Korean Adventure Part 10: Other Activities and Attending the Movies in Korea.

Other than the major events that I have already discussed in various posts, Hubby gave me a tour of his base and we watched a bunch of movies that we borrowed from the post library.  I got to see him participate in his bowling league twice while I was there and it was fun to meet his friends.

I also learned that there are members of the Korean army who work with the US soldiers and wear our uniforms.  Hubby told me that they act as liaisons of sorts and are called Katuses.  I thought it sounded like it was pronounced Patuses but when I googled for spelling I found it with a 'K' on wikipedia.  They wear the US uniforms but with the Korean flag and have their name tapes in Korean with the American translation underneath in subtext.  I thought this was interesting.  Military service is mandatory for all males in Korea.

Attending the Movies

We also attended a movie off post one day which was an interesting experience.  In Korea, going to a movie is slightly different than it is here.  The movie theater itself was on the 14th and 15th floor of a building and the Koreans do not stand in line for tickets.  Rather, you take a number and have a seat on benches until your number is called.  When it is your turn, you go up to the counter to get your tickets. 

The cashiers do not speak English very well so if you are American you ask to see the "book."  Hubby loves movies so he is a pro at the whole "movie theater procedure!"  They hand you a binder which basically has movie posters in it shrunk down to 8 1/2in by 11in to fit into the binder.  You flip through it to pick out your movie and then point to it when you decide.  We decided to see John Carter.  They offered quite a few American movies and they are shown in English but they have Korean subtitles. 

After choosing the movie you want to see the cashier asks you where you would like to sit and shows you on the computer where the open seats are.  You actually have to sit in the seat you choose, like going to a concert.  The seats are all the same price but I guess this prevents people from having to rush into the theater before the movie starts to find a good seat? 

The theater offers popcorn in butter and caramel flavors as well as ice cream, and a variety of other snacks.  There is also an arcade inside the theater and there were even a few stores!  The actual theaters were on the second floor of the theater (15th? floor of the building?) 

After the movie you have to be very careful about where you throw your trash.  The Koreans are very anal about recycling and will yell at you if you don't do it right!  I also want to mention that although Korea is in general a very clean country... there are very few public garbage cans.  You will not see them on the streets.  I have no idea what they do with it!