
Seoul as seen from the KIAS building
I’ve been meaning to visit what is now a neighboring country for me for a long time. KIAS is on the very modern-looking campus of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology), where we are also staying in some furnished apartments. The surrounding neighborhood is full of small restaurants, shops and coffee places, a typical and fun student neighborhood.
Close by is Kyung Hee University, a private university that surprised me with unexpected glimpses from the European past. The main administrative building is a huge classicist building sporting Greek columns, while the main auditorium looks like the cathedral of Notre Dame. The main library, last but not least, looks like some medieval English fortress. I am a bit surprised that this ambitious university is drawing its inspiration for their quest for “Global Eminence” from the long gone past of a very far-away place.

Kyung Hee University buildings
Today is only my second day in Korea, so there is still a lot to discover!