From sea to city, a U.K. diplomat spins through Korea

One of the genuine joys of being a diplomat is the opportunity to learn about and experience new cultures and ways of life. For me, cycling has always been a great way of discovering another country, so when someone described the Busan...

British Deputy Ambassador to Korea Gareth Weir in front of a red phone box to collect another stamp in his bike passport near Gumi, North Gyeongsang, during his cycling trip from Busan to Seoul from Oct. 6 to 9, 2023. [GARETH WEIR]

This is a travelogue written by Gareth Weir, the British deputy ambassador to Korea, after he cycled from Busan to Seoul from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9 in 2023.

One of the genuine joys of being a diplomat is the opportunity to learn about and experience new cultures and ways of life. For me, cycling has always been a great way of discovering another country, so when someone described the Busan to Seoul “Four Rivers” cycling adventure to me, I was hooked.

This autumn, I set out from Busan with some friends to spend four days cycling more than 550 kilometers (341.7 miles) back home to Seoul. The journey snaked along the Nakdong, Namhan and Han rivers, with overnight stays in small towns en route. The trip, which is almost 100 percent on cycle paths, is clearly signposted. The aim is to get a stamp in your bike passport from each one of the certification centers on the way. As a British diplomat, it was intriguing to learn that the stamps are all located in red phone boxes — replicas of the traditional British red telephone kiosk first introduced by the Post Office in Britain in 1921 and made famous through featuring in the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter. They were originally designed to be easy to spot, making them impossible to miss along the cycle path.

The red certification boxes are always located alongside a K-Water dam. With an impressive array of designs, these dams stem the water flow, generating clean power, managing irrigation and preventing flooding. In a moment of visionary planning, these dams were connected to each other by a cycle path, opening up the opportunity for many to travel and explore the countryside. We saw plenty of fellow riders — some from overseas who had come specifically to ride, but most from Seoul who were on the same adventure as us. I quickly learned to master the cycling bow as a sign of respect as riders raced past me.

The days were long, often cycling into a headwind, and you are reminded of just how mountainous Korea is. The journey was made endlessly fascinating by the changing scenery and a glimpse into rural Korea with people at work in their rice paddies, on their cattle ranches, fishing or in the forests. I now understand why Koreans are proud of their outstanding efforts to reforest their slopes from the 1960s onward, which has increased forest cover nationally from 35 percent to more than 60 percent today. We also passed through and stayed in several small towns. These were reassuringly familiar (the ubiquitous convenience store brands ensured a steady supply of much-needed ramyeon), but at the same time, they were also very different. We discovered that the only accommodation option was “love hotels.” After navigating the check-in process, we found rooms with karaoke machines, bubbling bathtubs, insalubrious neon lighting and kitsch decorations—the perfect respite after 11 hours of cycling.

"Evening bibimbap and beer over the river Nakdong” [GARETH WEIR]

Alongside getting to know my fellow riders (Brits who had built their home, family, and career in Korea), the journey presented plenty of opportunities to stop and meet various people. From coffee artisans through sumptuous lunchtime bulgogi sellers to those who joined us for a beer at the end of the day, people were always warm, welcoming and intrigued by our adventure.

It was a superb trip — a chance to get off the beaten path, meet new people and experience a different aspect of Korea. While tough, I found the cycling refreshing (physically and mentally), and now that I’ve recovered, I have the bonus of an official certificate and medal — and, of course, a cycling passport full of stamps!

On to 2024 and the next adventure in Korea — all suggestions are very welcome, please.

BY GARETH WEIR [kjdnational@joongang.co.kr]