Soul-searching in Seoul
What is it about the city that makes people so mesmerised?
There’s an instant spark of fascination when a post is tagged with a #Seoul or a #Korea. A country that is so far away for a lot of people seems almost like a fairytale, something untouchable. Many are intrigued by South Korea due to its world-renowned entertainment industry with the forefront of K-Pop in addition to TV dramas and thought-provoking movies.
The country is known for its ethereal beauty, rich food culture, alluring nature, fascinating history, and advanced technology. South Korea paints a pretty picture, but none of it comes without hard work. The country has rebuilt itself in the last half a century and its people push themselves every single day to maintain that growth. This is something that is impossible to miss when visiting the country.
“A few decades ago we had nothing.”
I was told this by an older woman who approached me first to advertise a church. I had just arrived back in Seoul after visiting Busan.
“We’ve built such a beautiful country.”
So is traveling to Korea worth it? Mainly, is it worth the hype? The short answer is yes, but it’s not as simple as that.
I first arrived in Seoul in May of 2022. I was in the middle of my first gap year and looking to finally visit a country that I’d heard so much about since 2019. A year before the pandemic I got really familiar with K-Pop and I was glad for it, the dazzling artists became quite a solace for me in the next few years. Being a fan also led me to be interested in Korean culture, especially the language, and this brings me to my first tip:
If you’re planning to travel to Korea, I suggest learning some of the language.
It is entirely possible, of course, to travel with the help of technology like the translation app Papago. In my experience, however, if you’re planning to stray from tourist catered areas you will most likely end up in a café with their menu in Hangul and an owner who hasn’t studied English. This already happened to me on the first day.
Not much is needed to survive. I personally recommend learning how to read Hangul; vocabulary-wise words like yes, no, sorry, and thank you are pretty helpful; and sentence-wise I recommend learning how to order food. If you’ll be carrying cash, numbers might also be of use.
Cash in itself is actually my second tip. Some places don’t accept foreign cards, mainly street food stalls or market places, so carrying cash is a lifesaver. If you’ll be using public transport, which I highly recommend — the system is pretty incredible, charging a T-money card is really easy with cash.
There’s not much to say about the food other than try everything.
If you’re interested in going to Seoul, you’ll most likely be familiar with the concept of café-hopping. This was a must for me, as I didn’t buy a Korean SIM-card and had to chase reliable wifi. It was also a necessity because of the heat. In late May the temperatures were around 28 degrees Celsius, which was bearable, but tiring for a tourist that mainly walked to each destination.
Foods that I crave as I currently write this:
- jjajangmyeon, a Korean-Chinese dish also known as black bean noodles
- hotteok, sweet street food that consists of pancake dough and a filling
- bungeobbang, crispy treat with a red bean paste filling
Cafés and restaurants that I wish to revisit:
- Café Layered, the layout of the food is beautiful
- Café Lala, perfect after a visit to the HYBE exhibition
- Grand Hyatt Seoul, the place is fancy and the food is delicious
- Café Athena, a gorgeous space close to Bukchon Hanok village
- Nuldam Space, such a unique experience — a must
- Breaghetti, as an introvert ordering through the screen is great
- McDonald’s, believe it or not the Korean menu is worth a try
I couldn’t try as much savory food as I wanted due to my seafood allergies, but most dishes I tried were amazing. Even the bulgogi on the airplane ride back had me craving it for months and I rarely eat red meat.
Foods that I didn’t get to try but wish I did, include: bingsu, Korean BBQ, naengmyeon, and kimchi jjigae. When I do get to go back I hope to be able to try everything.
My favorite thing to do in Seoul was walk. As simple as that is, it allowed me to see much more of the city than simply being transported everywhere.
The day I most enjoyed out of my two-week trip was completely unplanned. I started by taking the metro to Seoul National University and hiking up Naksan Park. After walking along the beautiful wall and admiring the mountains, I walked back down towards Dongdaemun Design Plaza. On the way down, I strayed to explore beautiful allies decorated with artworks.
When I reached the plaza, I explored the market place that was set up and bought some jewellery. There were a few different art exhibitions around the plaza which I briefly visited too.
Then I continued on, by walking towards Cheonggyeochon and descended the stairs to walk along the stream for hours. There I met a lovely older lady who greeted me in Korean, she seemed to be on a stroll with her daughter. After I greeted her back, she put her hand on my shoulder and called me pretty. I thanked her and bowed before sitting down to watch the stream.
It was a wonder to me how, despite people telling me of Korea’s homogeneity and warning me about racism, this woman was so kind. It still puts a smile on my face when I think about it. Of course, it is something to consider before traveling: whether you are willing to stand out in a crowd. But in my experience, other than being subject to constant stares, I wasn’t made to feel like an outsider. Even the stares, I suspect, were born out of curiosity.
After reaching the end of the stream I made my way to a corner store to grab some peach ice tea, which had become a staple during my stay in Korea. I continued along Gwanghwamun Square until I reached the palace grounds. I was lucky to go in May, the entrace to Gyeongbokgung was free due to a festival. If you want to immerse yourself in Korean culture by renting hanbok on your outing to the palace, your entry will be free all year round.
Gyeongbok Palace was beyond words. It’s an experience as close to time travel as I believe I’ve ever had. The buildings are beautiful and the atmosphere is truly indescribable. I ended my outing there before taking a metro back to my hotel in Itaewon. It’s a day I wish I could relive, and I do not have many of those.
Here’s a list of things I would do upon returning to Korea, which would have made my trip better:
- buying a Korean SIM card
- packing an umbrella
- going in late March/early April, this is purely to see the cherry blossoms
- traveling even lighter than I did
- staying for longer, maybe three weeks
- going to museums
- being braver with restaurants/nightlife
My Top 5 Must-Visit Places:
- Gyeongbok Palace and surrounding areas
- Cheonggyecheon stream and its pitstops along the way
- Insa-dong for shopping, especially souvenirs
- Hongdae and/or Myeong-dong for shopping and food
- Naksan and/or Namsan parks, for lovers of nature
So what is it, in my experience, that makes Seoul so mesmerising?
Effort.
From the cleanliness of the city to the aesthetics of each café and shop you walk into, everything boils down to effort. Sure, the city would function if the public transportation wasn’t as punctual or if people were less careful about disposing their waste. But it wouldn’t work as effectively and it wouldn’t look as beautiful doing so.
This is not to say Seoul is absolutely perfect. Things that one might expect, like finding a public trashcan or being able to wear whatever one pleases, may not be a given. There’s a culture of respect that both encourages the adherence to social norms, but also limits what one can do without some sort of repercussions. Visiting a city is wholly different from actually living there too.
I do, from the bottom of my heart, encourage people to visit this country of wonder. If you travel with an open mind and curious eyes, I’m sure you’ll find a corner of Seoul that you’ll want to keep with you forever.
