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Narrative Essay: My Trip to South Korea

I had always wanted to visit South Korea and I recently had the chance to spend a week in this amazing country. Unlike its northern neighbor which is pretty much closed to visitors, South Korea is a welcoming and hospitable country. It is an interesting place with a unique culture and a highly developing economy.

I flew into the capital Seoul. On arrival in the city, it was the marked contrast between modern skyscrapers and high design shopping malls and shanty towns that was immediately striking. Wide streets lined by fancy boutiques lead to a labyrinth of narrow alleyways with tiny traditional shops and eateries and there is a clutch of great tourist attractions.

My tour itinerary began on Seoul’s main boulevard, Sejongro, because I wanted to see the Royal Palace (Gyeongbok), the President’s residence, known as Cheongwadae or the Blue House, and the American Embassy. From here it’s a fairly short walk to Bukchon where there is the city’s largest collection of privately owned traditional wooden houses. It’s a charm with beautiful architecture and small courtyards, with the houses interspersed with quaint cafes and art galleries.

Taking the same route the next day, I took a trip into the mountains that peak behind the President’s House, and climbed the one known as Bugaksan. This affords the opportunity to pass through the Sukjeongmun Gate and through the city’s ancient fortress wall. From here the Seoul Fortress is easily accessible and there are also amazing views of Seoul.

Shopping in the Orient is an amazing experience so I made sure to pay a visit to the Shinsegae downtown department store. This huge emporium sells probably everything you can imagine and is a complete charm in the way the bottom floors sell all the basic staples of daily life – including the ubiquitous kimchee (fermented cabbage) and are frequented by Korean housewives while the upper floors cater to the well-heeled and brand conscious. As fascinating as it is, the new rooftop garden is a welcome respite. But, if you are going to shop in Seoul, it’s a must to visit the street stalls and hawkers of the Namdaemum Market where the wares seem to be spread out in a blanket of never-ending stalls. Be prepared to be seriously jostled by the crowds, but it’s also the chance to feast on the best street food.

One of the most surprising sights and a rue delight is the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Running for just under 4 miles through the city, the stream is remarkably quiet given its location, because it is 15 foot below street level. The serene setting, accentuated by waterfalls and bridge is a favorite strolling spot for romantic couples.

With a flying visit to Itaewon, the popular ex-pat neighborhood near to the main US army base, my time in Seoul came to an end. I was enthralled and captivated and hope I get to return one day.

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Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — South Korea — South Korea: an Amazing Country

South Korea: an Amazing Country

• Categories: South Korea

About this sample

Words: 828 |

Published: Aug 30, 2022

Words: 828 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited:

• Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Motion Picture]. United States: Lions Gate Films.
• Kellner, D. (2006). Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture. Film-Philosophy, 10(1), 1-18.
• Leavy, P. (2008). The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research. Oxford University Press.
• Liu, J. H., & Hilton, D. J. (2005). Stereotypes and prejudice: Key readings. Psychology Press.
• Martin, M. (2006). Crash: Racism and Hysteria in America. Screen Education, (40), 43-48.
• Nakagawa, S. (2006). A Review of the Movie Crash. The Japanese Journal of American Studies, (17), 299-303.
• Nayar, P. K. (2009). An interview with Paul Haggis. Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities, 28(2), 28-36.
• Ponniah, S. (2011). Race and racism in Paul Haggis's Crash: A cultural analysis. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(6), 260-268.
• Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism. Vintage Books.
• Shohat, E., & Stam, R. (1994). Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. Routledge.

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My first trip to seoul, korea.

After leaving Bangkok, I didn’t think I could encounter a bigger city but landing in Seoul I could see I was in for a shock. Seoul is such a dense city, with thousands of people on the street around you at all times. SO MANY PEOPLES! I couldn’t believe it, but I loved my trip to Korea.

My flight from Bangkok to Seoul was very tiring as I was in an aisle seat and ever since I can remember I’ve never been able to fall asleep for the life of me when I’m sitting in an isle seat. We had left for the airport in Bangkok at 11:30pm and landed in Seoul at 10:30am local time. Not having slept a wink you can imagine how delirious I was. I even fell asleep in the taxi on the way to the hotel, which looked like a racing car I might add. The moment I landed at the airport, I immediately noticed the cleanliness and that continued on throughout Seoul. As big and crowded as the city is, the people and city of Seoul take so much pride in cleanliness, order and efficiency! Everything is so exact and timely. I was very impressed. Once I checked into the Grand Hotel in Myeongdong I decided to lay down and try to rest a bit before venturing out but a couple dozen emails later, I realized a nap wasn’t going to happen so I got dressed and went for a walk.

I ended up in a nearby mall’s food court only to be impressed once again by the spread in the basement food court of a mall in Asian. I don’t think I can describe it accurately and it’s something everyone should see for themselves but imagine a large group of immaculate restaurants serving the most enticing food you’ve ever seen. By large, I mean thirty plus restaurants all next to each other so when you make the rounds you can’t decide what looks better so you often end up over-eating at multiple places and that’s how I packed on the weight that I am working off as we speak. What I want to stress to everyone is the importance of doing a lap around the whole cafeteria (if you can even call it that) before you make a decision of where to eat on your second lap. It’s definitely an experience to say the least!

I can’t stress enough the cleanliness of Seoul! I ended up doing a mixture of subways and taxis while I was there and having been in subways and public transportation in other cities I was so impressed at how clean it was down there! The bathrooms were immaculate and everyone in the subways followed the same rule and gave up their seat to anyone their senior. I thought that was so honorable.

The people of Seoul were so respectful. For example, every interaction ended with “kam sam ham ni da” a formal thank you. When presenting anything, it is customary to hold the right arm when extending your hand. The children are also very well behaved in public. I can say for certain I did not see a single child throwing a tantrum or being disrespectful. Not once.

For as much tourism as there is in that city they do a great job for keeping order. There are lines even in the escalators (the right side for people standing still and the left for people that want to climb up faster to make the exit of the subway systems more efficient. I also really loved the accuracy of their posted signs. For example, the signage for indicating the bathroom locations also have an exact distance of how many meters from your location it is. Also the digital signs indicating the location of the subway train in real time as it’s approaching you was extremely helpful.  Not that you are there bored by a means because you can entertain yourself with the many ads displayed on the walls as well as large LED screens that frankly were better quality then what I have at home! What I though was extremely amusing was all the plastic surgery ads as soon as you enter the ritzy part of town which is known for their abundant plastic surely centers. The advertisements showcase the before and after pictures of surgeries such as jaw shaving, eye lip/eye fold surgery (the most popular one), feet, nose, lips, toes… Really anything you can think of! You can walk around that part of town and see patients walking around hiding their scars and stitches with the white surgical masks people tend to wear to help combat the bad air pollution.

On top of the surgeries, people there are obsessed with preserving their youthful appearances. They will be covered from head to town in blistering heat as well as using an umbrella to combat the high UV rays that supposedly plague the area. To me everything seemed normal but I guess people there check the UV index as casually as I check the weather. Also, the skin care scene there is unparalleled by any other country. You can’t walk more than 15 feet before you see another skin care store. I am not exaggerating! They are that abundant there. As you would expect I did some shopping and will be posting my reviews of their skin products as soon as I’ve tested them. I would literally be walking down the street and at the end of the day end up with at least five free samples. Not to mention, when you purchase any products they usually throw in a bunch of free stuff and give you a discount! I felt as if I had hit the jackpot. I even bought skin care for men which I will make my guy friends try and report back to me. All the beauty stores were intoxicating and I couldn’t help myself but shop.

On another note, I greatly enjoyed the food in Seoul. I was already a big fan of Koran BBQ and absolutely love Kimchi so you can imagine I was in haven. I tried a few different Korean BBQ places and was even taken to a Korean BBQ type place that was inspired by a part of China that is mainly muslim. Instead of the traditional pork and beef dishes they served lamb skewers that we cooked at our table on a contraption that rotated our skewers for us.

I also got to experience a little bit of the nightlife in an artsy section of town called Seo Gyo Dong where the design students study. The area was cluttered with cafes! I was in heaven. You could literally walk down the street and pass a cafe a minute. We stopped at one called the Green Cloud Cafe where I discovered a new type of tea made from fruits and honey. In that part of town, I also had my first Korean Popsicle which I went on to have another and another… I mainly tired the watermelon one and the cantaloupe one and I was again surprised with the accuracy of the taste! In the watermelon Popsicles, the pieces that looked like seeds actually tasted like seeds. We also went to a pork only Korean BBQ place where I probably consumed more pork than I have in my whole life. I also noticed that Seoul had so many options of decadent desserts at every cafe. So many choices and so many calories, but I did try a few. I stuck with the traditional Korean choices, things I wasn’t going to find easily back in the states.

I was very lucky to have been traveling with friends and some were locals to Seoul. That made it so much easier to get a great tour of the city. One night we even stopped by a bar that a great little alternative rock band playing live music. It was reminiscent of what a small live music night at a bar would be in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. Then, we even headed to a children’s park in the center of that area where teenagers and college kids go to drink and hang with friends. There we randomly happened to catch a dancing act by two ladies that had set up shop to show off their moves and they were quite good! I was told another popular night time activity besides the obvious club scene is the Karaoke bars that get quite competitive with their grading scale. There are also Karaoke places where youngsters go to “be alone/ have adult meetings/ spend time together”… You get the picture. I guess that’s a pretty normal thing because it is customary for young people to live at home with their families until they get married so they have to get hotel rooms and go other places to be alone. Although I noticed that the Korean youth is quite reserved and conservative which may have something to do with the low birth rate and the declining population growth.

All in all, I had an amazing time on my trip to Korea! It was eye opening and entertaining and I will definitely be visiting Korea again to explore other parts of the country, such as the islands and the coastal city of Busan.

Things you must try in Seoul:

• The street food is fantabulous!!!!
• 32cm green tea ice cream cone
• Korean Popsicle bars: The shark one, the watermelon one and the Melona one. You’re welcome!

This is a little Vlog I did while in Seoul. Don’t forget to Subscribe to my YouTube channel .

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• South Korea
• 15 Reasons Why You Should...

15 Reasons Why You Should Visit South Korea at Least Once in Your Lifetime

While South Korea might not yet be the number one travel destination for many around the world, there are plentiful reasons why you should visit the country of the morning calm on your next vacation. From history to culture and food to religion, take a look at our guide to the top reasons why you should visit South Korea at least once in your lifetime.

Pulsating culture.

Natural Feature

Due to their long history, South Koreans have a variety of traditions they have kept alive throughout centuries. Still today, you can watch traditional Korean dance and music performances, while people love to dress in traditional clothes ( hanbok ) – you can rent it to wear around Seoul and Jeonju , for example. Even in modern Seoul, you can still find traditional hanok house neighborhoods with lovely teahouses that have been in existence for decades. This mix of old and new is truly fun to explore when traveling in South Korea.

Rich History

The history of South Korea is long and dating back over a thousand years. Due to the natural isolation of the Korean Peninsula, the country’s culture hasn’t changed as much as in other regions. Still today, you can stand in awe of some of the most significant cultural heritage sites of the country, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace , the main palace situated in Seoul . The city of Gyeongju is also a place of historic value and is often called a ‘museum without walls’. Gyeongju was the capital of Korea during the Silla Dynasty from 57 BC – 935 AD and is home to countless royal tombs, palaces, and temples that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Year-round Festivals

When you are for the first time in South Korea, make sure you visit a festival . Every year, there are more festivals in South Korea than one could attend, with a couple of main festivities everyone likes to join in with. When the snow melts and the weather gets warmer, pink and white cherry blossoms transform South Korea into a magical wonderland for a short period at the beginning of spring, and thousands of people come to see the blossoms from all over the country. Buddha’s Birthday is another major holiday celebrated in May with lantern parades and performances at local temples, while in fall, Koreans celebrate their own version of Thanksgiving during Chuseok and honor their ancestors during proudly conducted ceremonies. In fact, there are festivals in every month of the year for every taste.

Exciting Food

Koreans are very proud of their unique cuisine. This is another result of the country’s natural isolation and climate leading to particular food preparation methods. Take kimchi , for example, the country’s number one side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables that are kept in jars for months, one of many practices used to protect food during harsh winters. Over the centuries, Koreans have created a fascinating and rich food culture made up of meat dishes, stews, soups, noodle dishes, seafood and many vegetable side dishes. Visit South Korea and you should spend an entire day roaming street markets sampling your way through this concert of flavors.

Vibrant Cities

While Seoul is arguably the most thrilling city in South Korea, it’s not the only large city that’s worth a visit. Despite its small size, South Korea has plenty of exciting cities from north to south. Busan in the very south, for example, is the country’s second largest city and located on a beautiful coastline with sandy beaches and clear ocean water. Jeonju in the west of the country is one of the last places featuring a traditional old town with Korean hanok houses and a beautiful destination in spring and fall. Each of Korea’s nine provinces has its own local cuisine and attractions that are worth exploring.

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K-pop Culture

South Korea is world-famous for its exciting music culture. K-pop is not only a music genre, it’s part of Korean culture that captures people all over Asia and the world. Walking down main pedestrian streets in South Korea, you will hear the latest hits of the industry. K-pop fans visit South Korea in waves and visit their favorite group’s or singer’s music label, get a K-pop makeover or visit K-pop-themed cafés. If you’re not yet into Korean music, we guarantee you that after you visit South Korea, you will be.

Korean Trendsetters

K-pop and Korean fashion go almost hand in hand. However, in recent years, South Korea has not only become known for coming up with quirky outfits for their boy and girl groups but also setting global trends in regular fashion. Seoul Fashion Week, for example, is becoming more and more visited by international designers and fashion labels who visit fashion shows to import Korean fashion lines to their home countries in Europe, America, Africa and all over Asia. Visiting Seoul, visitors will also notice that South Koreans, in general, are very fashionable and love to experiment and show off their hot streetwear on the streets of Seoul. Visit Dongdaemun, Gangnam or Myeongdong to get your own sets of Korean outfits to take home with you.

Quirky Entertainment Options

Entertainment is very important to South Koreans and they come up with new ways to keep themselves amused almost every month. We have all heard of the quirky themed cafés all over Seoul that offer visitors the chance to pet cats or dogs, play with racoons, cuddle with meerkats and engage with all kinds of other animals. There are also themed cafés that allow you to dress up as a princess and take pictures or eat food shaped like poop. Karaoke rooms have also been part of Korean entertainment for decades and are popular among all age groups. PC rooms are also well-visited, usually by a younger crowd, who compete in a variety of online games with people from all over the world – so much so that South Korea has become a leading force in global e-sports.

You can find even more tranquility and inner peace when joining a one- or two-day templestay program, which allows you to spend some time living like Buddhist monks in temples across Korea. While the Korean templestay program might not be as heard of around the world, it’s a well-established organization offering English-speaking programs to anyone around the country. Whether you want to experience a templestay in downtown Seoul or in rural South Korea on top of a mountain, the options are endless and the results are incredibly rewarding.

Futuristic Modernity

In contrast to its historic landmarks, South Korea is a pioneer in creating new and innovative structures. Looking at Seoul, for example, you are surrounded by futuristic buildings in one part of the city, such as the Dongdaemun Design Plaza by Zaha Hadid, while traditional hanok neighborhoods lie just around the corner. Earlier this year, Seoul proudly opened the world’s fifth largest skyscraper piercing majestically out of the ground overlooking the Han River. It comes with little surprise that some of the world’s leading companies are also located here, including Samsung, Hyundai and Kia.

Make-up and Skincare

Ever wonder why Korean women (and men!) have flawless and stunningly beautiful skin? Koreans see taking care of their skin as an essential part of their daily lives and they spend more money on skincare and beauty than anywhere else in the world. Many Koreans even have a ten-step morning and night routine they strictly follow day after day to maintain their beautiful skin. It’s therefore no wonder that South Korea is home to countless skincare and make-up brands offering the most innovative and futuristic products on the global market. If that’s not a great reason to come to Korea, then we don’t know what is!

Quiet Countryside

As South Korea is not yet a worldwide popular vacation destination like its neighbors China and Japan , you will find untouched rural areas giving insight into traditional Korean lifestyle. While around 20% of all South Koreans live in and near Seoul, it’s especially the small rural villages where you can find peace and quiet. The well-connected railway and express bus systems make it easy to also explore the less visited areas of the country. You’ll be surprised that you can find lush rice terraces and hidden temples right here in South Korea.

Stunning Coastline and Beaches

Due to South Korea being a peninsula, the country offers miles and miles of beautiful coast and stunning beaches. Korea also has a lot of beautiful islands, the most popular and largest one being Jeju Island . Jeju Island is one of Korea’s most visited destinations thanks to its exceptional natural wonders and breathtaking beaches. Another beautiful beach and coastal region is Jeollado in the west of the country. Moreover, the eastern coast is famous for beautiful sunrises, the earliest in the country.

Picturesque Mountain Ranges

South Korean attractions include beautiful national parks. Despite its small size, South Korea is home to 22 national parks with countless mountains. The island of Jeju has the highest peak in South Korea, the shield volcano Hallasan. Another popular hiking area is Seoraksan, the third tallest mountain in the country at 1,708 meters (5,603 feet). You can hike around this national park on Culture Trip’s 10-day adventure around South Korea . It’s exactly this combination of mountains and coast that make South Korea such a thrilling destination.

Four Amazing Seasons

Due to South Korea’s location in East Asia, the country is blessed with changing seasons. This makes Korea an exciting place to travel and live. No matter when you travel to Korea, you’ll be surprised with breathtaking seasonal changes in nature, such as cherry blossoms in the spring, flower fields in the summer, colorful foliage in the fall and a white wonderland in the winter. Besides the changing weather, each season also has special festivals and also dishes, such as the Taebaeksan Snow Festival in winter and cold noodles in summer.

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Essay on South Korea

Students are often asked to write an essay on South Korea in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on South Korea

Introduction.

South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia. It’s known for its green, hilly countryside, centuries-old Buddhist temples, and high-tech cities.

South Korea is located on the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. It is surrounded by the Yellow Sea to the west, and the East Sea to the east.

Capital City

The capital city, Seoul, is a bustling metropolis with modern skyscrapers, high-tech subways, and pop culture alongside historic palaces, and street markets.

Korean culture is rich with tradition, including the popular Korean music, K-pop, and Korean dramas that are famous worldwide.

250 Words Essay on South Korea

South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Its rapid economic growth, technological advancements, and rich cultural heritage make it a fascinating subject of study.

Economic Growth and Technological Advancements

South Korea’s economic growth, often referred to as the “Miracle on the Han River,” transformed it from a war-torn nation to an economic powerhouse. It is home to renowned multinational corporations like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG. Moreover, the country’s technological advancements, particularly in the fields of IT and robotics, have positioned it as a global leader in innovation.

Culture and Heritage

South Korea’s rich cultural heritage, embodied in its traditional music, dance, and art forms, coexists with its modern pop culture. The global phenomenon of K-pop and Korean dramas (K-dramas) has significantly increased its cultural influence, a phenomenon known as the “Korean Wave” or “Hallyu.”

Political Landscape

The political landscape of South Korea is marked by its democratic system and ongoing tensions with North Korea. Despite these challenges, South Korea has maintained political stability, contributing to its economic and social progress.

South Korea’s journey from devastation to prosperity, its technological prowess, and cultural richness offer valuable insights into the transformative power of innovation, cultural preservation, and resilience. It stands as a testament to the potential of human endeavor in shaping a nation’s destiny.

500 Words Essay on South Korea

Economic development.

South Korea’s economic narrative is one of the most compelling stories of the 20th century. From the ashes of the Korean War, the nation rose to become the 10th largest economy in the world, a phenomenon often referred to as the “Miracle on the Han River.” South Korea’s economic model, heavily reliant on chaebols (family-controlled conglomerates), has been instrumental in this rapid development. Companies like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG have become global powerhouses, contributing significantly to the country’s GDP.

Technological Advancement

South Korea is a global leader in technological innovation and digital connectivity. With the highest internet speed in the world and a tech-savvy population, the nation is at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. South Korea’s commitment to research and development, coupled with a robust education system, has fostered an environment conducive to technological advancement. The country is also home to the city of Songdo, one of the world’s first smart cities designed from the ground up.

Cultural Exportation

Despite its economic and cultural prowess, South Korea faces a complex and challenging political landscape. The nation is technically still at war with North Korea, as the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. This geopolitical tension, coupled with the pressure of being sandwiched between China and Japan, presents unique challenges for South Korea.

South Korea is a nation that has successfully navigated the path from war-torn poverty to economic prosperity and global cultural influence. Despite the geopolitical tensions that persist, the country continues to forge ahead, driven by innovation, cultural richness, and an indomitable spirit. South Korea’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, strategic planning, and cultural vibrancy. It serves as an example for other nations aspiring to similar heights of development and global impact.

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South Korea Tourism, Essay Example

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Introduction

South Korea is a country with a long association with the United States. American soldiers have been stationed there for over 60 years, since the Korean War of 1950-52. In this paper, a trip to South Korea to experience its unique culture and history will be presented. The aim of the itinerary is to see as much which is authentically Korean in the time available.

Area History and Background

The country of South Korea was created in 1948, when the Korean Peninsula became split between the Communist North and the capitalist South. Since 1950, when the Korean War began with an invasion from the North, Korea has been split into two countries who regard each other with great animosity. The South’s correct name is the Republic of Korea. While there has not been any considerable political turmoil here since the 1980s, the historical and political situation can still become heated, both in terms of relations with the North and relations with other Asian powers, such as Japan.

A landmark of particular interest to Americans is the Demilitarised Zone, or DMZ. This dates from the end of the Korean War and marks the dividing point between North Korea and South Korea. This border remains the most heavily fortified border in the world, and is a focus for much tension between the countries.

Travel Motivations

Visiting the locations detailed here allows visitors to see what the real Korea has to offer. Many westerners are often very ignorant of the traditions and lifestyles of Asian countries, so a main motivation for visiting this type of location is to feel more informed and knowledgeable, in a much more specific and empirical way. This feeling of authenticity makes every location a great draw for visitors who want to know what Korea is like in terms of food, art and other cultural activities, without having to live in the country for many years. While leisure and recreation are also motivating factors, the quest for knowledge is the main factor in influencing people in their choice of these destinations.

There has also been an explosion of interest in Korean popular culture, following the explosion of the Gagnam dance on the internet. Many people might be drawn into visiting the country because of this, but would want to experience culture such as this at close hand.

Specific destinations on the tour include the capital city of Seoul, as well as more rural locations and other towns too. This forms a good and useful focus for any first time visitors to South Korea, providing a good overview of the country. They can expand their knowledge of any other areas of the country in subsequent visits, should their curiosity be piqued sufficiently.

Overview of Tourism Development

There has been talk recently of attempts to improve Seoul’s tourist infrastructure, with the amount of tourists increasing by increasing by 10 per cent annually, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation. While local media has sometimes expressed embarrassment at the country’s tourist facilities, generally speaking there are a good range of facilities on offer to visitors.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has committed to improving the infrastructure further though, in an attempt to attract 10 million visitors per year. As their website states: “The key strategy is to turn places like the Hangang, Cheonggyecheon, Insa-dong and Namsan (Mt.) into vivid tourist places.”

This mentality means that the city is very welcoming, generally, to outsiders, and there is a very low crime rate when compared generally to the United States. Crimes against property like burglary and robbery do occur though, so visitors should still be careful. Crimes against the person such as rape do take place, so women travelling alone should make sure that someone they trust has their itinerary. The usual guidelines for travel in a foreign city apply, like taking rides from strangers after dark, apply here as well.

The political tensions between South Korea and North Korea can sometimes lead to tense situations in the city, according to USA Today’s guide to travel in the region. Stay away from areas where demonstrations or protests are taking place, as emotions can often become heated and violence sometimes occurs. If an emergency does take place and you are in danger, then call 112 for the police or 119 for an ambulance or the fire department. The emergency services offer an interpretation service for visitors who do not speak Korean. If you are worried about picking up local infections then drink only bottled water and avoid eating fresh fruit and vegetables.

Currency/Visa Requirements

The local currency is known as the Won. There are currently 1083 Won to the US Dollar.

To enter South Korea you will need an up-to-date and valid passport. If you have a valid US passport then you can stay in South Korea for 90 days without a visa. If you are entering the country for reasons other than short-term business reasons or tourism or for a stay of longer than 90 days, then you must have a valid visa obtained from the South Korean embassy.

This is a complete bespoke package tour, with all prices inclusive. The total cost is stated at the end of the itinerary.

DAY 1 – Departure

Depart for Seoul, Korea.

Day 2 – Seoul

Arrive in Seoul. Take airport limo service to hotel.

Room will be available for occupancy by 1.00 PM local time.

Rest of the day at leisure.

Lunch and Dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight at hotel such as Grand Hilton / JW Marriot

Day 3 – Seoul

Full day city tour visiting Gyeongbok Palace, Folklore Museum, Insadong Alley, The Blue House, Jogesa Temple and South Gate Open Market.

(Seat in a coach tour)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight at Grand Hilton / JW Marriot

Day 4 – Seoul

This afternoon visit Korean Folklore Village.

(seat in a coach tour).

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 – Mt. Soraksan

Morning departure for Mt. Soraksan. Afternoon tour of Beeryong Waterfall and Kwonkumsong.

Overnight at Hotel Sorak Park / Kensington

Day 6 – Seoul

Morning excursion to Shinhungsa Temple and Flying Fairy Rock. Afternoon departure for Seoul.

Overnight at hotel Grand Hilton / JW Marriot.

Day 7 – Mt. Songnisan

Leave Seoul for overnight excursion to Mt. Songnisan.

Visit Popjusa Temple and Mt. Songnisan.

Overnight at Songnisan Tourist Hotel.

Day 8 – Gyeongju

Visit Haeinsa temple and Mt. Kayasan enroute.

Dinner at a local restaurant

Upon arrival in Gyeongju, check into hotel Commodore/ Hilton/ Hyundai.

Day 9 – Gyeongju

Full day sightseeing tour visiting Pulguksa temple, Sokkuram Grotto, designated a national treasure and one of the finest Buddhist shrines, Chomsongdae Observatory, built to represent the lunar calendar; National Museum which exhibits the treasures from the Royal tombs, Pulkuksa Temple, Tumhli Park, Anapji Pond and Shilla Kiln.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight at hotel Commodore/ Hilton/ Hyundai.

Day 10 – Busan

Drive to Pusan en route visiting Tongdosa Temple. Afternoon tour of Yongdusan Park, Taejongdae Beach park, U.N. Cemetery and Fishery Market.

Overnight at Busan Commodore / Westin Chosun Beach / Paradise Beach.

Day 11 – Jeju

This morning you will fly to Jeju Island.

Arrive in Jeju. Take airport limo service to hotel.

Afternoon city tour Moksokwon, Folkcraft & history Museum, Dragon Head Rock and Samsunghyul.

Overnight at The Hotel& Vegas Casino/ Hyatt Regency/ Jeju Grand.

Day 12 – Jeju

Full day tour to Sanbanggulsa, Chungbang Waterfall, Chonjiyon waterfall, Sungeup Folk Village, Sungsan Sunrise Peak and Manjang Cave.

(coach tour)

Day 13 – Seoul

Fly back to Seoul.

Take airport limo service to hotel

Balance of the day at leisure.

Day 14 – Seoul

Morning free for shopping and other independent activities.

Check out from the hotel by noon.

Take airport limo service to airport.

Depart on your onward journey / home.

Cost of the Vacation: Double Occupancy   $ 4575.00

Airfare-Tour itinerary

Busan – Jeju – Seoul   $ 290.00

Total: $4865

Plus money for meals (estimated): Dinner in South Korea usually costs between 5000 Won and 10,000 Won, and food is cheap by American or European standards.

Therefore estimated cost for meals: 140,000 Won = $129.19

Total cost = $4994.19

Airline: Air India

Tour Operator: Exotic Journeys Inc.

Author unknown, ‘Infinitely Yours, Seoul’, ‘Tourism and Convention Industry’ (2011) http://english.seoul.go.kr/db/kcp/6nge7.php

Author unknown, Exotic Journeys article ‘What It Includes’ (2012) http://www.exoticjourneys.com/whatincludes.html

Kimberley Sharp, ‘Safety in Seoul’, USA Today (2012) http://traveltips.usatoday.com/safety-seoul-korea-102007.html

US Department of State ‘Korea, Republic of, Country Specific Information’ (2012) http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1018.html#safety

Yonhap News Agency, Editorial, ‘Time to drastically improve tourism infrastructure’ (2005) http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/yhedit/2012/10/05/49/5100000000AEN20121005007300315F.HTML

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18 things to know before going to South Korea

Jun 18, 2024 • 13 min read

South Korea’s public-transport choices – including Busan’s Sky Capsule – are the envy of the world. As you plan your trip, count on using the nationwide network © By f11photo / Shutterstock

Has any place been on a run of late like  South Korea ?

The country is on the lips of travelers around the world, thanks to its cutting-edge technology, world-class cuisine , chart-topping pop bands and some of the most exciting movies and TV series being made anywhere. 

Add to all this centuries of tradition and copious natural blessings , all in a country scarcely larger than Ireland, and you’ve got one of the planet’s great travel destinations .

Safe, friendly and possessing superb infrastructure , South Korea is a truly easy – not to mention rewarding – place to explore. Read on for tips to make your visit even easier.

1. Complete your pre-trip registration three days before your flight

Most travelers – including citizens of the US, Australia and the UK – can visit South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days (up to six months for Canadians). You’ll still need to apply for a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization on the K-ETA website , however, at least 72 hours before departure. It’s a simple process, and your K-ETA is valid for two years from the date of approval.

2. Know your accommodation options

Accommodation options in South Korea cater to a wide range of preferences and budgets. Budget travelers can opt for backpacker hostels or guesthouses in major cities and tourist spots, offering both dormitory and private rooms, often with free internet and breakfast included. For those seeking a unique experience, hanok guesthouses provide a traditional stay in Korean-style room with a floor mattress, sometimes with communal bathrooms.

More conventional accommodations include hotels, ranging from business to luxury, particularly in urban centers and popular tourist areas like Jeju-do . Adventurous travelers might enjoy glamping near national parks or coastal areas. Alternatively, a templestay offers a cultural and spiritual experience, allowing guests to live like a monk and learn about Buddhist practices in some of the country's most serene settings.

3. Time your visit with the trees

We recommend planning your visit to South Korea for spring or fall , when the peninsula gets its most temperate weather. Bonus points if you can time it to coincide with one of the country’s two periods of arboreal magic. Korea’s cherry blossoms start blooming in mid-March on Jeju-do Island , off the south coast, and typically appear in Seoul in early April. In late October and early November, the leaves of Korea’s many ancient ginkgo trees turn into brilliant golden torches, giving Seoul and other cities a particularly regal look for several weeks.

4. Mind these two major holidays

The two periods that can cause travelers real problems are the multi-day Lunar New Year and Chuseok (fall harvest) holidays. On these two occasions every year, Koreans hit the road en masse, making booking a bus or train ticket nearly impossible. The dates change each year, so be sure to check when these are before making travel plans. 

If you can’t avoid a holiday, base yourself in Seoul or Busan for its duration. Plenty of businesses stay open, and the cities can be surprisingly peaceful with everyone out of town.

5. Take advantage of Korea’s world-class public transportation

Korea’s subways, trains and buses are clean, convenient and efficient . It can sometimes seem like a new station is added to the Seoul metro every month, and the rail and intercity bus networks will take you to every corner of the country. Public transportation is cheap: bus and subway fares in Seoul start at just ₩1250. In all of South Korea, Jeju-do is the only place where renting a car might make sense, and even there it’s probably not necessary.

With plentiful English information and sensible design, public transportation in Korea makes getting from here to there a breeze. To get moving, start by picking up a T-money transit card at a convenience store or from a vending machine in any subway station. Separate kiosks can be used to load money onto your card. Tap your card both when you board and get off the subway or bus. Fares are calculated by distance, so if you forget to tap when disembarking, you’ll be charged more and won’t be able to transfer for free. You can also use T-money cards in most taxis.

When traveling longer distances, it’s simple enough to just buy intercity bus or train tickets at stations. For the high-speed KTX train and some of the more popular routes and times – departing Seoul on Saturday morning, for example – it’s a good idea to purchase in advance. Bus tickets are typically readily available for purchase from machines and counters in bus stations. Buy train tickets on the website of  KORAIL , the national operator.

6. Stay connected with these essential apps

Wi-fi is so prevalent in Korean cities that you can do without a local SIM card, but if you decide that you want one just in case, or if you plan to head to rural areas, the easiest place to pick one up is at one of the many  telecom roaming centers at Incheon Airport upon arrival. If you can't be bothered to get one in a store, you can buy a Korean eSIM if your phone supports it. Phone rental is also available in Korea.

Helpful apps to download include Naver Map ( iOS and Android ), which works better than Google Maps in South Korea; Subway Korea ( iOS and Android ) for navigating cities’ metro systems; and Kakao T ( iOS and Android ), which is like Uber but for taxis.

7. Get out of town

There are two Koreas. We don’t mean North and South, but rather Seoul and everything else – or, a bit more broadly, urban Korea and rural Korea. The country has a reputation for being a hyper-paced, highly wired pop-culture dynamo, but its hinterlands present a much different picture, and you’d be missing out big time if you skip them. 

The Korean countryside is beautiful. Mountains and rivers make for beautiful vistas , and its well-maintained roads are perfect for road trips . Life is lived differently here than in the cities. The population is older – most people under 40 have decamped to the cities – and the pace is slower. At least once on your trip, get out of the cities and immerse yourself in this more traditional side of Korea.

8. Learn your ga , na , da , ra , ma , bas

Basic English is widely understood in Korea by folks under 50, and signage is almost always in both Korean and English. Yet it’s still a good (and respectful) idea to learn a bit of the language. 

Beyond memorizing a few essential Korean words and phrases, learning hangul, the Korean alphabet, is like gaining access to a secret bonus level of Korean travel. If you can sound out the letters, you’ll find that you already know what things like 카페 모카 ( ka-pe mo-ka , or cafe mocha), 비빔밥 (bibimbap, a popular Korean dish) and 사우나 ( sa-oo-na, or sauna) are. 

Hangul is easy to learn. King Sejong the Great, who oversaw its creation in the 15th century, declared that a wise man could pick it up before noon and even an idiot could learn it in 10 days.  Let’s Learn Hangul  teaches the Korean alphabet in an interactive, easy-to-follow way.

9. Roll with the nudges

Koreans live life in a hurry, and they do so in a densely populated country, so you shouldn’t expect the same sense of personal space or public courtesies you find in your home country. Koreans won’t hold doors open for you or apologize if they bump into you when walking. When getting on or off the subway, they likely won’t say, “Excuse me” – they’ll just nudge you aside. They’re not being rude, though. 

When you live in a city as crowded as Seoul, it’s just not practical to say sorry every time you knock shoulders with someone – you’d be apologizing constantly. This can be maddening to outsiders, but just accept it and roll with the nudges.

10. Be ready to get personal

The typical greeting here is a quick bow – nothing dramatic, just a head nod deep enough for your gaze to meet the floor – but you’ll sometimes be offered a handshake instead. If you are, expect more of a gentle clasp than the old squeeze-and-pump.

You’ll likely be asked questions more personal than you’re accustomed to by someone you just met. At the top of this list is your age. This data point is essential to Koreans, as it informs how they talk to one another: how formal their verb endings should be and whether to use honorifics. Inquiries about marital status, occupation and your opinion of Korea are also common. Answer politely, and feel free to return the question.

11. Wear what you like, but don’t pack anything too risqué

As a traveler, you can feel free to dress for the weather and comfort. Koreans are pretty relaxed about attire, even if they’re more modest than you might expect. If visiting a temple , while shorts are fine, tank tops and miniskirts are not. Both men and women frequently wear t-shirts at the beach (though it’s best to leave the Speedo or thong at home). Korean women almost never wear low-cut tops, and female travelers could find that doing so brings unwelcome looks. Tattoos are now common among young people, yet even still some bathhouses will deny entry if you show any ink.

12. Eat with others and don’t be afraid to shout for service

Eating is a communal activity in Korea, and many restaurants, especially barbecue joints, don’t offer single servings. So if you’re traveling solo, you might either have to drag someone from your hostel along with you (not a tough sell) or loosen your belt and order pork belly for two (you poor thing).

At restaurants, servers won’t come check up on you, and most places have call buttons on each table. Give it a push, and someone will be right over. Otherwise, to grab the waitstaff’s attention, raise your hand and shout, “ Yogiyo !” (“Over here!”). Water is usually self-service, and occasionally side dishes are, too. If your server doesn’t set a bottle of water on your table, look around for a water dispenser and stacks of metal cups. At the end of your meal, take the check to the front counter to pay. There’s no tipping. Some traditional restaurants where patrons sit on the floor might require you to remove your shoes before entering.

More restaurant etiquette

• Chopsticks Don't stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice or pass food from one pair of chopsticks to another.
• Eating with fingers Don’t touch food with your fingers, except when handling ssam (lettuce leaves).
• Filling your own glass (alcohol) Dining companions usually pour drinks for each other – traditionally, never for themselves. It’s polite to use both hands when pouring or receiving a drink.

13. Get to know Korean drinking culture

The practice of hoesik – a gathering of people, often work colleagues, to go eat and drink together – is common. Drinking, and drinking heavily, is the mainstay of Korean socializing, and an evening out can quickly turn into a blur of bar-hopping.

The most common drink of choice is soju . The stuff is, more often than not, ethanol mixed with water and flavoring. Drinking too much of it can leave you with a killer hangover. Be especially careful about the infamous ' soju bombs', when a shot glass of soju is dropped into a glass of beer and the two are drunk together.

Helping soak up some of that alcohol will be anju (bar snacks; obligatory in some bars). These are likely to be heaped plates of oil-soaked food – French fries, vegetable twigim (fritters) or fried chicken. There's even a word for such a combo: chimaek, from Korean chikin (fried chicken) and maekju (beer).

As in other countries, there's a changing attitude to excessive alcohol consumption particularly among young people. An evening spent in a fancy coffee shop or bakery cafe is the norm for non-alcohol drinkers, while those who are looking for cheap drinks, hang out at convenience stores, some of which provide tables for customers to sit down to immediately eat and drink their purchases.

14. Is North Korea a concern?

Despite international headlines, South Koreans don’t worry about an attack from  North Korea  – and neither should you. Military clashes are very rare, and danger to civilians is rarer still. A guided tour to the  DMZ can be a fascinating and truly find-it-nowhere-else experience. From afar, North Korea can seem almost comical in its eccentricities, but when you’re looking at South Korean soldiers looking at North Korean soldiers looking at you, the geopolitical stakes hit different. Plus, many tours offer what may be your only chance to actually step foot in the world’s most secretive country.

15. Monitor the air quality

Even in post-pandemic times, it’s a good idea to always carry a mask, as air quality can occasionally drop to pretty nasty levels. This is especially true in spring, when dust blown off the deserts of Mongolia and northern China combines with local pollution to create unhealthy air. Download an app like IQAir Air Visual (for iOS or Android ) to keep track of current conditions and the upcoming forecast across the country.

16. You might have to be flexible about your diet

If you have food allergies or a specific diet, you may have a hard time finding places to eat or getting clear information about ingredients. Vegetarianism and veganism are slowly gaining popularity in Korea, but not many restaurants cater to these diets. Even dishes that you might think are vegetarian are often made with anchovy broth or fermented shrimp. Common dishes that are vegetarian or vegan include bibimbap (without meat), japchae (sweet potato noodles) and chaeso jeon (vegetable pancake). Buddhist temples often serve vegan food. In Seoul,  Bongeun-sa temple serves a vegetarian lunch, and Balwoo Gongyang and Sanchon are restaurants specializing in vegetarian temple food.

17. Recognize that LGBTIQ+ acceptance still has a long way to go 

While attitudes are slowly changing, Korea remains a conservative society in many respects, and anti-LGBTIQ+ prejudice is common. Even so, LGBTIQ+ travelers are more likely to be on the receiving end of curious – if misinformed – questions than any sort of open hostility. Public displays of affection are generally frowned upon (though this goes for straight couples, too).

Seoul has small gay districts in Itaweon and Jongno-3-ga, while the Hongdae-Sinchon-Ewha university corridor is another place where LGBTIQ+ Koreans feel comfortable being themselves. 

18. Use common sense and keep these numbers handy, just in case

Theft and violent crime are rare in South Korea. Scams and pickpockets targeting travelers are virtually nonexistent, and Koreans typically go out of their way to be hospitable to visitors. Nonetheless – as anyone should anywhere – do exercise basic caution and common sense. South Korea has strict drug laws, and don’t even think about trying to sneak past them. Nightlife often revolves around heavy drinking, so know your limit to avoid putting yourself in a sketchy situation.

If you do have an emergency, call 112 to reach the police, 119 for emergency services or 1330 to reach the Korea Travel Hotline, where an operator will connect you to the appropriate service and serve as an interpreter. That number can also be used to reach the Korea Tourist Police.

This article was first published Jul 16, 2022 and updated Jun 18, 2024.

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South Korea 7 Day Itinerary

Looking for a sample itinerary and ideas on how to spend a week in South Korea? Read our post with South Korea 7 Day Itinerary. This detailed  itinerary is based on our own experience travelling in South Korea and includes visiting Seoul , Busan , Gyeongju and Gapyeong . 

We travelled to South Korea in 2023 and really liked the country. South Korea has a rich history, delicious food, hilly landscapes, beautiful coastlines, busy cities and pretty countryside. Many first time visitors to South Korea limit their visit to Seoul only. While Seoul is a vibrant city with lots of things to see and do, we wanted to see more of South Korea during our trip.

We didn’t want to move to a new location every night or two, rent a new place every time, pack and unpack often, and think about where to store our suitcases when between hotels. Therefore, we based our first part of the trip in and around Seoul , and the second part of the trip – in and around Busan . This way, we only had to book two hotels – one in Seoul and one in Busan, and could explore cities and make one day trips with a light backpack, leaving all the rest in the hotel.

Here is our 7 Day Itinerary in South Korea.

South Korea 7 Day Itinerary at a glance:

Day 1 – historical sights and night views of seoul, day 2 – jogyesa temple, bukchon village, gyeongbokgung and modern seoul, day 3 – day trip to gapyeong (petite france, nami island and garden of morning calm), day 4 – seoul parks, shopping districts and food markets, day 5 – busan (haeundae beach, x the sky, blueline tram and haedong yonggungsa temple), day 6 – day trip to gyeongju (daereungwon tombs, hwangridan-gil, bulguksa temple, gyochon village and donggung palace), day 7 – busan (gamcheon culture village, biff square, jagalchi market and songdo beach).

Planning a trip to South Korea

There are few things you need to plan and prepare before travelling to South Korea. 

First of all, you need to check whether you need a tourist visa to South Korea or Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (KTA), and obtain it.

Next, plan and sort out mobile internet for the trip (e.g. get a roaming, a local sim-card or rent a WiFi device  in South Korea). 

Also, think about bringing cash, how to get to Seoul from Incheon airport, how to use public transport, buying a train pass and getting useful mobile apps before going to South Korea.

Read about all this and more in our dedicated post Things to know before travelling to South Korea .

As the majority of international travelers to South Korea fly to Seoul, we start our 7 Day South Korea itinerary with this vibrant city.

Seoul is one of the biggest cities in the world and has lots of attractions and things to see and do. We recommend spending at least 3 days in Seoul to get a good overview of the city, see its big attractions and experience its busy life.

In the morning

On the first day in Seoul go to Ikseon-dong Hanok Village – a traditional Korean village with narrow streets, pretty houses, cafes and small shops.

Visit Changgyeonggung Palace complex built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong. Explore its many buildings and gardens.

Next, walk to Unhyeongung – a former royal residence . There are a couple of historical buildings and quiet courtyards inside. The entrance to the residence is free.

Have lunch in one of the many cafes and restaurants of Insa-dong street . Also, there are many souvenir shops and other stores on Insa-dong street if you feel like shopping.

In the afternoon

All of the attractions above are located within walking distance to each other. But to get to the next point of the itinerary you would need to take a bus or a subway. Read about using public transport and paying with Tmoney cards in Things to know before travelling to South Korea .

In the afternoon, go to Naksan Park to enjoy the views over the city. For the best night views over Seoul go to Eungbong Mountain Park. 

Read our detailed post on the 3 Day Itinerary for Seoul .

First stop on Day 2 is Jogyesa Buddhist Temple . Its main building – the temple with the Budha statue – is surrounded by a spacious courtyard decorated with paper lanterns. Jogyesa is open to the public and the entrance is free.

Next, walk to Bukchon Hanok Village – a traditional Korean village with small alleys and houses with hanok architecture. It’s located on the top of a hill between Changdeok Palace and Gyeongbok Palace. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace (or Gyeongbok Palace) was the main and the largest royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. It’s a big complex with many historical buildings and gardens. Plan to spend at least 1-2 hrs exploring Gyeongbokgung.

Just south to the Gyeongbok Palace lies Gwanghwamun Square . The square is surrounded by tall modern buildings and has two massive statues – the statue of King Sejong and the statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin. 

Continue walking from the Gwanghwamun Square towards Cheonggye Plaza and Cheonggyecheon. Cheonggyecheon is a public recreational space right in the heart of Seoul. It has lots of cafes and restaurants around and is a great place to stop for lunch.

In the afternoon explore Seoul on the other side of Han river. In that part of Seoul you will find the famous Gangnam suburb, a viewpoint to Banpo bridge with its colourful fountain, the 123-story Lotte World Tower with its Seoul Sky observation deck, as well as Lotte World Magic Island amusement park, as well as many other Seoul attractions.

Enjoy some shopping at Lotte World Mall or visit Lotte World Aquarium . Get to the observation deck of the Lotte World Tower – the tallest building in South Korea and the 6th tallest building in the world.

Last stop of the day is Banpo Bridge and its colourful show of the Banpo Bridge Moonlight Fountain. You can watch it from the Banpo Hangang Park, which is a 20 min by bus from Gangnam.

On the Day 3 of the South Korea 7 Day Itinerary, take a day trip from Seoul. 

There are quite a few day trips you can take from Seoul – check them out on Klook or GetYourGuide . We would like to recommend the one that we took ourselves – a day trip to Gapyeong county . 

On the day we were picked up in the morning by a tour bus (you can choose one of the meeting points when booking the tour). We visited three places in the Gapyeong county – Petite France and Italy villages, Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm.

Petite France and Italy are purpose built miniature villages (one French and one Italian) with cute houses, display rooms, small alleys and squares. Built on a hill the villages have nice viewpoints over the Korean countryside.

After making a stop for lunch (with traditional Korean food of fried chicken, veggies and spices), we went on a ferry to Nami Island . Nami Island on the Han River has lots of alleys with tall trees on the sides, gardens, sculptures, cafes and a few small shops. It’s a nice destination not only for nature lovers, but also for those who watch Korean drama series – Korean drama “Winter Sonata” was shot at Nami Island.

Last stop of the day is the Garden of Morning Calm – one of the oldest private gardens in Korea. We visited in spring and it had many blooming trees and flowers. In autumn you will find there abundance of fall colours. In winter they decorate gardens with colourful lights and illumination. And in summer, of course, you can enjoy all the greenery of the plants in the gardens. 

The tour bus will bring you back to Seoul in the evening around 7pm. If not too tired, take a walk in the center of Seoul after dark. Seoul is always a busy city, even at night.

Spend the last day in Seoul with leisure walks in city parks, shopping in popular shopping districts and visiting traditional Korean markets.

Start the day with a walk along the Seoul City Wall and in the Naksan park . From the Naksan Park, walk down to Ihwa Mural Village and then continue downhill to Dongdaemun gate .

Dongdaemun is a large shopping district in Seoul. There are many shopping malls, Dongdaemun Market and DDP – Dongdaemun Design Plaza. 

Next, take a metro to Myeongdong – another popular shopping and dining area in Seoul. Have a break for lunch at Myeongdong.

In the afternoon walk to the Namsan Mountain cable car station at the foot of the mountain. Take a cable car to the top to see N Seoul Tower and enjoy the views over Seoul. Then walk  through the Namsan park down to the city below.

Finish your day with an evening walk in Seoul and visiting one of Seoul’s night markets, for example, Namdaemun Market . You can buy food from the stalls and eat it on the way, or sit down to eat at one of the food kiosks/shops.

We spent our last day in Seoul in a very relaxed manner. Slow walks, just taking in the views and the city, making stops to taste Korean snacks, drinks and food, enjoying the atmosphere of the busy and diverse city of Seoul.

Next in our South Korea 7 Day Itinerary is the city of Busan. Busan is known for its beautiful beaches and a laid back atmosphere typical of a coastal city. 

In the morning – take a train to Busan

A direct speed train from Seoul to Busan takes only 2.5 hours. Read the ‘Travelling by Train in South Korea’ section in our post Things to know before travelling to South Korea for the information on how to get train tickets and a special KORAIL pass for tourists. 

Arriving in Busan, first of all, go to your hotel to leave the bags. Most of the hotels will store your suitcases before the check in time. Alternatively, you can store the bags at Busan train station and get them later when you’re ready to check in to the hotel.

First point of interest in Busan is Haeundae . You can take a bus or a subway from Busan train station to Haeundae. Visit Haeundae Market to grab a bite at one of its food stalls or to have lunch in one of its food restaurants. A short walk from the market is Haeundae Beach – a 1.5km long sandy beach popular with the locals and tourists alike. Have a walk at the beach, go to Dongbaek Park and Lighthouse or visit SEALIFE Busan Aquarium. 

Visit Busan X the Sky – an observation deck in a skyscraper located at the far end of the Haeundae Beach. Pay a small admission price and take a lift to the 100th floor. Floors 98 to 100 are open to the public and have amazing views over Busan and its coastline.

Next, take a leisure tram ride along the coast. Walk to ‘ Haeundae Blueline Park – Mipo Station ’ and take a beach tram from there to the end of the line to Songjeong Station. All the seats in the tram are facing windows, so you will enjoy seascape views while on the tram. 

Get off the tram at the Songjeong Station and walk to the Songjeong Beach . Songjeong beach is another nice beach in Busan, and it’s usually not as crowded as Haeundae beach. Have a walk at the Songjeong Beach and stay for lunch at one of the waterfront’s cafes along the beach.

From Songjeong Beach either walk or take a bus to Haedong Yonggungsa temple. Haedong Yonggungsa temple is a buddhist temple built on a rocky seashore. The setting of the temple is very picturesque and it’s well worth a visit when in Busan. On the way to the temple, at the end of Younggung-gil street there is a small market with street food/snacks and souvenirs. Prepare to spend 1-1.5 hrs at Haedong Yonggungsa temple and around.

Depending on your interests, not far from Haedong Yonggungsa temple you can visit Busan National Science Museum, Skyline Luge Busan, Lotte World Adventure park or Lotte Mall.

In the evening we returned to Haeundae Market to eat a variety of Korean street food and sweets. This is where we tried Korean sweet pancake Hotteok filled with honey and seeds, and Korean 10 Won bread filled with molten cheese. Alternatively, have dinner in one of the many cafes and restaurants of Haeundae.

If you’re not too tired, take a bus to either Millak Waterside Park or Namcheon Seaside Park – to finish the day with the night views over Busan cityscape and Gwangan Bridge .

Read our detailed post on the  2 Days in Busan Itinerary

On the Day 6 of the South Korea 7 Day Itinerary, take a day trip from Busan to Gyeongju. Gyeongju was the ancient capital of Korea and has lots of historical sights and places to visit. Attractions in Gyeongju are quite spread from each other and so we decided the easiest way to see them would be with a guided tour. We recommend this day tour from Busan that can be booked on Klook – Gyeongju day tour from Busan .

First stop of the day is the Buddhist temple complex – Bulguksa Temple . Bulguksa Temple is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the most important historic and scenic sites in South Korea. If you visit in spring, make sure to also make a stop at the park nearby to admire cherry blossoms.

Next stop is Hwangnidan-gil – a busy street with traditional Korean architecture and lots of small shops and cafes. We had a nice lunch there at a restaurant serving traditional Asian hot pot food, and afterwards enjoyed a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop.

Minutes from Hwangnidan street is Daereungwon – a large ancient tomb complex. You will recognize it by several tombs next to each other looking like big green hills in a park. One of the tombs is open for visitors and has excavated artefacts on the display.

Next, visit Gyochon Traditional Village to have a look how people used to live in the olden days when Gyeongju was the capital. Walk the alleys of the hanok village, admire the traditional Korean architecture and make sure to get down to the river to take a picture of the rebuilt 8th century Woljeong Bridge.

Last stop of the day trip to Gyeongju is Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond . There is a reason why tour guides leave visiting Donggung Palace until the end. While not that impressive during daylight, after sunset the place transforms with all the lights on and reflections in the pond. 

Return to Busan for the night.

On the last day of the South Korea trip explore the southern parts of Busan city . 

First thing in the morning of our last day in South Korea was breakfast in one of the bakery cafes in Busan. Travelling in South Korea you will notice that bakeries are quite popular and the variety of baked products is great! So, after a cup of coffee with local baked goods we checked out of the hotel and went to Busan train station to store our bags. Then, with a camera and a small backpack we took a bus to Gamcheon Culture Village.

Gamcheon Culture Village is a neighbourhood in Busan featuring many colourful houses spread over a hilly landscape. Historically, this is where the poor lived for a long time, until in 2009 the government decided to renovate and make the village into a culture hub. Now, with the colourful painted houses, art installations, cafes and souvenir shops, Gamcheon Culture Village is a popular place to visit in Busan.

After walking in the village and taking hundreds of pics from its different viewpoints, walk to BIFF square. BIFF square is a busy area with shopping, cinemas, street food and alleys with handprints of famous Korean actors. Not far from BIFF square is Yongdusan Park and its Busan Tower (also known as Diamond Tower). It was on our itinerary until we realised we spent too much time trying all the different street foods and searching for a Busan souvenir magnet in the shops around BIFF square. As we were flying from Korea in the evening, we were conscious of time on our last day in Busan. But if you have enough time then I’d recommend going for a walk in Yongdusan Park and getting up to the observation deck of the Diamond Tower.

Next, visit Jagalchi Market – a famous seafood market that is the largest in South Korea. You will find here a huge variety of fresh seafood. In the indoor section of the market you can order takeaway or eat-in food made out of the fresh seafood right there at the market. We didn’t eat at the Jagalchi Market (we were too full after the stalls at BIFF square), but it was still an interesting experience to see such a huge fish market with so much seafood variety.

Next point of interest is a man-made beach in Busan – Songdo Beach. Together with its pedestrian bridge-trails – Songdo Cloud Trails, surrounding cafes and coastal views, Songdo Beach is a nice place to visit in Busan.

Take a cable car (Busan Air Cruise) from the Songdo Bay Station to the Songdo Sky Park . Enjoy the nice views from the Songdo Sky Park, have a walk at Amnam Park or walk the suspension bridge to the small island of Dongseom.

If you still have time (depending on when you need to leave Busan for Seoul and Incheon International Airport) I’d recommend taking one of the walks at Yeongdo . Go to Hynyeoul Munhwa Maul – a cultural village with a nice waterside walk, then walk along the coast and up to the Yeongdo Haneul Observation Deck to admire the views.

That was the end of our trip in South Korea as it was time to take a train from Busan back to Seoul and then to Incheon International Airport to take our flight back home. 

This South Korea 7 Day Itinerary was just perfect for us – not too long, but enough time to see South Korea’s biggest cities, many historical and cultural sites, enjoy Korean food and see some of the natural sights in the country. 

Read next –  2 Days in Busan Itinerary

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4 thoughts on “ South Korea 7 Day Itinerary ”

That sounds a great itinerary, the unique buildings are definitely something that piqued my interest.

I just recently started to contemplate going to Korea. 1 week seems to be the perfect time for a visit. Seoul and Busan sound like interesting destinations! Thank you for this great itinerary!

I have always wanted to visit South Korea. It looks like you thoroughly enjoyed your trip there. Lots of things to see and do and defintely eat. I hope the language wasn’y much of an issue. Thanks for sharing your itinenary with us.

Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com/

Language wasn’t an issue at all. Many Koreans speak English, and sellers know some basic words. And everyone so friendly and ready to explain with signs if necessary:)) Plus, we quickly picked up few words in Korean too 🙂

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South Korea 10 Day Itinerary (+ Map)

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You have 10 days in South Korea, we have the perfect 10 day Korea itinerary.

We have a confession: We only visited South Korea because flights back home were cheaper than from Japan. In hindsight, we are super glad that we did because this country absolutely blew us away.

We decided to skip Jeju Island and focus on the history and culture of the mainland instead – and we can fully recommend this schedule.

For our Korea travel itinerary, we spend

• 4 days in Seoul
• 2 days in Andong
• 2 days in Gyeongju
• 2 days in Busan

10 Days Itinerary South Korea Map

South korea travel itinerary note, day 1: seoul – history and culture, day 2: seoul – gangnam, hongdae, and itaewon, day 3: seoul – day trip to the dmz, day 4: seoul – modern seoul, day 5: andong – day trip to hahoe folk village, day 6: andong, day 7: gyeongju, day 8: gyeongju – day trip to bulguksa temple, day 9: busan – downtown, day 10: busan – haeundae, where to next, 10 day south korea itinerary.

You’ll be travelling a small country. Your longest transfer time on this itinerary in South Korea is 2.5 hours. You can easily decide whether you want to transfer in the evenings to start your day exploring, in the mornings, to enjoy the nightlife, or even during the day.

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and most probably the place where you’ll arrive.

Start your first day in Korea at Seoul City Hall . Seoul Metropolitan Library right next to it has a free photo exhibition as well as a free rooftop garden.

From here, stroll to Gwanghwamun Square , the main square of Seoul. Enter Gyeongbokgung Palace , the main palace of Seoul, via Gwanghwamun Gate. The area is huge with several courtyards, buildings, pavilions, and gates.

Some optional stops along the way are

• Deoksugung Palace
• Seoul Museum of Art
• Seoul Museum of History
• National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
• National Folk Museum of Korea
• National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

After your lunch break, head to Bukchon Hanok Village . It’s a lovely area full of traditional Korean houses (Hanoks). Nowadays, it’s a very popular picture spot.

If you’re not all “palaced out” yet, we recommend you to head to Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung Palace .

If you can’t be bothered to see another palace, head to your first shrine of the day, Jongmyo , the oldest royal Confucian shrine preserved.

Next, stroll through Ikseon-dong Hanok Village to reach Insadong , Seoul’s art district. If you’re interested, you can pop into some of the galleries here.

We suggest Jogyesa Temple , the main temple of the Jogye school of Zen Buddhism in Korea, as your last stop of the day.

Where to Stay in Seoul

We stayed at Seoul Cube Jongro . The location was amazing. The capsules were comfy and clean and so were the bathrooms. We absolutely loved the free breakfast in the morning which we could prepare ourselves!

Make your way to Gangnam in the morning. Check out Bongeunsa Temple , COEX Mall with Starfield Library as well as the Statue of Gangnam Style.

Next, head over to Hongdae . While it’s not full of sights, it’s a very young neighbourhood full of cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. Stroll down Hongdae Street and try some of the street food. Or how about some chicken and beer at Chicken and Beer Street ?

Last but not least, head to Itaewon , Seoul’s international district. Check out Little Vietnam , Little Arabia or World Food Street . This is also the prime pub crawl destination in Seoul.

Personally, we think a tour of the DMZ, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea , belongs on every Korea bucketlist.

• 3rd Invasion tunnel
• Dora Observatory
• Unification Village
• Mt. Gamaksan Suspension Bridge

with DMZ Adventure and can fully recommend it. We have written a complete review of our DMZ Tour from Seoul .

Honest Review of Our DMZ Tour from Seoul, South Korea

We went on a DMZ Adventure and can fully recommend it!

For spa lovers like us, visiting a Korean spa was a must. We opted for Jongro Sauna as it was close to our accommodation and very affordable.

Hitting one of the many markets in Seoul is a must for food lovers (which we are as well). Gwangjang Market might be the most famous in the country. It was featured in Netflix's “Street Food: Asia” series. And of course, the infamous Anthony Bourdain ate here.

Stroll down the Cheonggyecheon Stream towards DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza). DDP with its plethora of art and history is one of the coolest buildings in Seoul.

Next, head to Namsan Seoul Tower . It is set on the top of Namsam Mountain and offers 360-degree views across Seoul. Namsan Seoul Tower is also a great spot to watch the sunset!

Later, hit Myeongdong , one of Seoul's main shopping and tourism districts. In case it’s getting late and you’re craving a snack, there’s even a night market here.

We have written a complete 4 days in Seoul itinerary (including a map) if you want more details!

4 Day Seoul Itinerary With Map

You have 4 days in Seoul Korea, we have the perfect itinerary for you!

Andong is famous for its folk heritage.

Start your first day in Andong by ticking off the highlight of your Andong bucketlist: Hahoe Folk Village . Hahoe Folk Village is one of the most famous folk villages in Korea. The Ryu clan has lived here for 600 years and they still make up 70 percent of the villagers today!

You can walk around the village and explore several residences and pavilions. The Hahoe World Mask Museum is included in your entrance fee!

Our personal highlight was the Hahoe Mask Dance Drama which was surprisingly unhinged.

We have written a complete Hahoe Folk Village travel guide (including a map) if you want more details!

Travel Guides

Hahoe Folk Village Travel Guide + Map (2024)

Currently, the most up-to-date travel guide to Hahoe Folk Village in South Korea!

In case you’re hungry after your adventures in Hahoe, head to Andong Gu Market to taste some delicious Jjimdak .

Afterwards, we recommend a little stroll through downtown Andong and the Nakdong River Musical Fountain Show to end your day.

How to Get from Seoul to Andong

You can either take the bus or the train. We took the bus.

Where to Stay in Andong

We stayed at Queen Motel Andong and could not recommend it any more. The location is absolutely perfect. Our room was large, clean, and super well-equipped. The staff was amazing. You can get free hot drinks in the lobby all day round and there’s also a very basic free breakfast in the morning.

Hop on the bus to Bongjeongsa Temple , the largest Buddhist Temple in Andong.

There’s loads more to explore in Andong. We recommend starting with the Andong Traditional Cultural Contents Museum and Okjeong-dong Hanok Village right next to it.

If you’re into street art, you shouldn’t miss Seongjingol Mural Village , Andong’s very own cultural village.

From here, it’s an easy stroll to the seven-story brick pagoda at Beopheungsa Temple and further up Nakdong River on the newly constructed promenade on the southern river bank.

Eventually, you’ll reach the Municipal Folk Museum and Andong Folk Village where you can learn more about the folk heritage of Andong.

The nearby Wolyeoung Bridge , the longest wooden bridge in Korea, is especially beautiful around sunset.

Depending on your timing, we recommend having dinner either at Andong Soju Museum or Andong Food Street .

We have written a complete Andong travel guide and itinerary (including a map) if you want more details!

Andong Itinerary & Travel Guide (+ Map)

You have two days in Andong, we have the perfect Andong itinerary for you!

Gyeongju is also known as “museum without walls”. So put on your walking shoes and explore all of the amazing historical sights.

Start with what we consider to be the city's highlight: The Daereunwong Tomb Complex . They are a complex of ancient burial mounds from the Silla period which form a very unique landscape.

Exit towards the south to get to Cheomseongdae Observatory , the oldest surviving observatory in Asia.

From here, it’s an easy walk to Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village where you can explore traditional Korean Hanoks as well as the scenic Woljeong Bridge .

Next, make your way to Gyeongju National Museum which is devoted to relics of the Silla kingdom.

If you still have the time and energy, you can also explore Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond , the  Hwangnyongsa Temple Site , and Bunhwangsa Pagoda.

Jungang Night Market is a nice spot for dinner.

How to Get from Andong to Gyeongju

We think a bus is the most convenient option to get from Andong to Gyeongju.

Where to Stay in Gyeongju

We stayed at Han Jin Hostel and enjoyed it a lot. While the rooms are quite basic, the location is amazing and the owner an absolute gem!

Start your day by taking the bus to Bulguksa Temple . The large temple complex is considered as a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla kingdom.

From here, you can hop on another bus to Seokguram Grotto , the representative cave temple of Korea.

Head to Hwangnidan Street , the main street of Gyeongju. It is lined with cafes, restaurants, and shops. The side streets are filled with cute cafes and street art.

We have written a complete Gyeongju travel guide and itinerary (including a map) if you want more details!

2 Day Gyeongju Itinerary & Backpacking Guide (+ Map)

You have two days in Gyeongju, we have the perfect Gyeongju itinerary for you!

Busan is Korea’s second-largest city and the perfect blend of beach vibes with urban comforts.

Start your exploration of downtown Busan at Jagalchi Market , Korea's largest seafood market. Afterwards, walk to the heart of Busan, BIFF Square .

From Gwangbok-ro shopping street , take the free Yongdusan Park Escalator to get up the hill to Busan Tower where you can enjoy 360° views over Busan.

In the afternoon, head to Gamcheon Culture Village , a cultural village like many others in Korea: Full of colourful houses, alleys, and street art.

Your last stop of the day will be Songdo Beach where you can explore the artificial Songdo Waterfal l and the Songdo Cloud Trail .

From here, you can take the Busan Air Cruise cable car to Songdo Sky Park. Here, you can explore Amnam Park and walk across Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge to Dongseom Island .

How to Get from Gyeongju to Busan

We think the train is the better option to get from Gyeongju to Busan.

Where to Stay in Busan

We stayed in Sohostel Korea . The owner speaks perfect English and goes above and beyond with his hospitality. There’s a lovely common area with video games and a well-equipped kitchen with free coffee and tea.

On your last day in Korea, head to Haeundae . Check out Gunam-ro Street and Haeundae Market on your way to the beach.

Haeundae Beach is a nice place to spend the morning – even if it’s not beach weather. It’s where SEALIFE and Busan X the Sky , Korea’s second tallest building, are located.

In the afternoon, take the Haeundae Beach Train or Haeundae Sky Capsule along the coast of Busan. Once you make it to Songjeong Beach , you can relax and watch the surfers.

If you still have the time and energy, you can make your way further up the coast to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple , one of Korea’s most important temples with a beautiful-looking setting on the cliffs overlooking the sea.

We have written a complete 2 days in Busan itinerary (including a map) if you want more details!

2 Day Busan Itinerary + Map

You have 2 Days in Busan, we have the perfect itinerary for Busan!

You can either make your way back to Seoul or take the ferry from Busan to Fukuoka in Japan.

Fukuoka to Busan Ferry – Our Review

We took the Camellia Line ferry from Fukuoka to Busan.

Fukuoka 1 Day Itinerary With Map

You want to see Fukuoka in one day, we have the perfect itinerary for you!

Efficient 8 Days Itinerary in Japan – Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima

With our efficient 8 day Japan itinerary, you can visit 6 places in 8 days!

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Home » Destinations » Europe » South Korea

10 Top Reasons to Visit South Korea (For your Next Trip)

One of the most compelling places to consider for your next trip is South Korea, an exciting destination that pleases even the most seasoned explorers.

With its distinct cuisine, signs of ancient civilisations, and modern entertainment, this East Asian nation gives you plenty of reasons to plan your next trip here. We have selected 10 top reasons to experience South Korea yourself. Read on to discover more.

1. Admire the wonderful architecture

An excellent place to kick off your journey through Korea is the capital Seoul. This vast metropolis is home to some outstanding pieces of engineering. Such as the Dongdaemun Design Plaza , with its abstract shapes and lines, and Ewha Womans University are just some of the examples of contemporary design in Korea’s largest city.

For more historic vibes, wander around Bukchon Hanok Village , a traditional settlement within Seoul where you’ll find a collection of charming, long-established brick homes with pointy roofs and wooden doors.

Gyeongju is another Korean hotspot for architecture lovers. In this southeastern city, you’ll discover 7th-century observation towers, mysterious tomb hills erected for kings, and the majestic Woljeong Bridge that’s magically illuminated at night.

2. Dine on authentic Korean food

Korean food has spread around the globe, but what’s better than to feast on your favourite Korean delicacies in the birthplace of the cuisine? Korean barbecue is an iconic culinary phenomenon and a social event at the same time. As you are chatting with friends or family, the meats and side dishes are grilled on top of your table, creating a scent that makes you drool long before the first bite.

Kimchi – fermented vegetables – and the tteokbokki rice cakes are everyday staples in Korean cuisine. So is bibimbap, a rice dish with mixed greens, seaweed and eggs on top, that makes for a gooey treat when mixed together. When in Korea, don’t forget to try the mouthwatering cold noodle soups, such as soy milk noodle soup and kimchi noodle soup.

3. Explore South Korea’s breathtaking nature

Although Korea’s food, culture and humming city life are famous abroad, the country has some exceptional nature reserves as well. To get your nature thrills, visit Bukhansan National Park . This area lies near Seoul, and its extensive forests, craggy summits, and quiet temples make for a wonderful contrast with the capital.

Taeanhaean National Park shows an entirely different side of South Korea’s diverse pallet of landscapes. This marine park on the west coast has lovely walking trails along its endless beaches and hosts roughly 1200 animal species, many of these being waterfowls.

In total, South Korea has 22 national parks to offer, so should you like nature and the outdoors then it’ll be a great place for you.

4. Dive into the nightlife

Although Korea is known to have a working culture, when the time is right to unwind, Koreans know how to throw a party and can have blowouts until the early hours. If you want to experience an epic Korean bash, then the best place to get started is the Hongdae district in Seoul. This area has numerous underground clubs and bars where you can dance and play games until the sun comes up.

Daegu is also a favoured destination for partygoers, as this southern city houses many clubs. For night time entertainment in a more calm setting, head to Daegu Opera House and witness a classical music performance in their majestic hall.

Busan scores high when it comes to late-night thrills. Hop by Galmegi Brewing for locally brewed craft beers, visit pubs and restaurants with stunning city views at The Bay 101, or sit down for a relaxing concert at The Grand Theatre.

5. Enjoy island hopping in Korea

South Korea has over 3000 islands, ranging from vast and populated isles to hidden atolls no one has ever set foot on. One of the most beloved islands in Korea is Jeju , a volcanic archipelago in the south that has beautiful volcanic features, waterfalls, and Korea’s highest mountain peak: Mount Hallasan (1947 metres). A ferry ride away from Jeju you’ll find Marado and Gapado, two fascinating islands with scenic walking tracks, flower fields, and unique dolmen tombs.

Dadohaehaesang National Park is another pure heaven for island fans. On the main island Hongdo, you can tackle hikes along the steep coastal cliffs, dine on the freshest seafood, or take a boat tour around the island. While cruising Hongdo’s shoreline, you might even spot porpoises and orcas. From Hongdo, you can venture to other isles in the national park.

6. Discover the coolest cities

While Korea’s nature is peaceful and pristine, urban life in South Korea is exciting and full of action. Seoul is the absolute eye-catcher with its dazzling architecture, pumping nightlife, and grand palaces. For a proper introduction to the royal architecture and history of the city, head for Gyeongbokgung Palace and see the spectacular changing of the guards. If you instead wish to soak up views of the entire metropolis, you can hop on the elevator in the N Seoul Tower and see the city from the observation deck.

Busan, another city, is loved for good reasons. It’s located along the coast in the southeast and has fantastic beaches, the Gamcheon Cultural Village with its vibrantly coloured houses, and a fabulous seafood market where fresh catch is displayed.

Admirers of old architecture will feel at home in Gyeongju, while Daegu is an excellent place to see impressive Buddhist temples and wander around age-old markets.

7. Learn more about Korea’s rich culture and history

South Korea has an incredibly rich history that dates back several millennia BC, and the current state was once part of tribal empires and kingdoms. Since the Korean War, South Korea has a tense relationship with neighbouring North Korea. One of the prominent places to learn more about this conflict and the history of the Koreas is the DMZ. As a tourist, you can visit the DMZ and see the Panmunjom-Joint Security Area where peace talks were held in the past.

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is another fine example that shows the country’s culture and history, as this 18th-century castle was in important defensive work for the city of Suwon and a brilliant piece of architecture.

Amazing spots to dig deep into Korea’s past include the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, both located in Seoul. These museums have exhibitions on art, history, and archaeological finds.

See Tours for the DMZ

8. Visit the dazzling temples

Korea has gained fame for its wonderful temples, some of which are hidden in the remotest of mountain ranges and others are publicly visible on the streets of the busy cities. In terms of absolute beauty, Gangcheonsa Temple will be on everyone’s list of favourites. This brightly coloured complex is surrounded by rock formations, stunning bridges and a forest that’s especially pretty during the autumn.

Golgulsa Temple is partially carved out of limestone walls and is a dazzling sight to behold in Korea’s east coast. The monks at Golgulsa Temple teach sunmudo , a type of Buddhist martial art that’s been practised for centuries. In this compound, as well as in many others, you can experience a temple stay. This way of indulging in the Korean Buddhist culture is a formidable way to unwind and learn something new, such as martial arts, meditation, or yoga.

Temple stays are accessible everywhere in South Korea and they generally include sleeping within the complex, participating in tea ceremonies, and eating traditional vegetarian food.

9. Exciting entertainment

Even people who have never been to South Korea will know the country for e-sports and anime. Seoul is ground zero for hardcore gamers and everyone looking for a fun night out. The capital hosts Lotte World , the world’s largest indoor theme park with a monorail train, heaps of rollercoaster rides, and massive game arcade halls. You can also visit the observation deck on the 123rd floor of the building for incredible views over Seoul.

E-sports are serious business in South Korea, and if you want to compete, it’s possible to participate in gaming tournaments spread over the country.

For a more casual gaming session, enter one of the numerous arcade halls and pick from multiple types of amusements.

10. Experience the Korean Wave

The popular culture of Korea is adopted all over the world, and millions are following the latest Korean dramas and K-pop music trends. Whether you’re a true fan on a Korean Wave pilgrimage or interested in pop culture in general, South Korea is obviously the place to go to fulfil your K-Wave dreams.

A first-rate spot to start your entertaining journey is the K-Live Korean Wave Hologram Theatre in Incheon. Here, you can listen to K-pop and sing till your heart’s content to favoured classics. Next door you can step into the world of virtual reality at Songdo Monster VR, where you can go on exhilarating rides and play VR games.

At the K-Wave Experience in Seoul Gangnam District, you’ll have the chance to dress up as your favourite artist. Pictorials and karaoke are included, and a fun time is guaranteed.

Across South Korea, you’ll also find hundreds of recognisable film locations where scenes from Korean dramas were shot.

The unique mixture of history, culture, nature and food is what draws most travellers to Korea. For those that haven’t been, it would be a fantastic place to visit for one of your next trips. Whether you’re in for an adventure in the great outdoors, looking for a relaxing temple stay, or submerge yourself in the Korean pop culture, this East Asian country has the potential to keep you entertained for weeks.

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Huub Lakerveld

Huub travels around the world as a digital nomad since early 2018, while working as a travel writer. His passion for travel is driven by connecting with locals and searching for different landscapes. Always joined by his favourite travel companions: a camera and notebook. 

Read full bio | More articles by Huub

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Photo Essay: Visiting Seoul, South Korea

By: Author Mark Wiens

Posted on Last updated: June 17, 2019

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is a huge, sprawling mega-city, and though it seemed intimidating at first, after spending a few days there I soon realized that the majority of the central part of the city revolves around the Seoul N Tower on top of Namsan mountain (pictured straight ahead).

Gyeongbukgung Palace

The Gyeongbukgung Palace is one of Seoul's most iconic landmarks.

Originally built in the 14th century, the palace has experienced an up and down history of being destroyed and rebuilt.

Now the compound is open to thousands of locals and tourists that leisurely browse and relax on the palace grounds.

Namdaemun Market

Seoul just wouldn't be the same without bustling markets. The Namdaemun Market in central Seoul is one of the oldest and largest in the city.

You can buy all sorts of locally made Korean products, clothes, and there's even an indoor section that's full of imported foods from around the world.

If you're looking for fresh seafood you've got to check out the  Noryangjin fish market .

Jogyesa Buddhist Temple

Directly in the center of skyrise buildings is the traditional Korean Jogyesa Buddhist Temple.

On the outside of the temple there is an ancient tree that is strung with impressively bright pink, green and blue paper lanterns.

Korean War Memorial and Museum

To be honest, when I first showed up at the Korean War Memorial and Museum I wasn't all that thrilled.

However after walking around and exploring the selection of real tanks and interactive military vehicles I was impressed.

Bukchon Hanok village

The Bukchon Hanok village is one of the best places to take a stroll in Seoul.

The traditional style of village offers a chance to catch a glimpse of historical Seoul.

On one street there's also a good selection of tempting street snacks!

Gwangjang Market

What would Seoul be without delicious food? It would certainly be a lot less entertaining, but we don't have to worry, because I can assure you there's absolutely no shortage of food in Seoul.

When I was there, my absolute favorite place for Korean food was at the Gwangjang Market.

Korean Barbecue

For a nicer sit-down meal, nothing beats a Korean barbecue.

Sitting at a table and cooking raw meat on a grill right before your nose is simply one of the joys of being in South Korea!

People from around the world visit Seoul with a mission to go shopping. Myeongdong is probably the most famous and most popular shopping streets in the city.

Each day countless people come to purchase cosmetics, bright colored tennis shoes, and cheaper street clothing.

End of the day in Seoul, South Korea

When the sun dies down, Seoul stays alive.

The endless shopping, the scrumptious food and the friendly spirit of Seoul make it a wonderful city with so much to offer!

Mark was raised in central Africa before migrating back to the U.S. for University. After graduating, he decided to continue traveling the world. On Migrationology , he shares the cultural side of travel from a slow-paced local perspective that often revolves around his love for eating all forms of food. Join him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @migrationology .

Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:

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• Hostelworld for booking hostels.

Tuesday 7th of March 2017

What a lovely photo essay on Seoul! South Korea is such a beautiful Korea. I moved here two years ago. It still is a hidden gem as not many traveler there! What else did you do when you were in Korea?

AdventureRob

Tuesday 19th of June 2012

I've always wondered what there was to do in Seoul, nice to get a few ideas here (especially that military museum) as it's not on many people's 'must see' list.

Search on OralHistory.ws Blog

Exploring Seoul’s Rich History: An Insightful Essay Sample

Table of content

Journey to the Past: Unearthing Seoul’s Millennia-old History

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is officially known as the Seoul Special City because it is a directly controlled municipality of equal status to the country’s provinces. The Korean term Seoul is the direct translation of the word capital city. According to Ladd (n.d.), this reference to Seoul was first used in 1946, following the end of the Second World War II. The city is located in the middle of the Korean Peninsula, close to the western coastal line, and in the northwest corner of South Korea proper, several kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone border separating South Korea from North Korea. The port city of Incheon neighbors Seoul to the west. Incheon, Seoul, and other satellite cities form the Great Seoul region.

High mountains surround Seoul. In addition, the capital city is regarded as the Korean center of architecture, politics, religion, and other significant cultural expressions such as dance, art, and fashion. This has made it a significant tourist destination in Asia. Seoul is the largest metropolitan area in the world after Tokyo, with over 25 million inhabitants (Kim, 2012b). The main language spoken in this city is Korean. Almost half of all South Koreans reside in Seoul alone. However, the city is home to many ex-patriots as well. It is classified as a megacity and the largest city in the OECD. Two main religions are practiced in Seoul: Christianity and Buddhism. However, several minor religions exist, such as Confucianism.

Seoul has a long and rich history. Shin and Sneider (2011) assert that 600 years of Korean history can be found within this city. However, the overall history of the region can be traced back to 18 BC (Shin & Sneider, 2011). It is thus believed that the history of Seoul calculated from the present goes back over two millenniums. Seoul has developed mainly as a capital city since its inception in the 14th century (Shin & Sneider, 2011). This is because various dynasties have constantly used it as their capital. The city’s propitious location between mountains and a river presents a clue for this preference and explains why kings favored it. For instance, King Taejo, the first ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, one of the kingdoms that settled in Seoul, chose this city as his capital. Currently, Seoul is one of the leading and rising global cities. The city has undergone an economic boom that has propelled it to this position. This economic transformation, commonly known as the miracle on the Han River, has led to the city contributing to a significant chunk of South Korea’s GDP.

Embarking on a Timeless Journey: Unraveling Seoul

This study seeks to trace the history of Seoul from the beginning of ancient times to the current modern, metropolitan city that it has become. This discussion aims to explore Seoul as a city from when it was founded in the 14th century to the current time in the 21st century. An etymology of the city will also be given. The focus is to present the historical development of the city’s name, Seoul. This is because the city has been known by many names throughout history. The early history of Seoul will also be assessed. This will feature two main areas of interest. The first will be the prehistoric period of the city. This information will be derived from the findings of various archaeological studies conducted on the city. The second area of interest will cover the three kingdoms period. This will feature an exploration of three dynasties that ruled Seoul and the impact of this on the historical development of the city. The final area of interest will include the city’s architectural development, religion, and language.

The Tapestry of Time: Seoul’s Historical Saga

What’s in a name tracing seoul’s nomenclature through the ages.

Seoul has, throughout its history, been known by several names. One such name was Wirye-Seong. Kim (2014) postulates that this was the name used for the city during the Baekje Kingdom. Another name that was used to refer to this city was Namgyeong. This name was mostly used during the time of the Goryeo dynasty. Hanseong is another name that was used to refer to the city. This took place during the era of both the Baekje and Joseon Dynasties. Another name that this city was given was Hanyang. The name was mostly used during the Joseon era. When the city came under colonial rule, the name Gyeongseong was used as a reference. During the Japanese annexation of Korea, the city was called Keijo. The Japanese Imperialists made this change to eliminate confusion with the name Hanja, which was also a reference to the Han in Chinese. The current name, Seoul, derives from the Korean language used in ancient times, meaning capital. The city received this name after the nation gained independence from Japan following the end of the Second World War in 1945.

The Dawn of Time: Seoul’s Ancient Beginnings

Prehistoric. Humans first settled in the area of current-day Seoul during the Paleolithic age. They were believed to have made settlements along the Han River and nearby areas such as Kanghwa, Yong-in, P’aju, and Inch’ on. This has been confirmed by archaeological findings that illustrate people in this area started to live a settled life during the Neolithic age. According to Seth (2010), some prehistoric remains discovered in present-day Seoul are believed to date back approximately 3000-7000 years ago. It is believed that discoveries such as bronze were responsible for prompting the people living in this area during the prehistoric age to slowly move away from the Han River. As a result, the people started to make settlements in the direction of inland settlement regions. During this prehistoric time, it is believed that people lived in small, tribal states. Their main activity was farming, which they carried out using tools made of stone and earthenware. Some of the relics discovered by archaeologists include dolmens and shell mounds. These relics indicate a civilization along the fertile parts of the Han River basin during prehistoric times.

The period of the 3 kingdoms. The background of the three kingdoms shows that their rule began from around 57 BC to 668 AD (Ladd, n.d.). In addition, it is sometimes said that the three kingdoms first emerged during the time of Christ. Kim (2014) suggests that the term the three kingdoms was first used to refer to these kingdoms in titles of Korean histories around the 12th and 13th centuries. The historical title of Samguk Sagi was used in the 12th century, while Samguk Yusa was used in the 13th century (Kim 2014). Using these two terms for these three kingdoms allows them to understand the Chinese three kingdoms. The formation of the three kingdoms is believed to have been after the fall of Gojosean, a significantly ancient kingdom. At this precise time, each of the three kingdoms decided to conquer the weaker states around them and ended up in the Peninsula region where modern-day Seoul was located.

These three kingdoms comprised the ancient Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo kingdoms. They are regarded as some of the kingdoms that influenced Seoul greatly, with this influence even spanning to the present. It is believed that all three kingdoms had similar cultures and languages. This was critical since it made it easy for the kingdoms to assert their control in the city when one of them was removed from power following its defeat by another. Besides the obvious political influence of these three kingdoms, they also brought in new ways of life that were significant in influencing the cultural development of the Asian city. This touched on aspects such as religion, language, and architecture as each Kingdom tried to assert its presence in the city. One important factor is that Silla later unified the three kingdoms after centuries of conflict. Kim (2012a) postulates this was around 57 BC and AD935. This allowed the three kingdoms to practice significant control over the entire Peninsula region. This Kingdom first conquered the Kingdom of Goguryeo and then the Kingdom of Baekje after ending its alliance with it. Historians spoke of a unified Korea for the first time during this time.

The ancient Kingdom of Baekje. The Kingdom of Baekje, also known as Paekche, is believed to be the first to show its presence in Seoul. Kim (2012b) said Baekje was a highly centralized and aristocratic kingdom. It was first founded as a member of the Mahan Confederacy. This existed between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD in the region around the Korean Peninsula, where modern-day Seoul is located. This Kingdom was believed to have amalgamated Chinese and indigenous influence into the city. The Kingdom of Baekje occupied Seoul in the 3rd century AD (Kim 2012b). This was a time in the Kingdom when it was believed to have gathered enough strength and advantage to defeat its rivals and thus take control of the city. Some of these rivals were other Mahan chiefdoms. Its official entry into Seoul took place around 18 BC. It is believed that the capital city of the Kingdom of Baekje Wiryeseong was inside modern-day Seoul. Further, some of the city’s remains have been established to be dated from this period, confirming the existence of the Baekje Kingdom.

During the reign of this Kingdom in Seoul, many interesting cultures were introduced to the city. This did not only touch the way of life of the people of this city but also their system of governance. Seth (2010) states one such new introduction was the father-to-son royal succession, which became a common Korean custom. This is said to have been introduced by the Baekje Kingdom, particularly by King Geun Chugo. Later on, the grandson of King Geun Chugo made a significant contribution to Seoul when he introduced a new religion, Buddhism, which became the city’s most common and accepted religion. This took place around the year 384 (Kim, 2012a). Shin and Sneider (2011) note that before its defeat in 660 by the alliance between Silla and the Chinese Tang Dynasty, bringing about a unified Silla, the Baekje Kingdom controlled a significant western part of the Korean Peninsula. This control stretched as far as the North of Pyongyang. It is also believed that the Baekje Kingdom had influence as far as China with territories such as Liaoxi. The presence of this Kingdom in such areas had a noteworthy influence on Seoul, introducing new practices and ways of life into the city.

The ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo. The Goguryeo Dynasty defeated the Kingdom of Baekje and took over the Korean Peninsula region. The dynasty was seeking to strategically establish its position in the region. This was believed to have occurred in 392 (Ladd, n.d.). At the time, the Goguryeo Kingdom was also called the Northern Kingdom. This Kingdom emerged from the North and south banks of the Yalu River. Its emergence occurred in the wake of the fall of the Gojoseon Dynasty. The Kingdom is first mentioned in Chinese records dating back to 75 BC (Kim, 2012a). This was through a remark concerning a commandery that the Han Dynasty established. This Kingdom is said to have been very well advanced, and it brought this advancement to Seoul and transformed it into a leading city of the region at the time. One fact about this Kingdom that makes it stand out is that it was the largest of the three. The large size of the Kingdom of Goguryeo extended to border China. This led to it being influenced by Chinese culture, which it brought to Seoul when it established it as its capital. This Chinese cultural influence led to the city adopting Buddhism as its official religion.

The ancient Kingdom of Silla. However, the control of the Goguryeo Dynasty was short-lived. This was due to the seizure of the region by Silla. Seth (2010) notes that the Kingdom of Silla initially allied with the Baekje in 551 and established control of the region. However, the alliance ended later, and Silla decided to conquer the entire peninsula region for itself. This thus became the last Kingdom to govern the city of Seoul.

According to Ladd (n.d.), the Kingdom of Silla was initially named Saro before being renamed Silla in 503. It is vital to note that the name Silla was also used in this city. Before succeeding in taking over the Peninsula Region and the city of Seoul, Silla had to fight off enemies such as the Goguryeo Kingdom. To do this, it decided to form new alliances and thus reached out to the Tang Dynasty of China. Following its defeat of its rival Goguryeo, this Kingdom ended its alliance with this Chinese Dynasty. Before cutting off ties with the Tang Dynasty, besides gaining a political ally that helped it defeat its enemies, the Kingdom of Silla also gained from the dynasty in other ways. Thus, besides its own culture, Silla also included some aspects of the culture of the Tang dynasty. The high officials of the Kingdom were trained at the Confucian Academy. Despite the amalgamation of some aspects of the culture of the Tang Dynasty, Silla’s culture remained distinct and one of the most advanced in the world. This, to a large extent, paints a picture of the status of things in Seoul about culture during the time of the Silla Kingdom in the city.

As mentioned earlier, Silla practiced Buddhism in the city since the three kingdoms were culturally similar. Consequently, this became the official religion used in Seoul after establishing the Kingdom in the city. However, the Kingdom of Silla differs slightly from the first two kingdoms of Baekje and Goguryeo in that it was less influenced by Chinese culture.

The three kingdoms from an archaeological perspective. An archaeological perspective can be used to further understand the influence of the three kingdoms in Seoul. Some of the main archaeological sites that can be dated back to this period include excavated cemeteries, many of which are located in the mountains surrounding the city. It is claimed that the archaeological evidence of the three kingdoms’ existence has increased considerably over the years. Kim (2012b) affirms that this increase peaked during the 1990s. In particular, this increase has featured sites involving ancient industrial production, roads, palaces, ceremonial sites, and houses of commoners. An archaeological discussion of the three kingdoms will feature the following aspects. The first will involve the formation of the three kingdoms. The second part of the discussion will feature archeological evidence from burials. The third part of the discussion will entail archaeological evidence from the factory production of pottery and roof tiles. The final part of the archaeological evidence will highlight various monumental architecture and capital cities.

The archaeological discussion on the formation of the three kingdoms begins with the assertion that there existed various links of complex societies of people in the chiefdoms of Korea that can be dated back as far as 700 BC, as postulated by (Shin & Sneider, 2011). However, some of the best evidence suggests that the three kingdoms developed around 300 BC and 300 or 400 AD (Seth, 2010). This, however, does not necessarily mean that states existed during the BC era, as archaeologists have yet to prove this with certainty. This archaeological evidence shows that the correlates of state societies did not develop at one particular time; instead, this took place in spurts and started at various points in time. Kim (2014) states that the development of states and thus the possibility of the existence of the three kingdoms became a possibility around 100-400 AD. This is confirmed by the fact that this was when most individual states, societies and kingdoms had come about in good numbers.

The archaeological discussion on the development of the three kingdoms using evidence from burials began with archaeologists analyzing cemeteries. These were discovered around the late 2nd century. The discovery was made in regions believed to have been the Kingdoms of Silla and Gaya. The analysis results indicated that these were graves belonging to the elites of that time (Kim, 2012a).

This was true for the prestige grave goods. This, however, was not witnessed on a regional scale among the cemeteries. Further archaeological evidence shows that during this time, the size of the graves of the elites was increasing. These graves used a wooden chamber construction technique. Changes began to emerge during the 3rd century. A distinct pattern began to show in the cemeteries of the single elites considered to hold the highest status. The cemeteries of these elites were constructed along ridgelines, on hilltops, and in the region’s mountainous areas. This is a critical fact given that mountains surrounded the city of Seoul, indicating that the cemeteries of the elites must have been constructed in these areas. To further enhance the importance of their status, the high-status elites were buried in much larger tombs located at the highest points. This information sheds light on how burials took place in Seoul as the three kingdoms introduced their aspects of the burial process and the cemeteries.

The archaeological evidence on factory production focuses specifically on pottery and roof tiles. While archaeological evidence from the burial places of the three kingdoms were indicators of the regional political hierarchies that existed at the time, this evidence can also be used to show the economic activities and culture of the three kingdoms. Pottery was one of the main activities that was performed in the three kingdoms. In the beginning, the people focused on varying their pottery production. However, this gradually ended and ultimately disappeared and was replaced with full-time specialization in pottery production. According to Seth (2010), this change came at the end of the 4th century, when pottery production was critical in the three kingdoms. The vessels that were produced became standardized and production centralized. The archaeological excavation at Songok-dong in Gyeongju evidence this. This excavation provides evidence of the ancient industrial complex that must have existed in Seoul during the periods of each of the three kingdoms in the city. During the excavation of the archaeological sites in the 1990s, some of the discovered artifacts included remains of pottery kilns, roof tile kilns, and kilns made from charcoal (Shin & Sneider, 2011). Other interesting archaeological remains that were found included buildings and workshops that were linked with the production of this pottery.

Other significant periods of Seoul. Following the fall of the Three Kingdoms, other powers showed interest in controlling Seoul, leading to additional periods in the city’s history.

Goryeo period. The first of these was the Goryeo period. The Goryeo Dynasty came into Seoul and the peninsula region under the leadership of Wang Geon, who was described as a formidable military leader. Kim (2014) opines in particular that the dynasty came to Seoul following the defeat of its rival, the Kingdom of Silla, in 935. This officially ended the rule of the three kingdoms in Seoul. The dynasty was established in 918 by King Taejo (Kim 2014). One of the most interesting facts about Goryeo is that it is believed to be where the name Korea originated. Goryeo occupation of this region unified the boundaries that Korea today retains and those of the city of Seoul. Goryeo interest in Korea and, ultimately, in Seoul was fueled by the common belief that the most strategic Kingdom is one that has control of the Peninsula Region. This region was significant and was thus fought for by many as it was the center of transportation critical in driving economic activities. According to Ladd (n.d.), this occurred in 1104 following the Goryeo interest in gaining control of the city. The ruler of the Goryeo Dynasty at the time, King Sukjong, quickly instructed the construction of a palace in Gaesung. This area at the time was known as the Southern Capital or Namgyeong. The Goryeo period saw the city develop into a region with high political standing. This dynasty was just like others before it fell. Its collapse was due to an uprising led by General Yi Seong-Hye. He then proceeded to establish the Joseon dynasty.

Joseon period. The second period became the Joseon Period. This is believed to be the period when Seoul’s significance as a city began. This dynasty emerged in Seoul following the defeat of Goryeo by General Yi Seong-Hye. Kim (2012b) reiterates its presence in Seoul was first felt in 1394. The Joseon Dynasty decided to move its capital to Seoul. At the time, the city was known as Hanyang. This name was later changed to Hanseong, which meant “Fortress City on the Han”, as it was located on the basin of the Han River. It is believed that this was when the city became the capital of Korea. Yi Seong-Hye, now the king, had searched extensively for a location before settling on Seoul. He had wanted a place that would operate as a long-term phase of his government. Another reason why Yi Seong-Hye chose Seoul as his capital was because the city was geographically ideal for constructing palaces. Furthermore, it was an area that was fit for people to live in. Apart from palaces, stately buildings and royal shrines were also built.

The occupation of Seoul by the Joseon Dynasty lasted throughout its reign and ended later, following the fall of the Kingdom. The city was referred to as a fortress because it was surrounded by an immense circular wall that was put up during the reign of King Taejo, whose goal was to have a secure capital city. Therefore, the significance of this wall is to guarantee protection to the citizens of the city from various wild animals and other threats, such as outside invaders. During the wall construction, the ancient Koreans were aided by the plans of the inner mountains surrounding the city and geomatics. The inner walls made constructing the wall easier because the natural terrain along the ridgeline of the inner walls of the four mountains was used to show how the wall would follow in its construction. It is estimated that about 197,000 workers built the wall (Shin & Sneider, 2011). This lasted for 98 days, with the wall stretching for 17 kilometers (Shin & Sneider, 2011). A significant part of this wall remains intact in present-day Seoul and is an important tourist site. It is essential to note that this wall was vital for the city, and because of this, it underwent two major repairs. The first occurred in 1422, while the other occurred in 1899 (Shin & Sneider, 2011). That second repair was carried out to ease the impact of the city’s rapid modernization and expansion that was taking a toll on its infrastructure.

Further changes to the wall took place in the 20th century (Shin & Sneider, 2011). Seth (2010) reiterates that 1907, a wall section was torn down to allow the then-Prince Yoshihito to pass through as he visited Seoul. The prince had refused to use the gates to enter the city. This gate was later restored in the 1970s (Seth, 2010). This restoration involved the Samcheong section. The gates of the wall, which have come to be referred to as the Eight Gates, were open during the day and closed at night. The people were alerted of this opening and closing of the gates through large ringing bells. The trace of the city during this period can still be felt in modern-day Seoul. In particular, these traces include the south gate and the east gate, referred to as Namdaemun and Heunginjimun, respectively, at the time following their construction.

The initial years of Joseon rule in Seoul were relatively peaceful. During this time, Seoul grew into a real cosmopolitan city. One development during this time was the Korean alphabet, which, according to Kim (2012a), came about around the 14th century. King Sejong is credited with having pushed for its development. Another significant historical development was Confucianism, which became the religion of the day. To assert the adaptation of Confucianism into the city, the Joseon Dynasty completely banned Buddhism and Catholicism. This was practiced only in the mountains and the countryside.

Journeys Through Modernity: Seoul’s Recent Past

The Korean Empire period. The third period was the Korean Empire Period. This was a recent period that commenced in the late 19th century. In particular, this period began in 1897, following the end of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea (Kim, 2014). It was a significant moment for Seoul as, for almost a century, the city remained in isolation. This isolation spawned the origin of the name Hermit Kingdom, which was used by Western nations to refer to Korea, a legacy that continues today as the modern state of North Korea has been given this moniker. However, according to Ladd (n.d.), in the 19th century, the city opened itself to foreigners and developed a spirit for modernization. This led the city to make a concerted effort to catch up to the world, and over time, it became a leading modern city in Asia by being the first to have electricity, water, and modern communication systems through the development of the telephone and telegraph system. By opening itself up to foreigners, Seoul was able to undergo this transformation as a result of the trade that it conducted with its new foreign allies, notably the United States and France.

The modernizing process of the city following Korea’s decision to open itself up to the world can be understood as follows. The Gwangmu Government embarked on a mission to modernize the infrastructure of Korea and, thus, that of Seoul as the empire’s capital. According to Seth (2010), the emperor at the time allowed Korea to enter into a joint venture with an American company, leading to the creation of the Hanseong Electric Company. It was through this company that Korea and, subsequently, Seoul received electricity. This was consequential in helping other industries advance as they now had a convenient power source. Another significant advancement during this period was the creation of Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company, which was closely linked to American associates. This further modernized the city by making it easy for residents to access water. The Gwangmu Government is highly credited for promoting industrial advancement in Seoul and Korea. In addition to overseeing the business relations between Korea and the outside world, the government provided substantial support in developing technical and industrial schools, many of which were founded in Seoul.

Colonial period. This was also a significant time for Seoul as it marked the end of the city’s control by the feudal system of kings, aristocrats, peasants, enslaved people, and outcasts and introduced a new system of governance through the military. This took place when Imperial Japan annexed the entire Korean Empire. Shin and Sneider (2011) observe that following its success in colonizing Korea, Japan established Seoul as its capital. The colonial rule lasted from 1910-1945 (Shin & Sneider, 2011). At the time, the Japanese decided to call the city Keijo. This had the literal meaning of the capital city in Hanja. One positive that came from this is the city became highly urbanized. According to Shin and Sneider (2011), despite the harsh rule of its Japanese conquerors, the modern aspects of the city grew considerably. Besides urban growth, other developments that took place included expansion of commerce in the city, mass cultures such as radio, and industrial development, mainly in Seoul as the capital. According to Kim (2014), by the end of Japan’s rule in Korea, Seoul was the most dynamic city in Asia.

Seoul, at the time of Japanese rule, had 2 wards. The first was Keijo itself, while the second was Ryusan-ku. Japan’s control of the city ended following the Second World War in 1945 (Shin & Sneider, 2011), although the official end of Japanese rule in Korea ended in 1948, lasting 35 years. Japanese rule over Korea might have modernized Seoul, but it had a devastating effect on the city culturally. The Japanese wanted complete control over Korea and eliminated Korea’s culture by destroying Korean palaces. One major act by Japan in its endeavor to eradicate Korean culture came through its insistence that Koreans change their names and adopt Japanese names instead. The country was uncertain despite the end of Japanese colonial rule in Korea. It had no experience with modern governance systems, while on the other hand, dynasty monarchy-style rule had been eliminated following Japan’s invasion.

Development after the end of the Second World War. It is essential to note that following the end of the Second World War, which was also significant in ending Japan’s colonial rule over Korea, things did not immediately change for Seoul. This was due to the division and the subsequent Korean War. But on another note, according to Kim (2012b), the city took up its current name, Seoul, during this period. The end of Japanese colonial rule paved the way for the Republic of Korea, which made the city it’s capital. The tension between the two factions took place, dividing the Republic of Korea into South and North Korea. This led to the breakout of the Korean War. During the war between the two sides, Seoul changed hands four times. The effect was its destruction when South Korea took back the city.

Contemporary period. Today, Seoul is a modern city with a highly modern and technologically advanced society that contributes to Asia’s overall development and is a leading force in innovation. This can be seen from its streets filled with magnificent skyscrapers and a population of over 10.3 million (Kim, 2014). Thus, this has become where everything significant in South Korea is centered. In addition, Seoul acts as a representative of the economic development of dynamic South Korea. The South Korean infrastructure is well-developed for supporting public transport. For instance, the city’s subway system is one of the main methods of travel among Seoul’s residents and visitors. This has been essential in making this relatively compact city smaller by connecting all the parts of the city.

Edifices of Time: The Architectural Wonders of Seoul

This discussion will feature the architecture of Seoul from the time of the three kingdoms and other significant periods of Seoul’s history.

The Octagonal Odyssey: A Tour of Seoul’s Eight Gates

Among some of the most fascinating architectural designs that exist in Seoul are the Eight Great Gates. A discussion of these gates provides an in-depth understanding of the historical development of the architecture of Seoul from the ancient times during the three kingdoms to the present.

The first gate under discussion is Namdaemun, also known as the Great South Gate or the Gate of Exalted Ceremonies. Its construction commenced in 1365, and the structure was completed in 1398 (Shin & Sneider, 2011). This gate was the largest, oldest, and most famous in Seoul. In modern-day Seoul, the gate is located next to one of the city’s major markets, which ultimately came to be named after the gate and is believed to have existed since the 1400s (Ladd, n.d.). During ancient times, this gate was used by foreigners to enter the city. Unfortunately, the gate was destroyed during arson in 2008 (Kim, 2012b). Despite this, the gate had existed for more than five centuries before its destruction, demonstrating the magnificent architecture of Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty.

Dongdaemun, also known as the Great East Gate, has a market with its name next to it. This market is the city’s most crowded and busiest shopping center. Having the markets near the gates was a measure of preventing congestion inside the city. This gate encompasses a significant amount of the city wall. The gate was initially put up in 1396, although it was reinforced in 1453 and rebuilt in 1869 (Seth, 2010). One unique feature of this gate is its exterior contains a wall built to reinforce it and ensure the effective defense of the city. Other architectural details include an arched hongyemun opening at the center of the granite base. The ornamentation on the gate is extremely detailed and typical of the Joseon Dynasty.

Bukdaemun Gate, also referred to as the Great North Gate, was first constructed in 1396 (Shin & Sneider, 2011). It was, however, not utilized as a gate but was instead built to fulfill the need for a fourth great wall for the dynasty of Joseon. The gate was used for the first 18 years after it was built and then shut down due to superstitious beliefs that an evil spirit could use it to enter the city. This was due to this gate’s closeness to the mountains where the cemeteries of the elite were located. This gate is open today; however, it is under strict security, as users must present their passports or IDs to get through. The reason for this tight security was the assassination attempt of then-president Chung Hee Park in 1968, which was believed to have given the assassins access to the presidential residence.

Seoudaemun, sometimes called the Great West Gate, is believed to have initially been constructed in 1396 but was later rebuilt in the 18th century (Kim, 2014). Most of this gate’s history is tied to the Japanese. For instance, it is said that this gate was the site where Japanese assassins murdered Korea’s last queen, Myungsung. In addition, this gate’s destruction came under Japan’s hands following its occupation of Korea. While this gate no longer exists, plans for its rebuilding are underway.

Dongsomun, sometimes known as Hyehwamun, which means Distribution of Wisdom, is the small northeast gate. Following the construction of the eight gates, this was the main gate used in Seoul. The original name given to this gate was Hongwhamun, which was changed in 1511 to the current name (Seth, 2010). With time, this gate lost relevance and was no longer used, leaving it frail. The gate was later restored in 1744 by the order of King Yeongjo (Ladd, n.d.). Due to the great work done towards restoring this gate, it has become a major tourist site today.

Buksomun, as one of the Eight Gates, means ‘Showing the Correct Thing’. First built in 1396, it is among the smallest gates and is the small northwest gate (Ladd, n.d.). It was mainly used as a public passage. The gate was shut down just a few years after its construction in 1416 due to superstitious beliefs that led to the claim that it could harm the king. (Shin & Sneider, 2011). Despite this, the gate was reopened in 1506. Japan was instrumental in destroying the wall during its entry into the city during its conquest of Korea. This is the oldest gate among the eight, following the destruction of the gate south gate by arson.

Namsomun, located in the southeastern part of the city, is also one of the smallest gates. It is sometimes referred to as Gwanghimun or the Gate of Bright Prosperity. As with the other gates, it was first constructed in 1396. It has undergone rebuilding and restoration over the years since its construction (Ladd, n.d.). The city’s residents mainly used the gate for funeral processions. Not much remains today of this gate apart from its stone pavement. This is due to Japanese forces’ destruction of a large chunk of it. This gate is located in present-day Seoul on a street corner enclosed by a fence. Despite this disclosure, visiting the gate is not restricted.

The Gate of Seosomun, which means the Gate of Clear Justice, is also one of the smaller gates located southwest of the city. Like several others, this gate was built in1396 (Ladd, n.d.). Like the gate of Namsomun, Seosomun was used for funeral processions from the city and served as a public passage. Prisoners were publicly beheaded in a park near this gate. Their heads were usually displayed on the gate after the beheading ceremony to serve as a warning. Like the other gates, Japan once again had a hand in destroying this gate when it invaded Korea and Seoul. The Japanese later demolished this gate to establish themselves in the city and erase the Korean culture. This destruction was so thorough that no traces of the gate remain today.

Royal Echoes: The Majestic Palaces of Seoul

The palaces of Seoul represent the power that existed during the occupation of some of the powerful dynasties and kingdoms in the city while it served as their capital. These palaces are a source of the history and culture of Seoul during this time.

Changgyeong Palace. This palace, one of Seoul’s most popular tourist attractions, was built by King Sejong as a present to his father. Although little is known about its original name, its current name, Changnyeong, was given to the palace in 1483 following its renovation (Ladd, n.d.). The palace was used during the rule of the two main dynasties in Seoul: the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. During their occupation of Korea during colonial times, the Japanese fulfilled their wish of undermining Korean culture by building a zoo and a garden at the palace site. Notably, this palace was considered among the five grand palaces during the ancient times of the three kingdoms in Seoul. Japanese eventually destroyed the palace during their attempts to invade Korea.

Gyeongbokgung Palace. Among the five grand palaces, this is believed to be the oldest and the largest. It was built in 1395 by King Taejo (Seth, 2010). Its name, Gyeongbokgung, means “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven.” Only a little remains of the original palace as the Japanese destroyed it during the invasion of Korea. Despite this, significant restoration was carried out on the palace in the 1990s (Shin & Sneider, 2011). This results in restoring the palace to something close to its original version. Currently, it is one of the most visited parts of the city by tourists eager to get a feel for the history of Seoul and Korea as a nation.

Changdeokgung Palace. The Palace of Prospering Virtue, or Changdeokgung, was first built in 1405 (Ladd, n.d.). It was the second royal palace to be built in Seoul. Of note about this palace is that it is the palace that was occupied the longest by kings. This can be attributed to the political strife that existed in the Kingdom and also due to personal preference by kings as a result of it having maintained many of its traditional elements compared to the other palaces. As in the case of the rest of the great palaces, it, too, suffered great destruction, mostly in the hands of the Japanese. It has, however, been restored over the years to resemble its original design and thus has become a place of interest for many tourists visiting the city.

Deoksugung Palace. This was not originally built as a palace but became one following the Japanese destruction of the other palaces, forcing the royals to make this their temporary home. King Gwanghaegun gave this palace the name Gyeongungung. The original name Deoksugung, the Palace of Virtuous Longevity, was given in 1907 (Seth, 2010) to sustain King Gojon’s longevity, the last Joseon Kingdom king and the first emperor of Korea. The present location of the statue in the city is small in comparison to the rest of the other great palaces. The statue of the Great King Sejong can be seen in this palace.

Gyeonghuigung Palace. The name of this palace translates to “the Palace of Serene Harmony.” This was initially not among the great palaces of the day but was built where the royals could be moved in an emergency. In short, this palace was more like a safe house. It was built in 1623 (Ladd, n.d.). Initially, it was a relatively large palace containing about 100 buildings with a bridge connecting it to the Deoksugung Palace (Shin & Sneider, 2011). Once again, Japan hurt this palace by destroying it during its occupation of Korea. However, the palace has been restored to its former glory and is a tourist attraction.

Spiritual Crossroads: Tracing the Sacred Pathways of Seoul

Tracing the history of religion in Seoul entails understanding Korea’s religious practices and beliefs. The various religions practiced from this time to the present will be discussed.

Before the current religions practiced today, ancient societies practiced a religion that Mu guided. Buddhism was later introduced during the period of the three kingdoms. For instance, Buddhism was the most commonly practiced religion in both the Silla and Baekje Dynasties. Buddhism was also practiced in the later period of the Kingdom of Goryeo. According to Kim (2012a), the expansion of Buddhism as a religion was so great that it became a political force. Despite this, Chinese-influenced Confucianism managed to assert itself in these ancient kingdoms. This became the main ideology and belief system practiced in the Joseon Dynasty.

Consequently, the Joseon Dynasty worked to suppress the practice of Buddhism and the indigenous religion of Shamanism. This was accomplished by destroying Buddhist monasteries and restricting nuns and monks from entering cities. This lasted until the 19th century, making Confucianism the main religion practiced in Seoul, given that it was the capital city of the Joseon Dynasty (Kim, 2012a). Western religions made their way into Korea and, consequently, Seoul following the collapse of the Joseon Kingdom. Thus, Christianity became a significant religion in Korea, allowing missionaries to enter its cities.

Further religious development came to pass from 1945 onwards (Kim, 2014). This marked the year when Korea was divided into two rival states. One of the consequences of this is many Christians made a move to South Korea as the Communist ideals of the North were not favorable to them. Believers of the Cheondoism remained in the North, thus resulting in South Korea having a limited number of believers of this faith. During the 1970s and 80s, the South Korean government banned indigenous faiths (Kim, 2012b). This resulted in the revival of Buddhism, and the influence of the Christian faith grew significantly. Besides the indigenous religions of Shamanism, Cheondoism, and other faiths that include Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity, other religions are also practiced in South Korea, including Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism. It is, however, critical to note that these faiths are practiced in very low numbers.

Words of History: Exploring the Linguistic Tapestries of Seoul

To understand the historical development of language in Seoul, it is first essential to gain an understanding of the Korean alphabet. The alphabet in South Korea is referred to as Hangul. On the other hand, a different name, Chosongul, is used in North Korea. The term Chosongul is used in Chinese as well. This alphabet has been the foundation of language since the 15th century (Shin & Sneider, 2011). The evidence of its existence and development was described in Hummin Jeongeum. The translation of the name of this document means “The Proper Sounds for the Educated People.” In both its classical and modern forms, the alphabet contains 24 consonants and vowels (Shin & Sneider, 2011). These are written by being grouped into blocks to form words.

From Timeless Traditions to Modern Majesty: Reflecting on Seoul’s Rich Legacy

In conclusion, the history of Seoul from ancient times to the present is extremely captivating. The fact that there is evidence demonstrating the beginning of this history from prehistoric times confirms just how old this city is. Various archaeological excavations in present-day Seoul have been used to show this. However, the most pronounced aspects of the history of Seoul came during the periods of the ancient three kingdoms of Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla. These three kingdoms proved to be instrumental in shaping the city’s development as they brought new ways of life and culture when they used Seoul as their capital. The same thing can be said regarding the period of Goryeo, Joseon, and the Korean rules in the city. The modern period of Seoul began following Japanese colonial rule. This paved the way to the current contemporary times that have seen the city amalgamate its past with the present, making it the 20th most visited city in the world.

📎 References:

1. Kim, D. K. (2014). History of Korea ( 2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. 2. Kim, J. (2012a). History of Korea: From “land of the morning calm” to states in conflict. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. 3. Kim, K. (2012b). The study of urban form in South Korea. Urban Morphology, 16(2), 149-164. 4. Ladd, G. T. (n.d.). In Korea with Marquis Ito: Part I. a narrative of personal experiences; Part II. a critical and historical inquiry. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/inkoreawithmarq03laddgoog/mode/2up?view=theater 5. Seth, M. J. (2010). History of Korea: From antiquity to the present. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. 6. Shin, G., & Sneider, D. C. (2011). History textbooks and the wars in Asia: Divided memories. New York, NY: Routledge.

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Narrative Essay: My Trip to South Korea

I had always wanted to visit South Korea and I recently had the chance to spend a week in this amazing country. Unlike its northern neighbor which is pretty much closed to visitors, South Korea is a welcoming and hospitable country. It is an interesting place with a unique culture and a highly developing economy.I flew into the capital Seoul.

On arrival in the city, it was the marked contrast between modern skyscrapers and high design shopping malls and shanty towns that was immediately striking. Wide streets lined by fancy boutiques lead to a labyrinth of narrow alleyways with tiny traditional shops and eateries and there is a clutch of great tourist attractions. My tour itinerary began on Seoul’s main boulevard, Sejongro, because I wanted to see the Royal Palace (Gyeongbok), the President’s residence, known as Cheongwadae or the Blue House, and the American Embassy. From here it’s a fairly short walk to Bukchon where there is the city’s largest collection of privately owned traditional wooden houses. It’s a charm with beautiful architecture and small courtyards, with the houses interspersed with quaint cafes and art galleries. Taking the same route the next day, I took a trip into the mountains that peak behind the President’s House, and climbed the one known as Bugaksan.

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This affords the opportunity to pass through the Sukjeongmun Gate and through the city’s ancient fortress wall. From here the Seoul Fortress is easily accessible and there are also amazing views of Seoul.Shopping in the Orient is an amazing experience so I made sure to pay a visit to the Shinsegae downtown department store. This huge emporium sells probably everything you can imagine and is a complete charm in the way the bottom floors sell all the basic staples of daily life – including the ubiquitous kimchee (fermented cabbage) and are frequented by Korean housewives while the upper floors cater to the well-heeled and brand conscious. As fascinating as it is, the new rooftop garden is a welcome respite.

But, if you are going to shop in Seoul, it’s a must to visit the street stalls and hawkers of the Namdaemum Market where the wares seem to be spread out in a blanket of never-ending stalls. Be prepared to be seriously jostled by the crowds, but it’s also the chance to feast on the best street food.One of the most surprising sights and a rue delight is the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Running for just under 4 miles through the city, the stream is remarkably quiet given its location, because it is 15 foot below street level. The serene setting, accentuated by waterfalls and bridge is a favorite strolling spot for romantic couples. With a flying visit to Itaewon, the popular ex-pat neighborhood near to the main US army base, my time in Seoul came to an end.

I was enthralled and captivated and hope I get to return one day.

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TOPIK Essay Writing Guide – Evaluation and Marking Scheme

The readers of TOPIK GUIDE have frequently been writing to us for some guidance on the Essay part of TOPIK Writing (쓰기) section. So Here We are putting this detailed article about this.

Most of the questions in TOPIK are multiple choice and objective type where there is, clearly, only one correct answer. You don’t even need a human to check if the answers are right or wrong. Mostly OMR recognition softwares do the job.  The problem is with the subjective type questions. In these questions there is no ‘one correct answer’. Different persons can give different answers and they all may be correct. Sometimes it is difficult to even say whether the answer is right or wrong because it may be partially right and partially wrong.

This type of questions generally appear in the Writing section of TOPIK. And believe me, you are not the only person who find them difficult. Evaluating this type of questions is the most difficult task for Examiners as well. As these questions are evaluated by real humanss and not the machines, there are high chances of variation in evaluation process depending upon the personality and psychological status of the examiner. And that”s why it confuses the test takers on what and how to write the answer of such questions so that it looks correct to the evaluator. Particularly, the TOPIK Essay writing part is the most difficult of these subjective questions.

Most of TOPIK test takers are confused at some point of time about what and how exactly they are expected to write in the essay. Do they want to check your grammar vocabulary, spelling etc? or Do they want to test your writing skills, like how beautifully and logically you put your thought, how great your thoughts are? or Do they want to see how beautiful your handwriting is? Will using difficult words and complex sentences get you more marks? There are many such questions that confuse the mind of test takes, specially when they appear for the first time. Many people find themselves in a very difficult situation when the topic of the essay is related to Korea. I know many people  who thought writing anything wrong about Korea or Koreans will fetch them poor marks. 😉

In this series on TOPIK essay writing, we are going to clear all those doubts. We are going to tell you exactly how TOPIK essays are evaluated and marked. The series is based on ‘ model evaluation guideline ‘ from NIIED, the organization that conducts the TOPIK test.

We have divided the series in to 3 parts in which we will take 3 model essays each from beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of TOPIK and will analyse the evaluation system by giving detailed marking pattern of 3 model answer essays.

Below is the model guideline that all the evaluators have to follow, according to NIIED:-

We will start with the Beginner Level .

Here is the Essay Question that we will take as a model:-

I am leaving you with three example answer essay. read properly and think how you would mark them if you were the examiner. In the next post we will see how the TOPIK evaluators marked them.

TOPIK Beginner Model Essay 1

TOPIK Beginner Model Essay 2

Go to TOPIK Essay Writing Evaluation Analysis – Beginner Level

Dr. Satish Satyarthi

Satish is the Founder and CEO of TOPIK GUIDE. He is passionate about languages. He created TOPIK GUIDE website to help Korean language learners learn Korean effectively, succeed in TOPIK test and achieve their goals. He has a PhD in Korean language. His research area has been 'Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language (외국어로서의 한국어교육)'. He is a Seoul National University (GKS) alumni. He has been active in Korean language teaching and research for more than 10 years.

Hello, thanks for this post.İ think first one is best, right Because second one has some mistakes and third one is not good How abkut this essay’s points. İ wonder bexause i will get this exam next year.그래서 열심히 공부 합니다. 정말 감서헙니다.

Thanks a lot for sharing this nice and informative post, This posts shows your efforts that how do you cover any topic research. I really like your blog because your blog has updated posts on different current issues. I would request you to keep sharing your thoughts. Essay Writing

이것은 너무 도와주신 글인데 감사합니다 선배님.

hello i hav a doubt.. see topik test are conducted 4times in evry 1year…and as for me i will be giving my test in the 40th topik…i have 3years…but i live in india and here the educational sessions end in june…so my point is that i wont be able to make it in the beginners level 1 test which is conducetd in january…should i wait for another year or shud i give level 1 topik in july???

This beginner essay writing will definitely be a great resource for the students who will write essay first time in their academic career. Essay writing is not so much tough, just need a little bit attention due to which students can write essays of excellent quality. Buy Essay

Thanks for this post, I speak spanish,and I dont found information about it. thanks

Great to know that it helped… Thank you.

Hello. Thank you for the great review and the whole site… it helps a lot 🙂 I am preparing for the intermediate level TOPIK, and I was just wondering if the 400-600 characters are counted with or without space?? Do you know anything about this? I was sure it’s without space (because that’s how usually it is at language tests), but then just to make sure, I put a sample essay from the official TOPIK paper and copied it to Word, to see how many characters it is. And it turned out that it’s 353 characters without space, and 456 with space… So I’m kind of confused now :/ Do they count it with space? It makes a huge difference actually….

Actually it’s with spaces…

Thank you so much for the quick reply ^^

Hi, I would like to know if you have to write the essay using the ㅂ니다 form. I have been learning Korean on my own and talking to my friends. We usually just use the polite speach ending in 요. But Since this is a test I guess I will have to use the other form right?

You can check this post:- https://www.topikguide.com/2012/07/which-form-of-language-to-use-in-topik-exam-formal-plain-or-informal.html

hi , i want to know if i can pass the level 2 of topik exam how can i use by this score, thank you for your answer

It can help you getting into a Korean university or getting a job in a Korean company… It also helps you get certain types of Visa…

Good morning teacher.nice to meet you in your team chart. am from Cambodian now i stay in Cambodian too . but i want to test Korea exam how can i do it because am so far from here. so u can advice me how to do? am looking for you reply me back .thank you so much. i want to study more in Korea but am so poor so i don’t have money to study at there. if you have a good advice for me please tell me …i can test from internet or anther test .thank you.good bye see u reply soon..from Sophea Cambodia..good luck for you.

많은 분들이 한국어를 공부하시군요. 다들 좋은 결과 얻으시길 희망합니다. !

my big problem in topik exam is the writing part , i had no clew about it . but this article made me feel more comfortable and bit ready for it 🙂 thanks a miliiooooooon 🙂

same problem

hello, thanks for this post i am preparing 31th intermadiate topik exam and i wondering about essays topik?

thanks for this information..now when you are told to write about a countries love or parent love what are the essential things to write???

It depends on the level..

여러분 열심히 공부 하세요

There’s a little bit of spelling errors in Example 2. Here’s some of the ones that I caught:

“카탸가 제 비밀들은 질 지켰습니다.” — 잘* “하지만 우리 지금 만나면 저는 너무 행벅해집니다.” — 행복* “우리가 맛있는 자를 마실겁니다.” — 차* “저는 제 친구 너무 보고 싶어서 발리 러시아에 가거싶습니다.” — 빨리* and 가고 싶습니다*

Also, any tips on how to get Level 6? What kind of essay structure are they looking for to get level 6? If I get all points or at least enough points to reach level, is that how I can get level 6?

Example 3 also has a bit of errors.

“체 취미 축구입니다.” — 제* and I think it sounds better to write 제 취미는* “이 사람이 세게에서 진짜 유명해요.” — 세계* “그리고 이 사람안테…” — 한테* “나중에 아마 저는도 유명 축구사람 됩니다.” — 저도* and 유명한* and 축구선수* “만나면 아추 좋아합니다.” — 아주* “우리 집에 조대할고예요, 우리 아버지게서도 정말 좋아요.” — 초대 할 거예요* and 아버지께서*

I could be wrong, but I think those are some errors.

Yes, those are errors. That’s why example essay 2 & 3 got less marks. Check this post: https://www.topikguide.com/2012/04/topik-essay-writing-guide-beginner.html

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Travelogue. My Trip to Korea

My Trip to Korea

As impossible as I thought it would be, I was still shivering under the countless number of layers I had on, as the icy, cruel wind blew onto my already frozen face. Before leaving for this trip, my parents made sure that I had more clothes than I’d ever wear, so as to keep warm. At the time I had almost fainted at the constant nags and nudges, but now I couldn’t be more thankful. I squinted through my fogged up sunglasses as the wind continued to blow around me, past the snowy caps of the mountain top to see the majestic scenery hiding behind: a forest of beautiful evergreen trees, a rare glimpse of green in a whole landscape of white – something I definitely hadn’t expected.

Standing in the middle of a steep slope that had been frequently trodden on by tons of skiers, I had an amazing view of what was happening around me. I looked down to see how far I had to go, just to notice three kids staring at me – probably wondering why I was simply standing there motionless. I smiled and walked over to them, trying to waste as much time as I could before having to inevitably ski down and as I walked, I noticed oddly shaped snowballs in each of their tiny hands and blotches of snow all over their rainbow-coloured outfits.

Suddenly, seeing my eyes notice the traces of snow, the children circled around me in lightning speed and rocketed snowballs at me with terribly good aim. I definitely wasn’t about to get trampled over by three cute little kids, though. After a matter of minutes, I pretended to fall down and as they ran to each other, laughing at but no longer focused on me, I quickly formed three snowballs and hurled it over at the tallest of the three – a friendly-looking girl with pigtails, who was laughing at me the loudest. Immediately, the two other children broke apart and followed my lead, peppering her with snowballs, roaring in laughter as she ran comically around trying to dodge them. Their resonating laughter was as contagious as a yawn on a cozy night, and I couldn’t help but join in.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Before I knew it, we were all panting and puffing, covered in patches of white, crumpled in a heap on the snow. Just as I was about to start showering them again though, a high-pitched voice sounded in our direction, hollering “Angelica! Tom! Lucy!” over and over. Immediately, my three new friends bounced up, flashed me a smile and frantically waved goodbye, then turned to sprint to their mother who was standing with her arms open. Seeing them rush into her arms sent an elating shiver down my spine, and I too bounced up, hoping to successfully ski down this mountain and reunite with my own parents.

I started to walk down as skiing was definitely not my strong suit – I had only learnt the basics yesterday, an unbelievable feat considering my inability to coordinate my limbs. Still, my teacher had faith in me, and it was only on her account that I’d agreed to skip the massage, to come out here to practise today. I looked up to the mesmerizing baby blue sky, taking a deep breath before I skied down all on my own – a refreshing yet horrific thought. Just as I was about to take a step down, I faltered and the icy wind tried to push me back, blurring my vision and making me long for my warm hotel bed more than anything. I knew I had only a split second before I decided to give up entirely, so I gathered my courage and took a huge step forward with my right foot while planting my right ski pole into the snow, then again the same with my left, and skied down the hill.

Although this wasn’t a feeling I hadn’t felt before, the exhilarating rush multiplied as I realised how enjoyable this was rather than terrifying, and was definitely something that someone that lived all their life in Hong Kong couldn’t experience. Despite the wide language barrier, it was obvious there was a different aura to the people here. Although I can’t properly classify both places into different environmental categories of, for example, clean and dirty; I think both my first time coming here, and the general polite and friendliness of people here, added to the fresh experience of this week. Since I wasn’t visiting a particularly wealthy or poor area either, I found the lifestyle somewhat similar to ours, so it was very comfortable.

Just as I finished that thought, I skied to a stop at the foot of the hill, instantly longing for more. Then it hit me – I had made it down alone without the aid of anyone! I yelled in triumph, punching the air. I was about to work my way back up the humongous snow mountain, as the glint of my watch caught my eye, reminding me that it was time for lunch soon. My hunger instantly overwhelmed my desire to ski, and the freezing, yet sun-kissed sow sent a jolt through my body as I collapsed in a heap to take off my ski shoes. I jumped back up immediately and ran into the open restaurant doors in front of me, desperate for food.

The moment I stepped past those rigid glass doors, the sudden change of environment electrified my senses – the warm setting was like jumping into a snug bed on a cold winter’s day – sadly without the comfort of a soft mattress underneath; the fluorescent yellow lights hanging above shone like a million suns, and the whole restaurant was buzzing busily with chatter. I blinked away the rapid chain of objects I had to register, and skimmed around until I finally spotted my parents. They were cozily spaced around a knee-high wooden table on multi-coloured mats as seats, and I skipped over to join them, greeted by their weary smiles that I assumed, must’ve been plastered on after their relaxing massages while I was skiing outside. Coincidentally, the moment I sat on my red mat, my stomach grumbled and my parents looked at each other and chuckled. They took this as their cue to start ordering food – which was famous around these areas to be absolutely heavenly.

As I waited for the food to come, I distracted myself to the best I could by observing the things around me. Strangely, looking at the walls that were decorated with posters and adverts of a foreign language gave me an unexpected feeling of homeliness – probably because it was like a shelter, whether for those who wanted to escape the cold just for a while with their friends, to make new acquaintances, or simply to enjoy the famous cuisine. I had only looked forward to my eating here as I was unbearably hungry, but nonetheless when I looked closer to the setting surrounding me, I couldn’t help but admire the constant orderly fashion of the furniture and the cheerful smiles of the workers as well as the customers – both of which couldn’t be taken for granted back in Hong Kong.

The table to our right also had the same layout and seats as we did, and seated tightly around were a group of six people talking and laughing amongst themselves, like a group of recently reunited companions. On the table opposite us was an old couple, sitting calmly opposite each other as they simultaneously sipped their soup. At first glance their actions seemed to hint some sort of indifference towards each other, but as I looked closer I saw slight smiles that were hidden under their one-track desire to fill their hunger, and I felt an invisible air of endearment between the two. Their wrinkles and white hair didn’t mask the affectionate glow they emitted, even though it was something that could be so easily overlooked.

Oddly, watching this reminded me of my parents – them and their creative yet wildly expensive idea to bond more with me and each other by making more memories on this trip. When they told me that that was their ulterior motive of the vacation, I was sickened with the mushiness and confused as to how that would work – but in a way, looking at the simple yet affectionate air of a couple bonding by just simply sharing a meal, warmed my heart and I was thankful of their crazy idea; though I made a mental note to tell them that the simplest things, could bring us closer too.

With that mental reminder and blissful thought I turned back to my table, only to discover that I was so side-tracked, I hadn’t noticed my food arriving. Pursing my lips together in joy, I picked up the chopsticks I was luckily, so used to using, and began to eat.

Document Details

• Author Type Student
• Word Count 1490
• Page Count 3
• Subject English
• Type of work Homework assignment

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• Art and Culture of South Korea. Retrieved from http://www.123independenceday.com/south-korea/art-and-culture.html
• Ashcroft, B. 2013. How Korea Is Making eSports More Inclusive to All Kids. Kotaku. Retrieved from http://kotaku.com/how-korea-is-making-esports-more-inclusive-to-all-kids-1256068146
• Overview Economic Situation. Retrieved from http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Economy/Overview
• Gateway to Korea. Retrieved from http://www.korea.net/ Korea.net. 2013. Music and Dance. Retrieved from http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Culture-and-the-Arts/Music-and-Dance
• Korean Air’s Global Website. Retrieved from https://www.koreanair.com/ South Korea
• South Korea Government. Retrieved from http://www.southkoreagovernment.com/ Sumitra. 2013.
• Playing on the World’s Most Dangerous Golf Course Can Literally Kill You. Odditycentral. Retrieved from http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/playing-on-worlds-most-dangerous-golf-course-can-literally-kill-you.html

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Travel Experience Essay Example in English

One of the greatest experiences I have ever had in my life is my tour to Korea. I purposely went there to get exposure and learn more about the culture and aspects of the cultural traditions of these people. My journey was to take only one week. By the time I was coming back, I had learnt the Korean language. It was so interesting because I liked their accent.

As a teenager, my trip to South Korea was a very ill mi native and good experience that left other travelers yearning for more. For one travel to South Korea from China, nothing much is actually involved after checking the relevant aspects of the weather and taking any necessary precautions. In this regard, several airlines are available from China, which operates direct flights to South Korea. I used Cathay Pacific in this trip considering that the airline offered relatively proper passenger treatment than the other airlines of the city. It is one of the airlines that I used and had a pleasant experience. Seoul is one of the cities that have a bustling metropolis that is effectively inundated with a very rich heritage that truly impresses travelers. Typical of most Korean cities, culture plays a significant role in the history and affairs of this financial center. Since the trip started on 1st May 2012, one week in Seoul offered me sufficient time to explore the city and learn about its history and culture apart from enjoying its beautiful sceneries.

Landing in Korea was both exciting and overwhelming. The first thing I noticed stepping out of the airport was the weather, it was hot and humid, something that I have never quite experienced. Several taxicabs were available at the airport that charged modest fares to the various guestrooms around the city. Being one of the largest cities in Korea, accommodation in Seoul is generally much expensive, unlike most cities in China. Apart from taxis, the city has a number of public transport facilities that can effectively serve the travelers on their operations in the city. These include trolleybuses and the rapidly expanding metro system that covers most parts of the city. From the airport to the hotel I was staying wet and sticky all over with sweat. I was not certain whether it was from the heat or the excitement. That did not matter at that point; I was in Korea one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

My perception of Korea was based on Korean drama. There were similarities with the architecture and the food that was found there, and the crowds were something that I found fascinating too. Apart from the language barrier that did not bother me much I found out that the city was not that different from drama. Some of the things I found fascinating include reading the children bed time stories; in fact, western story has something for the child to learn. The Korean people also love their country and their culture and do strive to make the country better for them and their children. Many of the things that they did were almost identical to what we did back home. The time to eat, the number of meals in a day, and the time they go to work and how the run their day-to-day life was not different.

Most of the Korean cities offer varieties of accommodation services that can effectively suite any traveler to the cities. Many of the hotels, in many cities around the world, serve as chains of other international hotels. In this regard, the travelers will have the possibility to enjoy the comfort of the city while experiencing the best opportunities. In terms of food in the Korean cites the travelers will have the opportunities to experience the true taste of Korean cuisine, which certainly offers a lot of variety. Fish, crab, and dog are some of the foods that are in abundance, in the city of Seoul. People might really face a lot of challenges enjoying some of these foods. However, the huge variety of foods in the city will certainly make anybody feel at home. In this regard, foods such as oysters and seaweed offer a lot of delicacies.

Some of the things that were not similar were their eating habits, for example, they do not allow people to smoke while eating. I found this different because even in public places, they prohibit people from smoking. They place the dish on a central place at the table and people serve the amount they want into their plates. Families are carried as sacred; no one can abuse or misuse another person’s family. Therefore, they traditionally live together as one large family, taking care of each other. In China larger family lives together because of the high price of the house that young people cannot afford. Respect has been emphasized in Korea, the young respect the old, and the women respect their husbands. Even their way of saluting each other is different from the old to the new.

In downtown, they do not judge people by their wealth or poverty, strength or weaknesses. They believe that God was the one who provided for them, and they should be thankful of what they have and share with those who are less fortunate. They also hold their ancestors close to their hearts and believe that they protect them from wherever they are. I admired tourist attraction sites where my breath was taken away by the walls of the Forbidden City, and I can never forget walking at the top of the Great Wall.

Korean people are known for showing off especially in their hometown. Showing off what one has achieved is part of their tradition. They also love glorification and to be better than the rest. A given example of an ancient tradition is someone returning to their hometown or even their own house wearing “golden clothes”. Korean people detach from the rest once they think they have enough to sustain them. They do not like sharing information that might make other people superior to them. I found this quite the opposite. The people I met in Korea were down to earth and did not seem to be looking for praises. In fact, they were humble and assisted wherever they could. This trip was so successful because I came to learn more about this beautiful calm nation.

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Widespread adoption fraud separated generations of Korean children from their families, AP finds

Robert Calabretta holds his baby photo from before he was adopted out of South Korea to a family in the United States, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, at his apartment in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Robert Calabretta sits for a portrait at the restaurant where he works, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Robert Calabretta rides the subway Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York, with the Empire State Building in the background. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Robert Calabretta inspects wine glasses at the restaurant where he works, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Robert Calabretta, who was adopted as a baby out of South Korea to an American family, walks through his neighborhood, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Robert Calabretta, who was adopted as a baby out of South Korea to an American family, sits in his apartment, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Robert Calabretta holds a picture of his biological mother and brother while sifting through family mementos at his apartment, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. After Calabretta was adopted as a baby to an American family, hospital officials told his mother to assume he had died. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

In this photo provided by Robert Calabretta, right, he and and his biological father, Lee Sung-soo, stand together for a photo while on a visit in Daegu, South Korea, in August of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy Robert Calabretta via AP)

Robert Calabretta holds a letter written to him by his biological father while sifting through family mementos at his apartment, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A photo magnet of Robert Calabretta, second from right, when he reunited with his biological mother, left, and siblings, decorates his apartment, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in New York. He prefers his new name now: Hanil Lee. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Han Tae-soon, sits for a photo with a computer tablet displaying an old photo of her daughter, at her home in Anyang, South Korea, Saturday, June 1, 2024. Han’s daughter went missing and she searched for her for years, only to discover later she’d been adopted to the United States. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A photo book sits in the home of Han Tae-soon in Anyang, South Korea, on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Han’s daughter, Laurie Bender, third from right sitting next to Han, made her the album to celebrate their reunion. Bender was approached by a strange woman while playing in the front yard in Korea in 1975. She remembers the woman saying that Bender’s family didn’t want her anymore because her mother had another baby. She went with the woman and felt so sad she thought she might die. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Han Tae-soon, who believed her daughter had been missing for years before discovering she had been adopted by a family in the United States, shows messages exchanged between her and her granddaughter, the child of her once-missing daughter, Laurie Bender, in Anyang, South Korea, Saturday, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Han Tae-soon, who believed her daughter had been missing for years before discovering she had been adopted by a family in the United States, stands for a portrait at her home in Anyang, South Korea, Saturday, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Han Tae-soon’s notebook sits on a table at her home in Anyang, South Korea, Saturday, June 1, 2024. Han, who is in her 70s, has notebooks feverishly annotated with English translations, written during countless hours trying to learn her daughter’s language. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Robyn Joy Park, an adoptee from South Korea, stands for a photo at her home in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Robyn Joy Park, an adoptee from South Korea, walks through her home after the birth of her first child, in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Michaela Dietz, an adoptee from South Korea, holds a baby photo of Robyn Joy Park, who was also adopted from South Korea as an infant and whose identity was switched, next to Park’s newborn daughter, Rae, while visiting Park at her home in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, April 19, 2024. Park hasn’t found her real parents. She thinks often of the girl whose identity she was given, and wonders: what happened to her? (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Robyn Joy Park, holds her newborn daughter, Rae, at her home in Pasadena, Calif., as she greets her friend, Michaela Dietz, Friday, April 19, 2024. Both women are adoptees from South Korea, and both learned the identities listed on their adoption paperwork actually belonged to other children. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Robyn Joy Park reads a card offering best wishes and advice for her daughter, Rae, at her home in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, April 19, 2024. The card was written by the daughter of Michaela Dietz. Park and Dietz were both adopted as children from South Korea, and later learned their identities were switched with other children. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Robyn Joy Park, an adoptee from South Korea, kisses her newborn daughter, Rae, on the forehead at her home in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Robyn Joy Park, an adoptee from South Korea, gently pats her newborn daughter, Rae, at her home in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As the plane descended into Seoul, Robert Calabretta swaddled himself in a blanket, his knees tucked into his chest like a baby in the womb. A single tear ran down his cheek.

The 34-year-old felt like a newborn — he was about to meet his parents for the first time since he was 3 days old.

Most of his life, he thought they’d abandoned him for adoption to the United States. When he finally found them, he learned the truth: The origin story on his adoption paperwork was a lie. Instead, he said, his parents were told in 1986 that their infant was very sick and they thought he had died.

“I am so sorry,” his birth father had written when they found each other, his words interrupted by fits of weeping. “I miss you. How did you endure this cruel world?”

Calabretta is among a growing and vocal community of victims of an adoption system they accuse of searching out children for would-be parents, rather than finding parents for vulnerable children — sometimes with devastating consequences only surfacing today.

South Korea’s government, Western countries and adoption agencies worked in tandem to supply some 200,000 Korean children to parents overseas, despite years of evidence they were being procured through questionable or downright unscrupulous means, an investigation led by The Associated Press found. Those children grew up and searched for their roots — and some realized they are not who they were told.

Their stories have sparked a reckoning that is rocking the international adoption industry, which was built in South Korea and spread around the world. European countries have launched investigations and halted international adoption. The South Korean government has accepted a fact-finding commission under pressure from adoptees, and hundreds have submitted their cases for review.

The AP investigation, done in collaboration with Frontline (PBS), was based on interviews with more than 80 adoptees in the U.S., Australia and six European countries, along with parents, agency employees, humanitarian workers and government officials. It also drew on more than 100 information requests and thousands of pages of documents — including many never publicly seen before and some the AP got declassified — from courts, archives, government files and adoption papers.

In dozens of cases AP examined with Frontline, it found: Children were kidnapped off the streets and sent abroad. Parents claim they were told their newborns were dead or too sick to survive, only to have them shipped away. Documents were fabricated to give children identities that belonged to somebody else, leading adoptees to anguished reunions with supposed parents — to later discover they were not related at all.

The agencies and governments each played a part in keeping the baby pipeline pumping. Adoption agencies created a competitive market for children and paid hospitals to supply them, documents show. The South Korean government not only knew of fraudulent practices but designed laws to speed up the exportation of children it deemed undesirable. Western governments turned a blind eye, sometimes even pressuring South Korea for children, while promoting the narrative that they were saving orphans with no other options.

Robert Calabretta, who was adopted as a baby out of South Korea to an American family, sits in his apartment, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Calabretta doesn’t believe he was saved; he believes he was stolen. And many in his network of adult adoptees believe they were, too.

Advocates say the vast majority of adoptions are honest and end well. But it is impossible to know how many adoptions are fraudulent because unreliable documents prevent adoptees from finding their birth families and learning the truth. Government data obtained by AP shows less than a fifth of 15,000 adoptees like Calabretta, who have asked South Korea for help with family searches since 2012, have managed to reunite with relatives.

In 2019, a Korean government agency told Calabretta they had found his father. He pictured himself as a rock on a beach, with two waves crashing over it. The first was joy — he had been loved. The other was fury that something profound had been taken from him.

“You’re constantly in flux between two worlds,” he said, “the one you could have and should have been in, and the one where you are.”

“A baby factory”

Adoptions from South Korea peaked in the 1980s, fueled by the government, just as Calabretta’s parents arrived at the hospital with a blanket in which to carry their firstborn son home.

The adoption industry had grown out of the wreckage of the Korean War in the 1950s, when Americans took in the unwanted biracial children born of Korean women and Western soldiers. As it clawed its way out of post-war poverty, South Korea continued to rely on private adoption agencies as its social safety net, bringing millions of dollars into the economy and saving even more by never building its own child welfare program.

Meanwhile, in the West, the number of adoptable babies plummeted because of access to birth control and abortion. The desires of two cultures collided: couples in wealthy nations desperately wanted babies, and South Korea desperately wanted to rid itself of mouths to feed.

As the supply of biracial babies dwindled, South Korea turned to those it saw as unwelcome citizens: fully-Korean children of poor families and unwed mothers.

Korean officials fit their laws to match American ones to make children adoptable for what some deride as “baby diplomacy” to satisfy Western demand. The government endorsed “proxy adoptions,” for families to adopt children quickly without ever visiting Korea, meeting them by the planeloads at American airports.

In an internal memo from 1966 obtained by AP, International Social Service, a Geneva-based organization, wrote that it suspected the Korean government assessed agencies not by child welfare standards, but by the money they brought in.

“There is quite a bit of rivalry and competition among the different agencies, and it is not beyond agencies to bribe or pressure mothers for the release of these children, and not beyond agencies to try to compete with each other for the same child,” officials noted in the document, now at the agency’s archives at the University of Minnesota Libraries.

In 1976, Patricia Nye, east Asia director for ISS, concluded in a memo that the South Korean government was “entirely irresponsible.” What was happening, she wrote, was “close to being scandalous, the mass exportation of children, Korea has been called a baby factory.”

Nye, who has died, said publicly on a BBC program called “A Traffic in Babies,” that Korean adoptions had “gone out of control.”

“We are not talking about little pets or pieces of wood,” Nye said into the camera. “It’s almost like a trade in children … Asian children flowing from Asia to Europe and North America.”

The Korean government tried to downplay the concerns. Documents reveal an official insisted the show — which described the country’s adoption program as “baby wholesaling” — actually depicted it as “organized and well-managed.”

In December 1976, the government facilitated a new law that widened the legal definition of adoptable children, removed judicial oversight and granted vast powers to the heads of private agencies.

The government empowered four agencies to handle most adoptions: Holt Children’s Services, which had pioneered sending Korean children to the U.S., and three others, Eastern Social Welfare Society, Korea Welfare Services and Korea Social Service. A 1983 Health Ministry audit cited all four agencies and accused Holt of providing larger-than-allowed payments to impoverished birth mothers. The ministry’s response was to issue a “warning.”

Records show that officials were aware of a laundry list of dubious practices in the industry: lost children were documented as abandoned; the origins of alleged orphans weren’t verified; some were “disguised” by agencies as being born from unwed mothers to make them adoptable, according to Health Ministry records seen by AP. In the early 1980s, the government itself likened the agencies’ child-hunting practices to “trafficking.” At a meeting in 1982, documents show, the ministry admitted to child “intake” problems and cautioned agencies to improve their practices to avoid the appearance of “trafficking, profiteering.” Yet the government still called for “as many adoptions as possible.”

Calabretta was taken from the Red Cross Hospital in Daegu in 1986. His father, Lee Sung-soo, said an administrator told him his son had serious lung and heart problems. The family didn’t have a lot of money. The only option, the administrator said, was a high-risk and very expensive surgery that could leave the baby dead or severely disabled.

She advised Lee to relinquish his son to Holt, which would pay for the surgery and find a home for a disabled child if he survived.

Lee said he signed the paper, believing it was the only way to save his son, and wept. The AP could not verify Lee’s account — the hospital closed and its records were destroyed. Information obtained through a records request show that 470 children born in that hospital were adopted during the 80s and 90s.

“It felt like the sky was falling,” Lee said. “I felt like my heart was being ripped apart.”

By then, agencies were procuring most of their children directly from hospitals and maternity homes, which often received illegal payments for babies, records show. Though the stated intention of adoption was to spare children from orphanages, they gathered more than 4,600 children from hospitals in 1988, 60% of their supply.

“In paying rewards for childbirth delivery costs to hospitals, maternity homes, local administrative offices and others when acquiring children for adoption,” the Health Ministry wrote in 1988, “the social welfare institutions (agencies) have lost their morality and have descended to become trafficking institutions.”

A man stands at the entrance to Holt Children’s Services building in Seoul, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A government audit the following year shows that Holt made nearly 100 illegal payments to hospitals during six months in 1988, worth about $16,000 now. Eastern Social Welfare Society gave even more, now worth about $64,000, to hospitals over that period.

The South Korean government declined to answer questions about its responsibility for the past, saying it will let the fact-finding commission finish its work. In a statement, the Health Ministry acknowledged that skyrocketing adoptions in the 1970s-80s were possibly driven by an intent to reduce welfare spending to balance cuts in foreign aid.

Lee Moo-ja, a retired local official in Boryeong city, recalled a sense of helplessness during the 1980s. Abandoned children were supposed to be reported to city officials, who would assign them to an orphanage, she said. But instead, agencies were directly scooping them up, and the pleading letters she sent to hospitals went nowhere.

The national government wasn’t interested in enforcement, she said, leaving local officials like her powerless to stop it.

Calabretta’s parents felt powerless too; they got onto an elevator with other couples holding their newborn children. All they had was the empty blanket.

“Is this really all for children?”

With the government on their side, agencies raced against time for children.

Employees were told to process them as quickly as they could, said two former adoption workers who spoke anonymously because Korean law forbids them from publicizing confidential information.

“All I heard was work faster, faster,” said one, employed at an agency from 1979 to 1984. “Do it faster and faster.”

Even now, the woman clenches her hands and clutches a pillow as she said she convinced herself they were saving orphans. She couldn’t help but quietly wonder: “Is this really all for children?”

Agencies had intake workers scour every region of the country for children, she said. They invested “zero effort” in confirming a child was truly orphaned.

She questioned whether dubious practices were baked into the system, from beginning to end. A colleague once brought in a girl allegedly abandoned in Daegu, about 145 miles away from Seoul. She refused to process the girl for adoption because she thought it was too soon to conclude she was abandoned. Not long after, the Daegu worker sent the same girl again, with the same photo — but a new name and background story that claimed she’d been abandoned earlier.

The former worker said she never learned whether the girl was adopted.

Some lost children ended up overseas.

Han Tae-soon, sits for a photo with a computer tablet displaying an old photo of her daughter, at her home in Anyang, South Korea, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Laurie Bender was approached by a strange woman while playing in the front yard in South Korea in 1975. She remembers the woman saying that Bender’s family didn’t want her anymore because her mother had another baby. She went with the woman, and felt so sad she thought she might die.

Bender says she was 4, but Korea calculates birthdays differently and her records say she was 6.

Every day, her mother, Han Tae-soon, went to police stations, government offices, adoption agencies. Every night, she slept with a picture of her missing daughter.

That picture was displayed everywhere — in subway stations, on lamp posts, on bags of snacks that advertised missing children, the Korean version of American milk cartons. But Bender was on the other side of the globe — sent by Holt to an American family who believed she was an orphan.

Han Tae-soon, who believed her daughter had been missing for years before discovering she had been adopted by a family in the United States, stands for a portrait at her home in Anyang, South Korea, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The U.S. took in the highest number of orphans by far, and to be eligible for a visa, they had to have lost one or both parents to death, disappearance or abandonment. The agencies seized on the word abandonment, applying it to most of the children they acquired.

Records from 1980 to 1987 show that more than 90% of the Korean children sent to the West almost certainly had known relatives, said Philsik Shin, a scholar at Korea’s Anyang University. The number of children sent for adoption was often more than 10 times higher than the police count for abandoned children, he found — close to 9,000 in 1985.

Listing children as abandoned made adoptions easier because agencies didn’t have to verify child origins or obtain parental relinquishment. It was “almost customary” to document children as abandoned, said Helen Noh, who matched hundreds of children with U.S. parents at Holt Children’s Services from 1981 to 1982.

Now a scholar at Seoul’s Soongsil University, Noh said Holt workers understood the agency was charging adopters about $3,000 per child.

“My salary was 240,000 won, which is like less than $200 a month,” Noh said. “If you send one child … that amount could pay at least one worker for the whole year.”

Documents obtained by AP show that agencies were likely charging even more, around $4,000 to $6,000. But they pocketed some of that money through improper means, such as charging for travel expenses for adoption workers but arranging for commercial passengers to carry babies instead.

Workers tried to meet specific requests from adoptive families. Some asked for siblings, Noh said, so she and her colleagues would compete over the small number of twins in their networks.

Another former worker, employed at two agencies from the 1970s to early 1990s, said anybody facing challenges in raising their children would be strongly encouraged to give them away.

“Many of the children we gathered would have stayed with their biological parents with a little help,” the former worker said. “But what we heard (from management) was always the same – if we don’t take that child, another adoption agency will.”

Private counseling records in a 1988 Holt document obtained by AP show that some parents who relinquished their children soon pleaded for them back. The agency’s workers told them that their children would thrive under good Western parents and may return home someday rich or “with Ph.Ds.”

In one case, a mother returned and asked to see her son. The boy was still in Seoul, but a Holt worker told the mother he’d been flown to the U.S.

“After being told the lie,” the worker wrote, “the birth mother began to regain her peace of mind as expected.”

Susan Soonkeum Cox, who long worked for Holt International, the Oregon-based U.S. arm of the Holt adoption network, denied widespread problems. She said the goal was always to find good homes for children who would have otherwise grown up in orphanages.

“Has there been some activity that shouldn’t have happened? Probably. We’re human and everybody is different. There’s good social workers, there’s bad social workers, there’s good employees, bad employees,” she said. “But…the accusation of systemic, deliberate wrongdoing, that I reject.”

The Seoul-based Holt Children’s Services, which split from the American agency in the 1970s, and the three other Korean agencies declined to comment on specific cases.

Holt Korea has in recent years denied accusations of wrongdoing and attributed adoptee complaints to misunderstandings and Korea’s social welfare issues. Kim Jin Sook, president of Eastern, has said the agency carried out government policies to find homes for “discarded children.”

But some other agencies on the ground started closing their programs because of ethical concerns.

In the 1970s, Francis Carlin ran South Korea’s Catholic Relief Services, which facilitated about 30 adoptions a month, compared to hundreds by the larger agencies. The demand from the West was intense, and there weren’t enough legitimate orphans to feed it, he said, leading to “a lot of the compromises, a lot of the hanky panky.”

The larger agencies toured orphanages, grabbing up healthy babies and leaving older and disabled children, he said.

“These, I would call them brokers, were going out and trying to get more and more children,” Carlin said when reached by AP. “They would put the legitimate parent on a guilt trip and say, what are you doing? You can’t afford to take care of this child…. Why don’t you just step back and let them have a better life? You’re so selfish.”

One Korean social worker expressed disgust in words so crushing they stuck with Carlin all these years: “It’s sickening, just sickening.”

Catholic Relief Services ceased its adoption program in 1974. Carlin remembers standing up at a meeting of humanitarian organizations: “We are beginning to slide into the abyss,” he said.

Four decades later, Laurie Bender took a DNA test because her own daughter was curious about their heritage. In 2019, she got a call: “Your mother has been looking for you.”

Bender dropped the phone.

“It’s like a hole in your heart has been healed, you finally feel like a complete person,” Bender said. “It’s like you’ve been living a fake life and everything you know is not true.”

Bender and her daughter flew to South Korea just weeks later. Her mother, Han Tae-soon, wore her best outfit and lipstick for the first time in a long time. She recognized her daughter immediately in the airport and ran to her, screaming, moaning, running her fingers through her hair.

Han Tae-soon’s notebook sits on a table at her home in Anyang, South Korea, June 1, 2024. Han, who is in her 70s, has notebooks feverishly annotated with English translations, written during countless hours trying to learn her daughter’s language. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Han, who is in her 70s, has notebooks feverishly annotated with English translations, written during countless hours trying to learn her daughter’s language. Amid the photos of her children on her living room wall is a black-and-white one of Bender as a little girl, stuck in time.

Han plans to sue the South Korean government and Holt for robbing them of ever having a real relationship.

“I feel like I am dying. I really am dying,” she said. “There’s so little time for me.”

She jabbed her finger at paperwork that sent her daughter away.

“Isn’t this a government seal?” she demanded. “Why did you make this up and sell away other people’s children?”

This story is part of an ongoing investigation led by The Associated Press in collaboration with FRONTLINE (PBS). The investigation includes an interactive and the upcoming documentary South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning, premiering Sept. 20 on PBS & online.

Robyn Joy Park, an adoptee from South Korea, stands for a photo at her home in Pasadena, Calif., April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Switched identities

This system turned children into people with no history, no parents, no ties.

Many adoptees will never know the basic facts of their lives — their birthdays, their birth parents, if they were wanted or truly abandoned — because their documents are false.

Robyn Joy Park, adopted to the United States, cherished her documents so much that she tattooed her adoption number — 82C-1320 — on her back. It was her only tether to her motherland.

Those documents said she was a girl named Park Joo Young, born in Busan in August 1982, and her unmarried mother couldn’t afford to keep her. In 2007, Park traveled to Korea to meet the woman that her adoption agency, Eastern, listed as her mother.

Their bond deepened slowly over years. They visited relatives, held hands, shared hotel rooms — the mother spoonfed her rice. The woman’s son changed his name to Park Joon Young, to share the “Young” syllable in line with Korean naming traditions for siblings.

Five years passed. Park asked the woman to take a DNA test in the hope of finding her father.

They were not related. She was not Park Joo Young — she was another, unknown, girl.

“I really was so hurt and stunned and devastated and incredibly angry,” Park said. “I could only imagine what it was like for her.”

She lost touch with the woman, although she remains in contact with the man she considered her brother. Her agency offered her nothing but an apology, and declined to comment when reached by AP.

Michaela Dietz, an adoptee from South Korea, holds a baby photo of Robyn Joy Park, who was also adopted from South Korea as an infant and whose identity was switched, next to Park’s newborn daughter, Rae, while visiting Park at her home in Pasadena, Calif., April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Her story is not uncommon. When children processed for adoption died, became too sick to travel or were found by their biological families, agencies often replaced them with other children instead of redoing the process from scratch, according to former adoption workers. At a meeting with an adoptee in 2021 where AP was present, a longtime worker said Western partner agencies were willing to take “any child of the same sex and similar age, because it would take too much time to start over again.”

The AP has spoken to 10 others who found that their identity was switched with someone else.

One of them, Mia Sang Jørnø, raised in Denmark, developed a close relationship with the family of the man listed as her father by her agency, Korea Social Service. She attended his funeral in 2000, even joining relatives as they received guests through the traditional three-day mourning procession.

He had given her the name of her mother, and she worked up the courage to contact her. They took a DNA test.

They weren’t related.

The agency told her that her paperwork was mistaken, and she wasn’t even the girl named on her documents, Park Sang Ok. She was Kim Eun-hye. She had mourned a father who wasn’t hers.

“I always have this kind of restlessness,” she said, “of just not knowing that part of me, my identity.”

KSS did not respond to questions. In letters seen by AP and Frontline, the agency has admitted to adoptees that the stories on their paperwork were invented to get the adoptions through.

“I would like to apologize for the wrong information in your adoption paper,” a KSS worker wrote to a Danish adoptee in 2016. “It was made up just for adoption procedure.” The worker could not be reached by AP.

In 2022, the agency emailed another adoptee that their “real background is different” than listed, apologizing that the discrepancy might “confuse” them.

Neither Park nor Jørnø ever found their real parents. They both think often of the girls whose identities they were given, and wonder: What happened to her?

A photo magnet of Robert Calabretta, second from right, when he reunited with his biological mother, left, and siblings, decorates his apartment, Feb. 16, 2024, in New York. He prefers his new name now: Hanil Lee. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

“We were supposed to be a happy family”

The Korean government cracked down on the adoption industry when the 1988 Olympics brought attention to the baby trade as a national shame.

The Health Ministry instructed agencies to “improve” their practices and stop “touring” hospitals and orphanages to gather children, according to a document obtained by AP. They were told they could be punished if they continued to “competitively engage in unlawful practices.”

Adoptions plummeted, from around 8,000 a year in the mid-1980s to around 2,000 a year in the 1990s. But tens of thousands of children were already overseas, including Calabretta.

Hospital officials told Calabretta’s mother to assume he had died. She went to a temple three times to offer a Buddhist ceremony to bless the soul of the dead.

The documents that went with him to the U.S. in 1986 described him as a “normal healthy baby, adoptable,” born to an unwed mother, and made no mention of a surgery.

Calabretta returned to South Korea in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His father, Lee Sung-soo, could not wait out the two-week quarantine and showed up outside the apartment the next day.

Robert Calabretta, right, and his biological father, Lee Sung-soo, have a picture taken together on a visit in Daegu, South Korea, in August of 2020. (Robert Calabretta via AP)

Calabretta threw open the window. “Dad!” he shouted.

“My son!” Lee shouted back.

“We were supposed to be a happy family, not separated. He was my precious firstborn son,” Lee said. “For over 30 years, he lived in a foreign land against his will. That makes my heart break.”

Calabretta visits South Korea often, and they talk on the phone every few days. He has the same odd divot in his ear as his mother, the same laugh as his father, the same taste in shoes and jackets and music, the same allergies.

All those years, Calabretta’s mother kept the blanket she’d carried empty out of the hospital, a symbol of the absence where her son should be.

He asked her to rename him, to reclaim him, as her son and a son of Korea. In Korea, there is a sentiment that something isn’t truly yours until you name it, and once you do, you must take care of it.

So he prefers his new name now: Hanil Lee.

AP reporter Lori Hinnant and researcher Rhonda Shafner and Frontline’s Lora Moftah and Emily Sternlicht contributed to this report.

Robert Calabretta, who was adopted as a baby out of South Korea to an American family, walks through his neighborhood, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

COMING TOMORROW: The role of the West

Robert Calabretta blames not just South Korea but also the United States for taking him away from his parents and adopting him out to an American family.

“What higher trophy is it of domination than taking one’s children and carting them off?” he asked. “The audacity of that. And it’s all tied in a bow of, ‘you must feel so lucky that you’re adopted.’”

Western governments turned a blind eye to rampant fraud and pressured the South Korean government to keep the kids coming, an Associated Press investigation has found.