Destination: Gwanghwamun Plaza – a buzzing urban area in the heart of Seoul (South Korea)

Having just opened on August 1st, the name ‘Gwanghwamun Plaza’ may not be familiar unless you read the Korea Herald. After being under construction for over a year, it’s now open – and has to seen for yourself if you’re in town. Beyond...

Destination: Leeum Museum / Samsung Museum of Art – a mix of classic and modern art (Seoul, South Korea)

Tatsuo Miyajima’s Transcend Section – filled with dozens of endlessly cycling numbers that turn off when the number reaches 0. The numbers change at different rates, suggesting that time is felt differently by different individuals. One part classic...

Destination: Dongguneung – a Joseon Dynasty Tomb and UNESCO World Heritage Site (Guri, South Korea)

East in Seoul in the nearby city of Guri, past royalty is buried. Six kings and nine queens (along with a posthumouly declared king and queen) are buried in a series of nine tombs, thus explaining the name 동구릉 (동 = dong, or east; 구 = gu, which can mean nine or old; 릉;...

Destination: Haengju Fortress Park (Goyang, South Korea)

Haengju Fortress Park (행주산성) was recently written about in Seoul Selection’s June issue, and looked interesting enough to check out for myself. The original article (linked above to a flash e-book version) focuses on the history of the site, and is highly worth...

Destination: World Cup Park – the formerly futuristic football place (Seoul, South Korea)

Another huge park located in Seoul, the World Cup Park offers several days’ worth of water, walking, wheels, and nature within walking distance of the subway system. More than just a green area amended to a stadium, Seoul’s World Cup Park is a testimony to...

Destination: shopping in Jongno / Euljiro (Seoul, South Korea)

Shopping in Korea usually makes for an interesting story. On one hand you have lots of cutting-edge, state-of-the-art gimmicks designed to awe you into the store. The skyscrapers will have every kind of fancy clothing you want – provided you can pay or negotiate...

Destination: COEX aquarium – one of the biggest in the country (Seoul, South Korea)

After a year and three months in Korea, it’s a bit surprising that the COEX Aquarium wasn’t been on my list of places to go. It’s easy to get to and quite popular with the locals (especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon), so, uh, sure – why not?...

Destination: Namdaemun Market, part 2 – another look at Seoul’s huge market (South Korea)

I found myself in the several-square-block of Namdaemun after meandering about Namsan Park for awhile recently. Just like before, the area is king to shopping, wandering, and tourist sight-seeing. Like quite a few areas in Seoul / Korea, Namdaemun is simply too large...

Destination: Seoul National Cemetery (South Korea)

Seoul National Cemetery has become the final resting place for martyrs and Korea’s war dead. Given a special place of honor, their sacrifices are seen through photos, ‘relics’, and of course their names and graves. Korea had a fairly rough 20th...

Destination: Boryeong Mud Festival (Daecheon)

UPDATE 4:30PM (Korea time) 14 July 2009 — Some more pictures of the Mud Festival from the AP — many of them showing quite a few Koreans in the mix. See? I’m not the only one saying it 🙂 Summer, thy name is mud. The Boryeong Mud Festival is one of those summer events...