Korean Job Discussion Forums

teso789 · Joined: 06 Mar 2006

Hi,

I`m living in Tokyo at the moment and am coming to Seoul to see some friends in a couple of weeks. Any recommendations about what to do/see etc.?? Only gonna be there for about 4 days so I haven`t really got time to get out of Seoul so I was just wondering what are the best areas to see to get a flavour of the place.

Any ideas about the best places for shopping or any `unmissable` sights would be great.

Thanks Very Happy

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Myeong dong is sometimes compared to Tokyo's Ginza. From Myeong dong shimmy north to Jongno and do the Insadong walk.

Gyeongbuk palace north of the Sejong center/American embassy is good.

Foodwise try the bibimbap and Korean BBQ (kalbi, not samgyupsal).

Ekuboko · Joined: 22 Dec 2004 Location: ex-Gyeonggi

Sofa_King · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Location: South Korea

According to the Lonely Planet, the foreigner voted top 5 things to do in Seoul are:

Go to Namdaemoon Market
Go to Dongdaemoon Market
Go to Insadong
Go to Seoul tower (at night)
and Gyeongbukgung Palace- I'd suggest seeing some of the other ones also-they are all within walking distance of each other.

I'd also suggest going on a boat cruise down the Han River and then going to the 63 building (tallest building in Seoul) and have a beer in the pub on the 60th floor. If you want to go out and party, go to the Hongdae/Honkik university area.

Here is a helpful website and it is another list of popular things to do in Seoul. It has a lot of great info on it.

http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/DestinationsByRegions/Depth02.asp?Address=6142&Address2=&konum=1&kosm=m3_1

One more thing I'd suggest doing is taking a tour to the DMZ.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

Harpeau · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Coquitlam, BC

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

Although Apku is more expensive than Myeongdong I think Myeongdong is far more like Ginza. Why? Sheer size. The crowds, the sheer amount of stores. Sure, its not all upscale but Myeongdong is also a better area for entertainment than Rodeo in Apku, which is small and really sort of a let down.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Make sure you get a good dose of Korean everyday culture, too. Do the bang thing - PC-bang, Norae-bang, Jimjil-bang, etc. Spit on the street and discard your cigarette butt right in front of a policeman. Let your friends let you try to give directions to the taxi driver and see how many times you have to repeat it. Go to a health club and see the grown women playing with holo-hoops and men blow-drying their balls. Korea's a blast just being out and about and doing what the Koreans are doing.

teso789 · Joined: 06 Mar 2006

Hey,

Just wanted to say thanks for the advice/links....

Do they do that ball drying thing in Korea too?? Here it seems like I`m pretty much the only guy at my gym who doesn`t feel it necessary. And why always in front of the mirror?? As though they need to style it just right... Shocked

Anyway thanks a lot Very Happy

TECO · Joined: 20 Jan 2003

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

A nice thing is that Myeongdong, Namdaemoon, Dongdaemoon, Seoul Tower, Namsan Park are all fairly close, so if the weather's nice you can just take a stroll. You can't really walk between all of them, but that section's a nice, central area to see.

Gangnam's not too bad at night, and in Bundang (Yellow Line) there are places like Moran and Taepyeong with interesting markets and things to see as you walk around.

Maybe even a DMZ tour.