Trivia Potpourri (South Korea) Quiz

Answer: Hwachon

Both Chunchon and Hwachon are northeast of Ouijongbu and Tongduchon (or TDC, as we called it in the army). Remember, the DMZ runs from the 38th parallel in the west, and then travels roughly northeast across the Korean Peninsula. The city of Hwachon is less than 10 miles from the DMZ.

Answer: Anyang-Haseyo

Both "Anyang-Keseyo" and "Anyangi-Kaseyo" are ways of saying "Goodbye" (one is for as you are leaving, the other for someone who is leaving). The word "Anyang" is a familiar way to say either "Hello" or "Goodbye."

Answer: 4

Yes, the number 4 is South Korea's unlucky number. I learned this one night, at a hotel in Ouijongbu. It was a four-story building, but the elevator buttons were labelled 1, 2, 3, and 5 (much like the number 13 is skipped within buildings in the U.S.).

Answer: KATUSA

According to http://ncoa.korea.army.mil, KATUSA stands for "Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army". Primarily consisting of English-speaking volunteers with college degrees, KATUSAs act in many capacities, including as interpreters, as well as cultural and support personnel.

Answer: Daewoo

The Daewoo Le Mans was virtually identical to its Pontiac counterpart. The only obvious differences were that the arrowhead was gold on the Daewoo model (Pontiac's was red), and that it had daytime running lamps (a feature not seen in America until the mid-1990s).

Answer: Operation Paul Bunyan

At one time, Panmunjom was non-jurisdictional. In other words, US/UN troops could move about anywhere in the complex, and North Korean troops were able to do the same. There is too much to share here, but I will try to explain it as quickly as I can:

A tree had obstructed the line-of-sight between a UN guard post and others in the area. But an initial attempt to trim the tree resulted in North Korean troops intervening; two US Army officers were killed, bludgeoned with axes. Tensions mounted, and a few days later, with several helicopters and B-52s in the air, and ground troops on the alert, the tree was chopped down.

Answer: Red Horse

Red Horse is a brand made by San Miguel Brewery, in The Phillipines. When I was in Korea, O.B. and Crown were the most popular local brands. Hite Prime, the first Korean "all-barley" beer, entered the market in the 1990s.

Answer: September

Korea is known for its brutally hot and humid summers. There were times when I experienced temperatures of 85F (29C) and fog. I also recall taking showers and still being wet after I toweled off! Because of these conditions, the "Summer" Olympics in 1988 were actually held in mid-September that year.

Answer: The Blue House

Known locally as Cheong Wa Dae, the Blue House sits on a site known to have been affiliated with the leadership of South Korea since 1104 AD.

Answer: False

Technically, it did not. There has never been an official peace treaty established between North and South Korea, just a cease-fire. The irony of this cease-fire is that in the 4000-year-plus history of Korean civilization, the longest period of peacetime on the Korean peninsula began on July 27, 1953 (the date of the cease-fire), and continues to this day.