was nearly 20 years old, but it could be a case study in lean operations.

Outside the GM-Korea Plant

In the showroom.  Nice new Corvette!

After the tours, we had a few hours to unwind before heading out for a night on the town.  We met up with the Sloan Korea Trek at a big restaurant for dinner (nearly 100 MIT students between the two groups!) and then headed to the Octagon Club for some late-night shenanigans.

Dinner with the Sloan Korea Trek and IPT groups combined!

At the Octagon

Day 7: Exploring Seoul

Day 7 actually began on Day 6 as we ended up staying at Octagon until about 4am and heading to get more BBQ afterwards.  I was supposed to join a tour at 8am but didn't end up making it for some reason.   After sleeping half the day away, I joined up with some other late-night revelers (including our excellent LGO host Josh) and set off to explore the city.

The first stop was in Josh's old neighborhood where we saw his childhood apartment, met his aunt, saw his high school / middle school and ate a delicious lunch in the basement of a building I probably wouldn't have entered if he hadn't been leading the group.  It always help to have the local expert! 

Josh's childhood apartment

From there, we headed to the Myeong-Dong market and hiked about two miles to the base of the Seoul Tower.  From the top of the tower we were treated to panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas. 

Seoul Tower

View from the top of the tower

On our way back to the hotel, we took a detour to wander around the Gagnam District and marvel at all the bright lights and beautiful people (this was where the music video was filmed but sadly there was nobody dancing in the streets).

Gagnam District

Day 8: A Day in the Countryside

Our last full day in Korea was truly special: we had the chance to travel into the countryside to meet Josh's grandma and be treated to a feast of epic proportions.  Twenty of us boarded a bus and headed off for the 1.5 hour drive, arriving to a beautiful house in the middle of farmland.  We met more of his family and spent most of the time in the backyard enjoying the fresh air and delicious food.

Driving out of Seoul

Great house!

Josh and his wonderful grandma

Feasting in the backyard

Grill masters

Sadly, we did eventually have to say goodbye and head back to Seoul.  That night we wandered more of the city and enjoyed some wonderful street food.  Some of the more adventurous souls ate live octopus, but that was a little too much for me.  Then we finished the night with one last all-out karaoke fest.

Delicious street food

Day 9: Seoul to Boston

After 8 full days of exploring new countries, making new friends, and getting to know classmates even better than before, it was time to head home.  Our Delta contingent had an earlier flight than the rest of the group, so we headed off to the airport after breakfast and got ready for the long-haul flight back to Detroit.  This time around it was much more comfortable, as I was in an emergency exit aisle seat with tons of legroom.  Four movies later, we landed in Detroit, followed by a short hop back to Boston.

Heading home

Looking back, I can honestly say that this was one of the best trips of my life.  IPT is another uniquely-LGO experience and one that I will remember for a long time.  This was my first trip to Asia but it certainly won't be my last; I can't wait to get back for more adventures!