Korean Job Discussion Forums

[matthews_world]

DMZ is probably the one to see.
Busan beaches in the height of summer.
Boryeong tea plantation.
COEX.
63 Building.
That island Oe-do off of Goeje, accessible by ferry.
Andong traditional village.
Water sports in southeastearn Korean rivers.
Yangpyang skiing in Gangwon-do.
Seokcho beach.
Uellung-do/Dok-do ferry tour.
Jeju and Halla-san.


Once you've seen a temple, beach, market in Korea, however, you've pretty much seen them all.

[DeMayonnaise]

I dunno, sites to me in Korea just seem a little disappointing.

The DMZ was pretty dumb I thought. All you do is look at North Korea, which looks similar to South Korea.

For being the capital of their ancient dynasties, Gyeongju was a let down.

Jeju isn't anything special. Oedolgae Rock has to be the most overrated tourist sight in the world. Maybe if I watched the K drama that was filmed there I'd care more.

There are a lot of nice hikes, but I wouldn't really call those "tourist sites". There are nice hikes everywhere.

Walking through tea leaves and on a land bridge through the ocean doesn't interest me at all.

Like the other person said, there are some nice spots for short weekend trips, but nothing I would make a destination out of. Let's face it, Korea isn't a tourist destination. It's a great place to live, but for vacations I'll go elsewhere.


(*I'm not trying to bash Korea, I'm just saying it like it is. I'd say the same thing about my home, Wisconsin. Great place to live, but you shouldn't go on vacation there.)

[Tundra_Creature]

I'm an easy pleaser (though I also haven't travelled that much yet).

I thought the Korean War Memorial was something to see.

I also enjoyed my time in Jeju. The underground volcano cave, the tangerines, the diver women and just the nice scenery in general was a nice break from Incheon and Seoul. Plus, I was a sucker for the Teddy Bear Museum.

The Folk Village in Suwon was really something. I loved the old man on the tightrope (like seriously wtf). Plus, I made friends with an old Adjusshi who gave me the rundown of the area.

I didn't go, but whilst I was taking my exams, my mom went to the DMZ and she thought it to be facinating (she's into war history and all that). She was very interested in hearing about these tunnels that were dug by the NKs, and all that. My roomate and a few other exchange students went another time and found it to be a big disappointment, though I don't think they got a chance to see the tunnels.

Although yes, once you've see one temple, you've seen them all... I really like seeing temples and palaces, so I went to a bunch. They are still very beautiful.

I could go on, but I think most other people have mentioned everything else.

I suppose that if you're extremely well travelled, than I guess Korea's spots can come off as a disappointment though. You just need to look a little harder to find the little gems.


I had no idea that those 'lumps' in the grounds were burial mounds until I went to Jeju. I remember I was exploring this little park across from the Stadium in Incheon, and couldn't figure out what they were. Yeah... I soon after felt like I was disturbing the dead or something.

[C00LAS1CE]

[JBomb]

Gyeongju burial mounds and the ATVs up by the reservoir there is good fun. Jalgachi Fish Market. Lotte Giants home games at Sajik. Namsan Tower at night. Street food. The big markets in the big cities. Camping and hiking in the national parks: especially Jirisan.

[stuff_4_sale]

im not sure if insadong out of exit 6 at anguk station was mentioned, but if you have 3 hours to kill, thats definitely a good place to buy some souvenirs and some "cultural" stuff you might not be able to find anywhere else.

[sweet_potato]

Namhae Island. Check out Sangju beach. U can go camping there too. A nice beach, not too busy, not to mention a scenic bus ride from Namhae City.

Yeosu. There's a golden temple that's worth the hike up.

Geoje Island. Check out their website, there's a ton of stuff there, including a trip to a smaller island, (Oido), which is a preserved tropical garden. Beautiful.

Jinju. Small town, I checked it out on the way to Namhae and Jiri-San. Well manicured fortress. BBQ is town specialty. Lovely.

Jiri-San. Hiked to the top. An incredible experience! It's good in the early spring.

[JBomb]

oh ya Jinju. The fortress there makes for a great afternoon walk. The temple at the far end is also very tranquil. The museum also has some interesting weapon stuff.

[stevieg4ever]

There is some really nice hiking in the national parks and some nice temples. Deokgyusan, Gyeryeongsan, Sognisan to name but three.
I still like the palaces in Seoul, cliched though they might be.

The Boseong tea plantation is great and Gyeongju as well. But if you have been to the likes of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and China then even a lot of these places are really nothing special. I thought that they were until I visited the aforementioned.

There is no one defining world-famous image of Korea, lets be honest. No Petronas, Taj Mahal, Great Wall or Borobudur.

To sum-up, there is a lot of good stuff in Korea but nothing breathtaking.

What I would add is that 극동 construction (from 삼성) built (but didn't design) one of the two Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They also built, if I am not mistaken, the highest man-made structure in the world in Dubai (the Burj Khalifa) and Tapie 101. Im not an engineering expert or anything but a simple question I would ask is 'why don't they do the same in Seoul or somewhere else in Korea?'.

[plato's republic]

In Seoul:

Namsan (Seoul) Tower
63 Building
Insadong
Myeong-dong
Samcheon-dong
COEX Mall
Inwangsan
Bukhansan
Namhansanseong (just outside Seoul)
Gyeongbokgung
Deoksugung
Namdaemun
Dongdaemun

Outside Seoul:

Busan
Gyeongju
Andong for Mask Dance Festival, Folk Village and Andong Jjimdak
Buyeo/Gongju
Damyang for bamboo forest
Boseong Tea Plantation
Yeosu
Gangwon-do for rafting

Nothing you couldn't find in a Lonely Planet guidebook though.

[travel zen]

The War Museum

Biggest museum I ever saw. Detailed and different eras of Korea. Very worth while

Itaewan

Once you get starved for some foreigners - like yourself, Itaewan is a good place to meet some. Korea isn't that bad for loneliness, but ...

Seoul Tower

I appreciated the city more when I saw it at night! What a beautiful view!

Cycling along the Han River

On a nice day, fantastic.
I was a tourist in Korea, so all of this may seem dull to you hardcore expats living there for years

[Hank the Iconoclast]

Jirisan National Park - Did a two day hike there in November. Can't be topped.

Wolchulsan National Park - Some of the most beautiful mountains in the country.

Tongyeong/Geoje Island - Talking specifically about the islands off the coast (Yeonwha-do and Maemool-do)

Haeinsa and Gayasan National Park - Went there for Buddha's Birthday. Stunning.

Danyang in Chungcheongbuk-do

Boseong Green Tea Plantation

Jeonju/Maisan Provinicial Park

Moodeungsang Provincial Park in Gwangju

Yeosu - Check out Hyangiram

Juwangsan National Park and Jusan-ji - Another one of my favorite parks.

Gyeongju and surrounding areas

Buyeo/Gongju/Chilgapsan Provincial Park

Gyereongsan National Park

Gagjisan Provincial Park/Tongdosa

All the islands off the coast of Jeollanamdo in Dadoehae National Park.

Beomosa and the fortress in Busan



Those are just some of the places I've been to in my little over three years here. That's not including Gangwondo which has some of the best national parks in the country.