I don't do these very often, but 2023 was a pretty weird one.
At the end of last year, I felt like I was in a slump. Then in December I had a sudden surge of adventure.
1. The Millennium Seoul Hilto closed on the last day of 2022, and we made the most of it. Here's a picture of it on Jan. 1.
2. When I spoke too loudly about that site, a random stranger spoke up about a totally different hotel that had closed down. I found out this was the site of Burning Sun, a controversial nightclub that had been co-owned by a K-pop star. It closed after being exposed as basically a rape factory for the wealthy, where female patrons were being drugged by bar employees so the club's real customers could have sex with them.
3. I had a rare visit from a UER member passing through this part of the world.
4. In February, I met a fucking tiger.
5. The next weekend, I visited the zoo that was going to rescue the tiger. I also had a chance to see an abandoned prison.
6. In March I began an anarchaeology expedition of a plot in front of a major palace, when a renovation project uncovered old forgotten trolley tracks.
7. In late April, I attended a barbecue inside an active enclave of an otherwise mostly abandoned foreign military garrison in the center of Seoul.
8. In May I stowed away on a cruise train.
9. In late May, I rooftopped a new building under construction next door and saw my own home.
10. In July I met British Spider-Man, a base jumper who had been caught halfway up the country's tallest building.
11. I also explored an abandoned neighbourhood with a refugee resident of the area, who showed me where he used to live.
12. In September I infiltrated the Hidden Space, just a random underground passageway in front of City Hall that had been forgotten for decades.
13. During Chuseok, one of the country's two main holidays, I successfully entered the tunnel for the GTX-A, an underground bullet train line currently under construction.
14. At the start of October, I used my miniaturised versions of myself to infiltrate a miniature theme park
15. Also in October I accidentally infiltrated a Buddhist temple that was not closed yet, and got a tour from one of the two remaining residents.
16. And in later October I rooftopped a major hotel and was kicked out gently upon leaving.
17. In November I visited the Host Tunnel with British Spider-Man.
18. After skipping last year, I revived the tradition of visiting the Host Tunnel for Christmas, and we had possibly the largest group yet. We'll see if next year is as good, or if it skips a year.
