South Korea - Update your Asia bucket list
- Ilene
- May 20
- 6 min read
South Korea may not be on the top of everyone’s bucket list, and it definitely was not on ours. As we started sharing our travel plans with friends, one friend shared her love of Seoul and asked if we were going to S. Korea. As our travel plans came together, we had some extra time in Asia and decided to add S. Korea to the itinerary. And… we’re really glad we did. Thanks Whitney! Better yet, Rachael was able to swing her schedule and the few PTO days she had to come join us - yippie!
We wrongly assumed S. Korea would have a lot in common with Japan. After all, the Korean Peninsula was colonized by Japan in the 20th century and during that time the Japanese government had taken many steps to suppress Korean culture including the language, history, and traditional practices, aiming for cultural assimilation. Though it took quite some time for S. Korea to rebuild itself, what we saw while there was a uniquely Korean culture - from modern day K-Pop and K-Beauty to historic UNESCO sites and culture. Bottom line, add South Korea to your Asia bucket list and definitely go beyond Seoul.
One guide we had suggested Korea culture sat some place in between Chinese and Japanese culture with influence from both over the centuries. We saw some of it as our travels took us through different parts of the country, especially in the food and education philosophy.
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We learned how intense Koreans are. Seems it starts with the pressure parents impart on their children’s education and continues through their professional careers as well. Perhaps no surprise the Koreans like their alcohol, more on that in David’s blog. South Korea has the lowest birthrate in the world today and part of the reason is the cost of raising children in this culture. In order to be competitive, parents enroll their kids in extra academic courses; this is beyond the already extended school day. Influenced by the Chinese Tiger Moms perhaps, it seems this concept is alive and well in S. Korea.
The people we came across, both in the hospitality and tourism areas but also complete strangers were all so helpful and friendly. For example, we found ourselves the last people on a bus while heading home from a temple latern festival. The bus driver asked where we were headed - never a good sign - and then proceeded to personally make sure we found our way. We found this to be the case in Japan as well, where some fellow baseball fans made sure we were on the right bus for the game. Koreans are direct and many people spoke English. That said, our favorite universal body language was the use of crossed arms and/or crossed pointer fingers to tell us that something was not available or just “no”. Not rude, just their version of Italians who also like to talk with their hands!
Unfortunately food was challenging and nothing like Japan. Meat is a big part of the culture, as is the use of soy sauce and fried foods - a triple whammy for the Tucker girls. We found solace in the international cuisine available in some areas - Thai, Indian, Vietnamese were all enjoyable options. And thanks to some great guides, we were able to safely enjoy a couple of hot pot style Korean meals with tofu, vegetables, and all the “banchan” side dishes. The side dishes were all delicious with different pickled vegetables and kimchi of course.
We started our visit in Busan on the southeast coast of the Korean Peninsula and an easy flight from Fukuoka, Japan. Busan is an enormous city and one I wouldn’t put at the top of my S. Korean itinerary. In the right season (summer), the beaches would be great and something Busan is well known for. There are some sites to be seen and we took a small group tour to see many of them.
What did surprise us was the car culture, yes car culture! On the hour long drive from the airport to our hotel the freeways were packed, the boulevards large and the cars were not at all like the small and compact Japanese cars we had left behind. Cars were clearly status symbols and they dominated the roads; pedestrians beware in this country!
Our hopes for Jeju island were high. First off, Rachael was meeting us here and we couldn’t wait to see her after being apart for 9 months! Many people we spoke to compared Jeju to Hawaii. It’s possible we missed something in our explorations of the island, but we didn’t really get the Hawaiian vibe here. There are some beautiful rocky cliff coastlines and views but the resort feel wasn’t really there. If you love hiking, there are some epic hikes to be had at Mount Hallasan. We also stayed in Jeju city to enjoy a HomeExchange, but in hindsight I’d recommend staying on the south part of the island.
Gyeongju however should be at the top of your list right next to Seoul! Visiting this city was a little like stepping back in time. The historic village and more updated chic town was charming, with Korean style homes, crafts and plenty of coffee shops. There are also a number of UNESCO sites in Gyeongju. Again, we joined a small group tour to see the sites, many that were outside the city in the mountains. A great guide can really make for a great day. We learned a lot about S. Korean history, religion and current day culture.
Just a quick “travel best practice” reminder…always be sure to check out a country’s national holidays and religious festivals so you can try to avoid traveling during them or target them if that’s your thing. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we got the full local experience in Gyeongju as Koreans love to visit here on holiday, in this case during the Buddha Birthday long weekend. Today most tourists to Gyeongju are Koreans and we saw very few foreigners. I’d give this city 5 years before it’s “found” and becomes a popular UNESCO site for foreigners to visit.
Seoul…I’ll start by comparing it to Tokyo as I think many people, like ourselves, may consider the two countries and cities as comparable. Yet, they couldn’t be more different, from food, to cars, language, education and the list goes on. We found Seoul to be more approachable than Tokyo. Though a huge city, many areas are very walk-able and the bus and metro system are robust. The city itself has a quieter feel to it.
Seoul has many unique neighborhoods, each with their own character. From the upscale and very famous Gangnam District to cute areas like Itaewon-dong and Ikseon-dong, shopping in Myeonngdong and Hongdae Street with it's buskers, there's really something for every vibe. We visited one of the palaces which was vast. We enjoyed seeing many tourists wearing the traditional hanbok outfits making the whole thing feel like we’d literally stepped back in time. The cultural villages such as Bukchon Hanok were quaint and beautiful, especially in the shoulder season and in the morning when visitors weren’t quite yet overrunning the place.
With Rachael by my side, it was necessary to indulge in some retail and beauty therapy. Neither of us were all that impressed with Myeongdong shopping, though we all enjoyed the street food experience there at night. We did enjoy our K-beauty facials and Olive Young shopping spree though! Last plug for Seoul - when you’re there, see Nanta the Cooking Show. It was an unexpected belly-rolling laugh of an evening, even for Rachael who usually cringes during comedy shows.
Well, that’s a wrap on S. Korea. We left Seoul and arrived in Jakarta for two weeks of exploring Java. We have 6 weeks in Indonesia for some adventure and more importantly, relaxation time. After Indonesia we stop in Taipei for a few nights before arriving back in LA. This amazing adventure is coming to an end - bitter sweet. Can’t wait to see all our fav fans once we’re back in Cali.
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