Korean Job Discussion Forums

sweeeetheart · Joined: 19 Oct 2011 Location: Canada, soon to be Korea

Hey everyone, this is my first post.
I was wondering if anyone has been camping in Korea or knows any good places to go.
I went camping with my Korean friend here in Canada and she said camping in Korea is TOTALLY different.
I was wondering what it's like in Korea and if there are any regular camp sites where I could have a fire for cooking dinner, and not be surrounded by a million other campers right next door.
Does this kind of thing exist in Korea anywhere?

What about backpacking through Korea?

Thanks everyone.
Any info is helpful.

Hank the Iconoclast · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Location: Busan

Camping in National Parks is technically illegal. You are required to camp in the designated camp grounds. Be forewarned though, those camp grounds are usually overrun on any weekend with decent weather. There are also shelters at about five of the National Parks (Jirisan, Seoraksan, Odaesan, Deogyusan (sp?) and I forget the other one). If those are overbooked, you can pitch a tent outside of those. Thankfully though, there are many wonderful provincial (highly recommend Gajisan Provincial Park near Busan) and county parks throughout Korea. You can backpack to your heart's content on those mountains. The biggest problem you will run into though is water. You will need to research this ahead of time or pack in with enough water. Stream water needs to be purified.

I suggest you pick up the Bakedu Daegan Trail: Hiking Korea's Mountain Spine (2010) by Roger Shepherd & Andrew Douch with David Mason. I basically took all that information from there. Fantastic book about hiking in Korea.

sweeeetheart · Joined: 19 Oct 2011 Location: Canada, soon to be Korea

Hank the Iconoclast · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Location: Busan

You'll need a stove.

skinsk05 · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Location: Jeonju

Camping season (for most Koreans) is fairly short, though, and in the summer. At other times, the campgrounds get emptier and quieter. There are many campgrounds besides those in National/Provincial Parks in both touristy and non-touristy areas, though having a vehicle helps. Some places have grills, but stoves are cheap and available here. There is at least one Korean magazine dedicated to car camping.

I've camped throughout the country and haven't had problems (well, except the noise during busy times). It's definitely a great way to see the country!