Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Seoul and the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan

Wandering about Seoul I just happened across the remains of the torpedo that allegedly sank the South Korean Pohang-class corvette ROKS Cheonan.


Apparently on display are the remains of a CHT-02D torpedo's contra-rotating propellers, propulsion motor and a steering section (matches the schematics found in export brochures). But why is anything left of the torpedo? There was no impact, just an underwater explosion 3 m from the ship which created a destructive shockwave and bubble effect.



Also on display at the Seoul War Memorial are myriad WWII and Korean War toys such as a mother of a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, SAMs and those H-13 helicopters right out of M*A*S*H.




The PKM Chamsuri was seriously shot-up with 6 dead and 18 wounded from a skirmish with a DPRK vessel in June 2002, just a month after I visited North Korea.



Some of the Gyeongbok Palace -- or whatever is left owing to nearly a century of abuse from foreign powers:




Deoksu Palace:


View from the Seoul Tower: