When in South Korea, what does one do? It’s a question that is hard to answer, truthfully. The country is home to many delightful experiences and contrasts, with sacred shrines and palaces built long ago, and yet it is also home to natural beauties and advanced, bustling cities. South Korea has similarities, differences, and ironies.
From the populous and technologically advanced city of Seoul to Namsan – and the shores of Jeju Island, there are more than a hundred ways to spend your waking moments in South Korea.
In this article, we’ve compiled five (5) things that you can do within South Korea!
Eat Street Food
When in South Korea, you eat, not just play tongits online! The locals in the city of Seoul love to take mindful bites of the tteokbokki, which is a Korean rice cake dish. The viand is usually paired with street food classics like Hotteok, gimbap, and many more.
South Korea is renowned for its flavorful cuisine. Flavor is crucial in South Korean cuisine, as it is spicy, balanced, and diverse. Many of the flavors that the cuisine favors are sweet, salty, spicy, and savory; it prefers mixing them rather than isolating them into separate dishes.
Gwangjang Market, Myeongdong Street, and even pojangmacha (tiny food tents) are where you’ll find these luscious, juicy treats!
Learn About Traditional Hanok Architecture
Your second must-see is the hanok, especially the Bukchon Hanok Village. You can visit and find it between Changdeokgung Palace and Gyeongbokgung Palace in a quaint neighborhood. The neighborhood is filled with hundreds of traditional Korean houses called “hanok,” offering an educational experience about the origins of Korean architecture and housing.
Several hanok houses have been used and remodeled for other purposes, such as cultural centers, cafes, restaurants, and guest houses.
When you visit the village, you may find plenty of twisting and turning alleyways, where you can glimpse locals’ everyday experiences – a mother at work with her laundry, grandparents watching over each other, and children playing.
There’s no fee for entering and exploring the village. However, we highly recommend that you take public transport to get here since there are few parking spaces.
Book A Hair and Makeup Service
Notably, South Koreans have a passion for caring for the skin. True beauty was said to derive from radiant skin, and this outward beauty was a mirror of the inner self. Thus, beauty and outward appearance have always been essential in South Korean society. Even during ancient times, Koreans used natural, non-chemical ingredients for their beauty routines.
Turn into a Korean pop star for a day with a hair and makeup service! You’ll feel your prettiest and best with the help of the beauty service. It’s not just a service but an exquisite experience all Korean beauty or pop enthusiasts have long since dreamed of!
Get A Makeup and Color Analysis Consultation
What’s the point of being in one of the world’s most advanced beauty Meccas if you won’t take the time to do something beauty-related? South Korea has been putting out Holy Grail-status beauty products ever since the 2000s, their beauty technology becoming more advanced with names such as Etude House, Innisfree, and now, Romand, Beauty of Joseon, and other brands.
With a personal color analysis, you can learn more about color theory, the colors that suit your skin, eyes, and hair, and the shades that flatter you most. Stylists will analyze you and suggest the kind of outfits that your body type may look good in. Beauty experts will also try out the latest makeup for your face, while men will get their hair styled.
This experience has overtaken the online world, so we highly recommend it!
Visit The Oedo Botanya
Oedo Botanica is a diverse botanical garden. It was once a barren rock, but Lee Chang-ho saw potential. He went to the island with his wife, Choi Ho Suk, and tried to harvest tangerines, but the island did not accommodate the crop.
Now, the Oedo Botanya is a lush botanical garden with trees, flowers, shrubs, cacti, and rare species of agave descending the island’s soft slopes. The topiaries are sculpted precisely, giving the garden a fantasy touch.
From Gujora, you can go to the Oedo Botanica!
Wrapping Up
Here are just a few of the many experiences South Korea offers! It’s about making the most of what you have and the experiences. They’ll be worth looking back on when you have fond memories. Although these experiences may cost a bit, the experience counts the most.