Korean Job Discussion Forums

[billybrobby]

I'll be the first to admit: I hardly leave Seoul. Having traveled half-way around the world to be here, what's the point in going another 500 miles to some other spot? But also, I feel like every tourist experience I have within Korea kinda sucks. It usually involves a bunchy of chintzy, tacky bullsh*t along with a 100 squawking adjummas in red vests. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Koreans always ask if I've gone here or there, and they think I'm stupid for not having gone to overcrowded tourist destination X or Y. But to me, the best part about Korea was just walking through the crowded streets of Seoul and checking out all the weird stuff that goes one. But after 2 years, that experience has long since lost its fascination. So I'd like to hit up some worthwhile tourist spots. But it never seems worthwhile. Koreans have a knack for landscaping a natural spot until its natural charm is gone, and renovating a historical spot until its historical feel is gone. (After all, this is a country that finds nothing declasse about putting a big red neon cross on a church) And don't get me started on 'pensions'. What a total waste of time.

Ordinarily I'd look in a tourism guide to find a nice place to go, but tourism guides around here are full of precisely the kind of overdone, overcrowded, ajumma-tastic places I'd like to avoid. So I turn to you, dear Dave's reader.

[Mashimaro]

I'll never forget the time after 18 months or so when I never left Seoul, I went to a beach at Southern most point of mainland korea, I could hardly wait for some peace and quiet when suddenly I see the speakers pumping out some trot bs music, just to spoil the serene atmosphere

As for Korean tourism in general I think most things in Korea tend to be overrated by Koreans, they talk up certain things so much, that they can't help but disapoint in reality.

[seattlespew]

*.*

[jajdude]

[captain kirk]

If you want to go hiking the best places I've found/experiences have been without trail. Following heights of land/ridges and discovering what there is to see in untracked wilderness. Following ridgelines so as not to get lost and to stay out of the thickets, thorns, uphill thrashing/struggling, etc.

[mithridates]

백령도

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Son Deureo!]

There are some great things to see and do, I think it would be a shame to never get out of Seoul even though there is probably no place in Korea I'd rather live. I've never minded Korean kitsch so much per se, it's part of the charm, but the crowds can get to me as well. That's not too hard to avoid, however, as Koreans are very predictable, seasonal people. In the fall, they go to the mountains and temples, in the summer, they go to the beach (July and August only), in the winter they go skiing, and in the spring they go look at cherry blossoms. Avoid going to those places at those times, and don't go on package tours (duh) and you'll have plenty of elbow room.

It's very easy to travel around Seoul, pretty much everything can be reached within 3-4 hours, and it's pretty easy to get nice accommodations in a love motel or minbak for W30-40K a night. If you're going with a crowd it's never a problem to cram in as many people as you want for no extra fee. It's even pretty easy to get roundtrip flights to Chejudo for about W100K these days, thanks to Cheju Air. And while the food is Korean, the Korean food in the country is usually a cut above what you can get in Seoul, especially if you're in Jeollado. I also find that people are super friendly to Westerners visiting Korean tourist spots, especially if you speak some Korean.

It's a bit too cold to do too much right now, but once it's March or so it there are plenty of nice places to go.

Some of my favorite places to visit:

Danyang - River resort town, breathtaking scenery and very chill. Be sure to go on a river boat tour, and check out the nearby temple Guinsa. It's one of the best Buddhist temples I've seen in Asia.

Chejudo - Yes, it is worth a visit. It's probably the most different place in the whole country. It's subtropical, full of citrus trees, sculptures more made of black volcanic rock, and with some great things to see. Hallasan is a beautiful and full of tropical foliage if you're into hiking, the Chejudo folk village is well done, and be sure to go to nearby Udo, an island with a white pulverized coral beach and a black sand beach. There are also some nice waterfalls if you're into that (I'm from near Niagara Falls, so I wasn't all that impressed). Chejudo is fairly big and a pain to get around on by taxi and bus, so you might want to rent a car here.

Yellow Sea Islands - Easy as hell to get to if you live in the Seoul/Incheon area, and there are some nice beaches. Muido, Jawoldo, and Deokjeokdo are all nice, and less than an hour away by ferry. The best time to go is June or late August-early September, it's warm but deserted.

Sokcho - Nice beach, plus one of the nicest mountains in the country, Seoraksan. Crowded as hell in the summer and when the leaves change color, though.

Gyeongju - The old Shilla Dynasty capital, lots of palaces, temples, royal burial mounds, etc. As far as I know, this is never really all that crowded. Rent a bicycle and tour it that way.

Jindo - OK, this is walking right into the crowds, but the Moses miracle parting of the ocean and the surrounding festival is fun.


So do these places compare with Koh Samui, Kyoto, Halong Bay, Bali, Angkor Wat, etc.? No, not really, and if you go with that attitude you'll be disappointed. But it is a nice change of pace from Seoul, it's really easy and cheap to do, and most weekend getaways don't cost much more than a night out on the town in Seoul. If you're getting bored of Seoul, there's really no excuse not to get out and explore a bit.

[billybrobby]

Man, as I reread my original post, I realize it was terribly written. But, anyways, thanks for the suggestions. I will dutifully check them all out as the year goes by.

Back to the ranting, which is more fun anways, these are the top sh*t things about Korean tourist sites:

*Blaring music: Attention Korean populace! Your sh*tty pop music does not add to, but detracts from, the glory of nature. In fact, it detracts from everything, even car alarms and the sound of people getting murdered.
*People selling cheap crap wherever you go: Makes me miss Japan, where people sell overpriced crap wherever you go.
*Adjumma/Adjosshi tour groups: Now, I like to get drunk at 11AM just like the next guy, but it doesn't excuse wearing those clothes.
*Tacky new additions to old historical sites: I realize the monks have to pee somewhere, but installing a urinal right next to the 1,000 year old buddha statue was a bit uncalled for.

[SPINOZA]

Hardly ever leave Seoul, eh? Jesus, I hardly ever leave NORTH Seoul.

I've gotta travel more in Korea because when ever I do I return completely refreshed and in a top mood. I always come back saying "you know, Seoul's good and all, and (like Son Deureo don't yearn to live anywhere else), but it's not the best Korea has to offer". Non-Seoulite Koreans are friendly as hell too.

I've been skiing twice (same place, Gangchon, which is on the subway apparently) and even with the busy-ness it's recommended. The scenery out there is wonderful. That said, I wouldn't have even done that if a Korean family didn't take me and mollycoddle me the whole time. Got some Kimchi made by an old lady who recalls the Korean War - tastiest kimchi in the country, guaranteed!

Been on a couple of KTX rides to places like Cheonan and Daegu and that was alright, but, yeah, I've got to become less of yokel for sure.

[jajdude]

This is just odd, has nothing to do with the thread, but I'm pretty sure I have never seen or heard "craptacular" before this thread, then again a few hours later, watching an old Simpsons on

http://tv-links.co.uk/index.html

Isn't it strange when that happens?

[JongnoGuru]

[lastat06513]

Not surprisingly, I have heard from both tourists and tourguides that Korea is one of the worst destinations to visit in N. Asia.

The problem comes that during the Chosun Dynasty (1394-1910), they assimulated each region into a uniform culture that each region was not allowed to develop its own identity, the only place you might find a distinct difference from the rest of Korea is Cheju (gee...I wonder why...)

But in Korea's defense, I did give a tour of some of the interesting places.

One time while wasting my time at the King Club, I ran into some GIs that were bored of being there and wanted some real action (they wanted to see some "real" Korean women).
So we hopped into 2 cabs and went to each and every major red-light district in Seoul (Miari, Chungnyungni, YongSan, and YoungDungpo). Though they didn't get "served", they were happy to see the wonders of "Korean society"

In point, there is something to see for everybody...you just have to look hard enough to find it....

[Yu_Bum_suk]

lastat, I think you may find that Korea has more variation than you think.

Billy, you're completely right about Korea ruining its potental tourist appeal simply through tackiness and noise pollution; however, there are some areas still very worth-while seeing. One is Gyeongju, about 45 minutes east of Daegu. It has not been ruined too badly and has some things that are simply charming. The trick is to try to get time off to see them when Koreans are a work / school, if that's possible.

Sadly, like with most things, Koreans so desperately wants the world's approval when it comes to its sites, but has no idea how much disapproval what it does to them will bring. Behind the Suwon Folk Village is one of the most beautiful, operating temples you could find. It would be a nice place to relax and spend some time were it not for the sound of a nearby miniature train whistle blasting away every 15 seconds. And what do Koreans do to install a sense of remembrance at the DMZ? Set up an amusement part with blarring music and, you guessed it, a miniature train.

How do you avoid offending people while trying to help them not look ridiculous, anyways?

[nautilus]

There are some picturesque and unspoilt places. Problem is they are fewer every year, as they relentlessly concrete them over for the sake of development. Its hard to find a stream or river anywhere now that has not been destroyed or channelled by bulldozers, or a beach that has not suddenly been converted into a noisy moneymaking enterprise.

Koreans just don't value natural beauty. They always want to alter, damage, sterilise or build over it. Long live the DMZ.

As for all their chintzy overcrowded tourist options..yeeuuch