About two years ago, I visited the Antarctica.
In February 2014, completing the scientific station on the mainland of the Antarctica, South Korea joined the ranks of advanced countries to spur the research on the South Pole for the future.
I could stand on the Antarctica because I was a journalist to cover that historic moment.
As you may expect, the road to the station was a long and winding road.
First, it took 24 hours from Seoul, South Korea to Christchurch, New Zealand, the gateway to the Antarctica.
There we took LC-130 air carrier which required a 5-hour flight. And then, we had to take an icebreaker at the runway of the Terra Nova Bay and sail to the station.
It took another half day from the Terra Nova Bay to the new scientific station.
During the challenging voyage, I have learned the mystery of the South Pole.
Chapter 2: Mysterious summer and winter
In summer of the South Pole, there are only bright days but no dark night.
Amid such 'White Night', our icebreaker cruised through floating ice-filled sea, and there I met a countless number of penguins, seals, and whales.
In winter of the Antarctica, the sea is entirely frozen so that even icebreaker cannot sail and there is no day but night only.
In that period, Antarctic bases are isolated and surrounded by total darkness and coldness of -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Such isolation, darkness, and coldness sometimes drove some workers to lose mind and even life. The only solace is beautiful aurora in a jet-black sky.
About two years ago, I visited the Antarctica. In February 2014, completing the scientific station on the mainland of the Antarctica, South Korea joined the ranks of advanced countries to spur the research on the South Pole for the future. I could stand on the Antarctica because I was a journalist to cover that historic moment. As you may expect, the road to the station was a long and winding road. First, it took 24 hours from Seoul, South Korea to Christchurch, New Zealand, the gateway to the Antarctica. There we took LC-130 air carrier which required a 5-hour flight. And then, we had to take an icebreaker at the runway of the Terra Nova Bay and sail to the station. It took another half day from the Terra Nova Bay to the new scientific station. During the challenging voyage, I have learned the mystery of the South Pole.
Tags: Antarctica, South Pole, adventure, a long and winding road
Here's a link to my podcast site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/61443/392553-a-long-and-winding-road-to-the-antarctica
And here's a link to download my audio story mp3 file: http://www.buzzsprout.com/61443/392553-a-long-and-winding-road-to-the-antarctica.mp3
In summer of the South Pole, there are only bright days but no dark night. Amid such 'White Night', our icebreaker cruised through floating ice-filled sea, and there I met a countless number of penguins, seals, and whales.
In winter of the Antarctica, the sea is entirely frozen so that even icebreaker cannot sail and there is no day but night only.In that period, Antarctic bases are isolated and surrounded by total darkness and coldness of -40 degrees Fahrenheit.Such isolation, darkness, and coldness sometimes drove some workers to lose mind and even life.The only solace is beautiful aurora in a jet-black sky.
In February 2014, completing the scientific station on the mainland of the Antarctica, South Korea joined the ranks of advanced countries to spur the research on the Antarctica for the future.
I could stand on the Antarctica because I was a journalist to cover that historic moment. At that time, I was the reporter of YTN, the 24-hour news channel of South Korea. The special air carrier and icebreaker could accommodate the small number of people. For that reason, the competition was cutthroat. Fortunately, I was appointed as a representative of Korean journalists because I was regarded as the most appropriate reporter who will deliver news to other journalists swiftly and precisely. Therefore, my goal was describe what I will experience in the Antarctica vividly for those who have not visited there. The problem was that communication situation of the Antarctica is extremely horrible. Even satellite mobile telephones usually did not work. In order to use the Internet, I had to arrive at the scientific station or use the satellite internet of the icebreaker. But, the internet connection was slow, unstable and conditional. If the ship was not directed to the satellite, the connection was lost. So, when we transmitted news contents to South Korea, we had to stop the icebreaker for a stable connection.
LC-130 air carrier
As you may expect, the road to the South Pole is a long and winding road. It takes 24 hours from Seoul, South Korea through Auckland, New Zealand to Christchurch, New Zealand, the gateway to the Antarctica. If we take an icebreaker, it takes one week from Christchurch to the Terra Nova Bay of the South Pole. Fortunately, we took LC-130 air carrier which required a 5-hour flight. Arriving at the Terra Nova Bay was not the end of our long journey. Because the new scientific station did not have a runway, we had to take an icebreaker and sail away. It took another half day from the Terra Nova Bay to the new scientific station.
The long journey had one merit. We could enjoy the mysterious scenary of the South Pole. While the icebreaker made a way through the slightly frozen sea, I could see the march of penguins on the floating ice. Taking a rest on the ice, seals welcomed me. Sometimes whales appeared and showed off a giant breath.
"Day" time of winter in the Antarctica
During the voyage to the station, I have learned the mystery of the South Pole.
While the northern hemisphere was in winter, the Antarctica in the southern hemisphere was in summer.
Even in summer, it was 17 degrees Fahrenheit and very windy outside.
In summer of the South Pole, there are only bright days but no dark night.
Amid such 'White Night', our icebreaker cruised through floating ice-filled sea, and there I enjoyed the endless sunshine for the first time in my life.
In contrast, in winter of the Antarctica, the sea is entirely frozen so that even icebreaker cannot sail and there is no day but night only.
Aurora above the station
In that period, Antarctic bases are isolated and surrounded by total darkness and coldness of -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Such isolation, darkness, and coldness sometimes drove some workers to lose mind and even life.
The only solace is beautiful aurora in a jet-black sky.
Even though the communication condition of the South Pole was miserable, I used a satellite telephone to report what I was experiencing there on live.
At long last, I arrive at the first Korean scientific station on the mainland of Antarctica. It had its name after Jangbogo, the general who controlled the maritime power around Korean Peninsula in the 7th century. The station adopted an aerodynamic architecture to endure a strong wind of 214 feet per second in winter of the South Pole. Because this station has to bear an extremely low temperature of -40 degrees Fahrenheit, it also used an energy-efficient engineering technology. Unfortunately, we could stay there only for a half day since we had to follow the fixed flight schedule. The weather of the Antarctica is so fickle that even the heavy air carrier sometimes cannot guarantee a stable flight schedule. If we lose the plane, we have to wait for several days or a week. Therefore, there was no moment to lose.
To take a shot of a distant shot, we took a helicopter. While flying above the station, everything was fine. But, when we flew to take a shot of neighboring Italian station, a gust of wind suddenly attacked our helicopter. The helicopter lost the balance and dropped abruptly. At that dire moment, I had a premonition of my death and said good-bye to my family in my prayer. But, miraculously the helicopter regained the control and saved my life. My legs were shaking even after I escaped the helicopter. I had to overcome the shock right away because I must cover the historic moment of the building dedication ceremony and the inside of the station. While covering the story and transmitting the news contents to fellow journalists in Korea, the rest of time flied like an arrow.
I also had the privilege to be the first Korean journalist who visited the world-largest Antarctic station of the U.S. McMurdo station, which is playing a leading role in the research on the Antarctica.
The base can accommodate 1,200 people and has a cathedral, inn, souvenir shop, Starbucks and even Wells Fargo ATM.
You can view my report as shown below:
My reports filled with illustrative description received high praise because they helped the public understand the reality of the Antarctica and the necessity to invest national budget into the research on the Antarctica.
So, I was honored to receive South Korea President’s Award of Appreciation for my contributions to the improvement of communication between government and the public.
However, a bigger reward for my trip to the Antarctica was the unforgettable memory of priceless moments.
