Today, we are going to an island in the northern part of Korea, where I will help with a local part-time job making a local specialty, rice cakes. I have no idea what it is, but I'm excited to do it. 

Okay, so we're now going to Kodong, and it's a special island very close to North Korea. A long time ago, it was impossible to go by car; you had to take a boat. But these days, you can go by car because, recently, I believe in 2014, they built a bridge. Since it's located inside the civilian control zone, we need to get permission from the military to enter. These days, I think it's a lot easier because you can do it with a QR code, and you have to fill in some information. But it is always a bit scary to get permission. Hopefully, we will get permission today.

I think we're almost there. I see a lot of red signs; it almost feels like you're crossing the border into North Korea. I see soldiers with machine guns. I've done this many times, but it's always a bit scary wondering whether you will get permission or not. Do we need to show ID cards just in case? Can I blur my face? I look like a criminal, you know, because I’m nervous. 

It looks like I don't have a proper ID. 

I will hand it over now. Ah, hello! Could you please take my phone number as well?

They settled down here on this island, and together with the locals, they started to buy and sell goods. That's how this market came to be. Let’s check it out! I really have a feeling about this market. 

I want to eat this. It looks delicious. If I eat a lot, I can get my energy back. I will eat a lot! 

Hello, hello! Today, we are working part-time at the youth market. We are making delicious dumplings and dog rice cakes, packaging them up, and selling them to the customers. 

Okay, okay! I will dress this up. Cheers! Come over here! Please sit over there. By the way, what kind of dumpling is this? 

This dumpling is an Ippong-style dumpling from Hwanghae-do, Yeonbaek. The Ippong dumplings are really big. They make them as big as children's rubber shoes. How do you eat this? You take two, one, two, three. That's right, that's how you eat it! 

It's because it’s a cold region. Ippong is a cold region.

Because there isn't much food, when I feed them, I try to give them a lot, so I make it in large quantities. You should put in more, you need to put in double that amount. Then, using both hands, you scoop it all up. Honestly, please tell me, according to our proverb, if you make dumplings beautifully, you will have a beautiful daughter. My best friend says she has a beautiful daughter, but I have a chubby daughter. Having a daughter isn't bad. Oh, please take a look here; this was made by Bart. Please take a look; it's made so beautifully, right? I make one dumpling for an hour. Okay, wow, you did great at the mart. Oh, because of the box, let me tell you, this is called dog rice cake. This rice cake is made from the finest glutinous rice produced in Gyodong. Now, if I give you this, you put in the red bean paste, and this part is important. You stretch it out.

I stretch it, I stick it, I roll it, and at the end, I attach it like this. It's difficult, oh, it's hard. I'll do it again. On one side, I coated it with soybean powder. Now, I put this much red bean paste in. I stretch it, stick it, roll it, roll it, roll it, and it's done. Okay, let's try it once. Go ahead and give it a try. No, the side with the soybean powder should be facing up. Okay, okay, just make sure it doesn't burst. Yes, wait a moment, it's really hard. Look at this, it's similar, right? How many points? 50 points. Out of how many? 100 points. By the way, why is it called dog? Originally, during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese came to Korea and tried to take our nutritious glutinous rice back to Japan. They made a type of rice cake called injeolmi with the glutinous rice, but they prevented us from drinking alcohol. As the amount of glutinous rice taken by the Japanese decreased, injeolmi became popular among them during the colonial era.

To avoid being caught, I stuffed red bean paste inside the rice cake and disguised it as if it were a regular rice cake. Then a police officer came by and asked if we were eating rice cakes. We replied, No, no, this isn't rice cake; this is a rice cake made for puppies. We mumbled that, but the Japanese understood puppy in Korean as a dog that barks. In our hearts, we were talking about our precious little puppies. Back then, everyone thought, Oh, the Japanese say that the barking dog is a rice cake for puppies, so let's eat it. Because of that, nothing unusual happened, and we told people around us to just say it's puppy rice cake. Now, the important thing is that the dumplings we were making are slowly cooking. Wow, it's going well! Wow! Here come the dumplings! Now, we need to find out what kind of dumpling we made quickly; it might have burst.

Yes, it's a promotion from the manager of Albat. The dog treats are delicious, so please try them once. This is for dogs, and it's really tasty. I made it myself. It costs 10,000 won. Let's see how to make dumplings. Okay, okay, let's try making it. I made this too. Thank you for enjoying it.

By the way, I'm curious why you started here in this area. Oh, really? This is a border area where neighbors and South Korea are divided. So, there are people who love cats, and the local elderly residents originally loved cats. They sing well, which helps prevent dementia, and it’s nice to clap along. So we thought, let's have a singing class. Now that I’ve finished my part-time job today, let's sing together with the elderly. Let's go! Today, we have Albat. Hello, what's your name? Albat, it feels like being in another country.

It's admirable to see the hard work put in by the kids. Hello, and welcome to Gyeongdong. Here in the Netherlands, oh my gosh! Today, we have a precious gift for the kids who have worked hard. Thank you so much! What kind of person is this? This is a national hero from the Korean War, known as the 625 Incident. These are the individuals who, at the ages of 17, 18, and 19, participated in the war, carrying guns instead of backpacks. So, do you sing? What songs do you like? My favorite singer is Kim Kwang-seok. Oh, you like Kim Kwang-seok! What songs do you like? I like Dust. I really can't sing it well. Let's all do our best!

There’s one place in North Korea that has a significant meaning. Let's check it out. Do you like hiking? I love hiking! I usually go to Bukhan Mountain and sometimes to Seoraksan, but not in August though; it's way too hot this month. Oh, this is it? Oh, really? No, there is no hiking; only 50 meters. I was expecting a huge observatory, but it's quite small. Now it's low tide, so there’s a lot of mud. I think you can almost walk to the other side. Maybe it looks like a soldier; I see a little guard tower and someone is standing inside of it, but it's not moving, so maybe it's a mannequin. 

I've been to many observatories, but it's also a bit weird to see North Korea from the South Korean side because you always think about the North Koreans who cannot leave the country. If you think about that, it's kind of sad. Oh, by the way, have you been to Pyongyang for travel? Yes, I went to Pyongyang in 2018-2019. It was part of a New Year's Eve tour. It was only six days. It felt so unreal. What I felt was that it’s quite like South Korea, but then 50 or 60 years ago. You see farmers walking around with oxen, and they still listen to the old traditional Korean music. But you still share the same history, so sometimes North

I recommend you to come. It's really fun there; there are a lot of things to do, and you'll have a good time. We are dreams; we are candles; we are...

인천 교동도 떡집 알바생이 된 22만 외국인 유튜버?! ✨ [인천 탐구생활 1편 교동도 일일알바]

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