Chinhae Days

Throughout the past few years, I have embarked on many activities that occupy the majority of my time; however, I have found that I don’t have time to contact everyone to share what I, and my family, have been doing. Although it is a common fact that face-to-face communication is a preferred type of communication, unfortunately, I don’t have that opportunity for this type of communication for everyone, and for that, I apologize. As a result, this is an attempt to share my information with everyone that chooses to follow.

Today I find myself in Chinhae, Republic of Korea (aka ROK; aka South Korea). I’m here on a two week assignment with the U.S. Navy, assigned to Commander, Naval Forces Korea. For those that know me, you’ll know that I have been coming here since 2004. This trip will most likely be my last as I will be deploying later this year with the Joint forces Command and then will be looking for a new Navy Reserve Unit upon my return.

The timing of my visit is advantageous to the creation of The Madsen Chronicles. After arriving on 10 February 2011 and reporting to my command, I worked for one day and then had the weekend off. During the weekend, I toured much of Chinhae, especially my “old haunts.” Chinhae is the “Mayberry” of South Korea. It’s a town that celebrates the ROK Navy (ROKN) and blue collar workers. The way things happen in this town is simple, if you need something, you have to know someone. Once you know someone, you can get practically anything.

When I first started coming to Chinhae, I stayed at a hotel in the “Fisherman’s Wharf” district. This was a great location since it was away from the predominant part of the USN and I could experience the local culture; and then we found another hotel. The Gumgahng Hotel, a local favorite for the Navy, is an oasis in the middle of central Chinhae. It is owned by the Parks, an older couple that took great pride in their hotel and the Navies of the ROK and United States. When we arrived, the Parks would move themselves out of their two story flat and relocate under the stairs of the hotel so we could be comfortable. Imagine that… I was honored to stay in their flat twice during my tours, and everyday Mr. Park would stop by to ensure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. I visited the hotel this morning to find out that Mrs. Park had passed away two years ago, while Mr. Park passed away last year. Their daughter now operates the hotel.

Another local favorite of the USN is Mr. Yi’s Shopping Plaza. I have followed Mr. Yi through three different store fronts throughout the years. I first met Mr. Yi when he was located outside the main gate of Fleet activities Chinhae. It was a match made in heaven since I was so far away from home and he was grilling on his two Weber grills and selling hamburgers for a dollar a piece. I was hooked. Mr. Yi knows everyone and everything in Chinhae. If/when you need something that seems impossible, ask Mr. Yi and it will be found. I met with Mr. Yi this morning. After three different store fronts and a sagging economy, he has decided to pull out of Chinhae, as well as his store in Seoul, in favor to operate a resort he just purchased in the Philippines. Evidently the “sagging economy” was to his advantage in the Philippines. I wish him and his family the best of luck!

The other person to know in Chinhae is Mr. Pak. Mr. Pak owns an alterations store not too far from the base. Mr. Pak is a man who is grateful for the USN as he served alongside them during his military tenure. Mr. Pak readily assists us with alterations, embroidery, and specialty needs. If there is something that Mr. Pak can’t do, he certainly knows who can. Mr. Pak just completed an extremely special project for me that I’ll discuss later. True to his nature, there was one thing he couldn’t, but he sent me to a person that could.

I hope you enjoyed this installation of The Madsen Chronicles. I’ll be here until 25 February 2011, so I’ll continue later.