I’m Korean-American and spent half my childhood there, and was there a pair years in the past, so semi-recently. 🙂
Incheon is a totally separate metropolis to Seoul! (Assume: Normal MacArthur’s Incheon Touchdown throughout the scorching section of the Korean Warfare.) It’s the first worldwide airport although, and it’s solely about an hour to Seoul – you may very simply take the prepare. (The older Gimpo Airport is the one in Seoul and is worldwide on a technicality though IIRC it solely serves China and Japan. Additionally notably as soon as listed as one of many world’s 5 WORST airports, lol.) There are buses to numerous places from Incheon, which price much less however could be a lot trickier for a non-Korean-speaker to determine.
Seconded on politeness phrases – additionally, you will go far when you get within the behavior of bowing to individuals (different adults). For those who’re visibly international, individuals gained’t count on you to have mastered all of the nuances; within the cities individuals provides you with factors for making the trouble. 🙂 ALSO. In case you are invited indoors to go to somebody, take your footwear off. Conventional-style eating places may even have a spot by the door to go away your footwear. And it’ll certainly be fairly chilly; identical latitude as New York state, put together accordingly. That mentioned, the road meals is IMO wonderful, and that point of 12 months will often embody every little thing from roasted chestnuts to numerous spicy dishes to hotteok (pancakes full of semi-melted brown sugar, jujubes, and pine nuts). (Word that in case you are vegetarian/vegan or produce other particular dietary necessities, you’ll have a tough time exterior Seoul and/or main cities and you must particularly look into locations that accommodate foreigners; don’t assume a random Korean restaurant, particularly one serving conventional meals, will know what to do about this. Folks will probably be baffled and/or not comprehend that no, a little bit of shrimp paste makes it not vegetarian, and so on. Your common Korean won’t ever even have heard of issues like kosher both. Signed, that one time a member of the family introduced an American vital different who was vegan to go to.)
I’ve by no means seen anybody ask for ID on a subway however possibly that’s modified since I lived there? The subways are certainly protected. In Seoul correct, they’ve labels and announce stops in Korean, English, Japanese, and a few taste of Mandarin Chinese language (undecided whether or not it’s conventional or simplified, I don’t communicate/reaad Chinese language). There’s high-speed rail that may cross the complete nation in beneath 3 hours, which may also be enjoyable!
You may have enjoyable Googling “Korean nationwide treasure” – S Korea has a system whereby not simply artifacts and websites however *individuals* might be designated nationwide treasures for cultural significance. Wikipedia has a listing, in order for you a crib sheet of cultural/historic issues!
Gyeongbokgung (Palace) is a park now, with beautiful structure that could be attention-grabbing. Throughout the road they hire hanbok to vacationers and also you get free entry when you put on one to the park. Word that a number of the traditional-style structure received, effectively, bombed to heck and gone throughout the scorching section of the Korean Warfare so what’s left most locations is a number of rectangular prism brutalism. Additionally for conventional structure, I like to recommend Namdaemun, the outdated South Gate to the town. (Now smack in downtown, lol.) It’s smack subsequent to Namdaemun Market, which might be enjoyable.
For those who like bookstores, the large one is Kyobo Bookstore (교보문고 / Kyobo Mungo) in Gwanghwamun. There are different places, however that one has a notable statue of King Sejong, who invented the Korean alphabet. I discover that Kyobo additionally tends to hold English-language books on Korean historical past which might be a PITA to supply exterior of S Korea, ask me how I do know.
For those who’re curious concerning the alphabet, the Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음) was King Sejong’s doc introducing it. An unique copy is IIRC on show at Gansong Artwork Museum in Seoul. That mentioned, any given museum for historic paperwork/artwork even in locations like my mother’s house within the boonies will randomly have 1,000-year outdated silk calligraphy scrolls in its assortment, it’s wild.
Seconded: Nationwide Museum of Korea. They are going to nearly definitely have some dang Silla antler crown on show. I believe the going idea is that this means a common anthropological/archaeological relationship to steppes peoples with shaman-ish crowns from when our precursors rode down into the peninsula and couldn’t discover our approach out. XD Possible additionally to have bunches of celadon (pottery) and so forth.
Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb) is in Gyeongju (to the south), when you like archaeological websites; it dates again to the Silla Dynasty (sooner than Joseon, which was the final one earlier than the Japanese occupation). Gyeongju additionally has Cheomseongdae, the oldest East Asian astronomical observatory, which is IMO additionally the world’s shortest, squattest observatory, however every little thing right down to the variety of stones has some form of astronomical significance (e.g. it’s made from 362 blocks for the times of the lunar 12 months).
Korean Folks Village is in Yongin, if you wish to see reenactments of people rituals, historic costume, traditional-style landscaping, and so on.
You may get pleasure from visiting a Buddhist temple or two in a vacationer approach. (Those open for this type of factor usually take donations.) I don’t have particular recs right here since I can’t bear in mind which one I used to be dragged to as a resentful small little one, however the structure is fairly.
Have enjoyable! 😀
