The Phoenix, Jeonju

Until a few years ago, passengers on the KTX bound for Yeosu were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Pheonix.   When it was still standing, The Pheonix was a rusty beauty to behold. Did someone attempt to fix up the ship to pursue their swashbuckling fantasies of the sea? Maybe an inspired entrepreneur read Moby Dick and wanted to repair the boat and set sails to find the great white whale. In either case, the owner became discouraged and gave up, leaving the ship to the elements.   In reality, the Pheonix was a restaurant/wedding hall. It seems this was a legitimate ship that was retired to a landlubber’s life. My friend had visited in 2010, so when I visited with him and other urban explorers in March 2017, the Pheonix laid beached for seven years at that point. Pictures from 2010 show much of what I saw. Extensive fire damage covered the entire second floor and much of the third. The bottom floor was surprisingly spared. In the years between the fire and its eventual demolition, some skaters made a D-I-Y Skatepark in the former reception area. I applaud their efforts to create a gorilla skate spot.  It was Anjee who found the old wedding dresses and photographed the place for an art show we would attend later that day. Said art show was held in an abandoned cassette factory turned into a temporary art gallery before it was transformed into a museum.  Unfortunately, our group didn’t come across any wedding attire, vandals or delinquents must have done away with the garments.    Despite the fire damage, the Pheonix felt sturdy enough to go upon the deck.  While climbing the mast would offer an excellent view and photo opportunity, it’s not ideal to be in such a compromising position. Kat wandered out on the bow far enough without being too much exposed. Writing about explorations that happened years ago is hard. I wrack my brain, trying to remember details that photos don’t provide. I thought the ship had been demolished a few years after my March 2017 visit, it turns out the boat had been razed in October of the same year. Whew! One of the Urbex Wonders of Korea seen before disappearing! One of these days, I will show the abandoned cassette factory. Until then, here are some photos from the walk to the ship.