What was it like? How was it? Which image did you get from South-Korea?
Since my visit to Korea, people have been asking me questions like these A LOT. And I have to say: difficult questions… Because creating an image of South-Korea is tough. The country has so many aspects to it… I’ll try to highlight some of them with this blog!
For many, South Korea is the western part of Asia. Because S-Korea has had, historically, many liaisons with the USA and you see many influences from the USA on the street. Even in the North-Korean submarine that they have intercepted close to the South-Korean shores, they found cans of Pepsi and Dr. Pepper that North-Korean spies found on their on-shore missions.
Regarding differences with the rest of Asia, well, to me Korea is different from other Asian countries. Apparently, it is more like Japan, but I can’t compare that (yet).
To me, the cities were very different; skyscrapers in Seoul, many international restaurants, many very retro coffee bars. An entirely different city than for example Jakarta in Indonesia.
Closer to Taipei for example than any South-eastern city.
So, what does it look like? I would say: itself. South-Korea has a very strong own vibe, one that, at least in my opinion, is not to be copied. It has a big influence from its very own K-pop and K-dramas and it has a huge passion for nature aaand little gadgets. Because yes, I know that in Asia you can find loads of stores with gadgets, but to me, South-Korea goes above and beyond when it comes to gadgets. Just go and check out one of the many Daiso stores and you’ll agree. If you’re not really into gadgets, go and check one of the many enormous shopping malls as well.
As mentioned before, Koreans are very passionate when it comes to nature. The entire country exists out of hiking paths. And you’d think that would be outside of the cities, but no, there is nature everywhere. In Seoul you can take the metro directly to a beautiful national park. In Busan you can get a tourist guide full of day hikes around the city that visit the best (natural) spots in the city. And you’ll meet hikers EVERYWHERE. To be honest, they are mainly older people, because youngsters have not really found their passion for hiking yet, it seems. Having all these hikers on the road, does mean that you won’t be alone in Korean nature. But apart from that, there is plenty to see in Seoul, Busan, Sokcho, the islands of Tongyeong, Jeju Island…
And then to what I thought was the most interesting about South-Korea? Well, I loved its nature, but since I am very interested in anything regarding WO II and whatever followed it, I thought visiting de DMZ between North and South Korea was really interesting and I really liked all the different museums that talked about the, very recent, history of this ongoing conflict. Definitely a must see for me.
To guide you on your trip to Korea, I have listed a few useful apps to travel through the country. Trust me, without them, you’ll find it a lot harder to enjoy the country to its fullest.
Want to travel to South-Korea as well? Just contact me and you might be enjoying this view soon as well!
