Things to Do in South Korea

Originally built in 1395 by the first Joseon king, Gwanghwamun serves as the main gate of Seoul’s Gyeongbukgung Palace, the largest of the five Joseon Dynasty palaces. The granite gate stood until the Japanese invasion of 1592, when the gate and the palace were burned and abandoned for the next 250 years. Further conflict with the Japanese and the Korean War led to the gate and palace being rebuilt, relocated and destroyed a second time. Gwanghwamun as it stands today was rebuilt in 1968 using concrete and steel instead of the original granite, though it was deconstructed and moved back to its original location during a major restoration project in 2006. Plan your visit to Gwanghwamun to coincide with the changing of the guard, a ceremony occurring hourly from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Visiting the gate and watching the changing of the guard is free, but you’ll have to pay an entrance fee to tour Gyeongbukgung Palace.

Gwangjang Market, Seoul’s first and oldest covered market, was originally the place to come to buy traditional Korean clothing items, like hanbok. While the market still specializes in textiles, it’s become one of Seoul’s biggest street food hot spots, where foodies can sample nearly any type of Korean cuisine under the same roof.

In the food court area, dozens of vendors pack tightly together, busily preparing a quick meal for shoppers passing through. The variety is astounding, but bibimbap (a Korean rice dish with ground meat and vegetables), dumplings and savory mung bean pancakes are always safe and tasty bets. If you happen to be in the market for a tailored silk dress or set of high quality bed sheets, head upstairs to the wholesale shops where you can get nearly anything custom made at a fraction of the cost you’d pay in some of Seoul’s high end shopping districts. Most of the shops close down on Sundays, but the food court remains open.

Gamcheon Culture Village spills down a hillside just outside of Busan in a riot of colors. The village, with nicknames like “Santorini on the South Sea” and the “Lego Village,” started off as a relatively poor area until the Korean War, when refugees began setting up homes here. Many of these refugees were members of the Taegeukdo religious movement, a religion at the forefront of the Korean independence movement.

Today, few of the 10,000 residents are still believers, but it remains a popular destination for visitors who come to see the multicolored cubicle houses stacked one on top of the other up the hill. Wander through the narrow alleys and streets, and you’ll stumble across murals, art installations and old houses converted into galleries or cafes.

South Korea has become famous among travelers for its freshly caught seafood, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to sample it than at the Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan. The largest seafood market in the country, Jagalchi is unique in that its run largely by women who are known as Jagalchi Ajumma. This tradition dates back to the Korean War, when many of the men were off fighting and their wives took over the family businesses.

Walking through the market is like visiting an exotic aquarium, as many of the wares are kept live in tanks to maximize their freshness. You’ll find nearly any type of seafood you could want, including more varieties of shellfish than you knew existed. The market also houses a collection of seafood restaurants where you can bring your purchases to have them cooked up and served to you on the spot.

Built during the Goryeo Dynasty in 1376, historic Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is one of only a few Korean temples on the coast, and it honors Haesu Gwaneum Daebul (Seawater Great Goddess Buddha), a goddess believed to live in the ocean where she rides atop a dragon.

Legends aside, the east-facing temple offers a spectacular view of the rising sun – a site that’s especially popular on the morning of the Lunar New Year when Buddhist devotees come to make a wish for a prosperous new year. At the heart of the temple sits a three-level pagoda with four lion statues that symbolize joy, sadness, happiness and anger.

One of Seoul’s most ambitious revitalization projects of the past several decades has been to transform the Cheonggyecheon stream into one of the city’s best outdoor pedestrian areas. Cheonggyecheon, a small stream passing through downtown Seoul, was restored in 2005 to give the city a desperately needed outdoor area. The project included the installation of extensive walking paths, 22 bridges, a large central fountain and several murals and art installations featuring the work of local artists. The stream now stretches nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers), so you’ll usually be able to find a place to sit and relax.

In a city that was once largely devoid of natural spaces, Cheonggyecheon is one of the best places in Seoul for walking, people watching or simply taking a break from a walking tour of the surrounding historic district. During the summers, the city hosts cultural festivals and concerts as part of the Cheonggyecheon Cultural Festival.

If you need to do any shopping in Seoul, whether it be for clothes, housewares, jewelry, appliances or souvenirs, you’ll find it for a good price somewhere in the packed alleys and streets of Namdaemun Market. Ginseng, outdoors gear, imported goods and kitchenware can be bought throughout Seoul, but Namdaemun Market in particular seems to specialize in these items. For a uniquely Korean gift or souvenir, you can have a traditional stamp with your name spelled out in Korean made in minutes from one of many stamp stalls throughout the market.

Korea’s largest traditional market has been open since 1964 and hasn’t really closed since. Wholesale shops stay open throughout the night, and by early morning, the market is already busy as locals pass through to do their shopping. Namdaemun is also a great place to sample some Korean street food; you’ll find the greatest concentration of vendors in Noodle Alley and Restaurant Alley.

Built in 1405 by King Taejong, Changdeokgung Palace was designed to blend harmoniously with the natural environment. While much of the complex was destroyed by fire in the Japanese invasion in 1592, it was rebuilt in 1609 and has since been restored to its original splendor. The main palace of Gyeongbokgung was also destroyed in 1593, and for 300 years beginning in 1609, Changdeokgung served as the seat of power while Gyeongbokgung was being rebuilt. It served as the seat of royalty again in 1907 by King Sunjong, the last king of Korea.

UNESCO designated Changdeokgung Palace a World Heritage site in 1997 for its unique palace architecture. It’s the best preserved of Seoul’s five remaining Joseon palaces, with the royal family residences, public area and gardens open to visitors. The palace is beautiful throughout the year, but the trees of the extensive gardens become extremely picturesque in autumn when their leaves turn shades of yellow and red.

During the 1950s, refugees of war-torn Korea began opening up small shops to try to earn a living. This modest collection of shops has transformed into what is now Gukje Market (International Market, or Kookjae Market), Busan’s largest traditional market with vendors selling practically everything under the sun – items both new and secondhand.

While Gukje Market is very much a place where local Koreans still shop, travelers will find plenty of interest as well, besides the atmospheric street market atmosphere. It’s a great place to find hanbok, the traditional Korean formalwear, small souvenirs, T-shirts and favorite Korean street snacks, all at bargain prices. Whether you’re looking for bargain clothes, vintage glasses, some new electronics, or dried seaweed, prices are cheap and bargaining is totally accepted. Korean culture is based around dignity and respect for one another, so do bargain with a smile and always be polite.

Busan Tower stands 120 m tall from the center of the city’s Yongdusan Park. Built in 1973 and modelled on Bulguksa Temple’s Dabotap Pagoda, the tower is a popular visit day and night. Head to the viewing deck via high-speed elevator, and enjoy panoramic views of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. Come at sunset to see the city lights start to twinkle under the night sky. On the lower deck of Busan Tower, there’s a souvenir shop and a cafe where you can while away the hours and enjoy the views of busy Busan port.

All loved up? Do as thousands of young Korean couples do, and tie a padlock with a note of your everlasting love to one of the fences by the tower. The mountain’s feng shui is said to bring you good luck.

Korean for Dragon Head Mountain because of its shape, Yongdusan Park hosts lots of lively cultural performances in summer and on weekends, and on Buddha’s Birthday, paper lamps shaped like tigers and dragons float throughout the park.

Once the easternmost of four main gates to the capital city, Seoul, the Dongdaemun Gate functions today as a tourist attraction and an iconic beacon for shoppers seeking the wares available at the nearby market and shopping complexes.

There have been imposing structures serving as gates on the site as far back as 1396. The current structure was built by King Gojong in 1869. The gate and connecting city wall weren't built for ornamental purposes only, as the lowland site of the main palace wasn't easy to defend from invaders. This is not to say that the structure is anything less than handsome. Despite the varying hues of stone used during numerous renovations over the years, the gate's facade is imposing. Joseon Period Japsang statues of animals adorn the eaves in an attempt to ward off evil spirits. Whether they are effective or not is questionable, but their aesthetic value is considerable. Guided tours of the structure and surrounding area come highly recommended.

While most people are familiar with the Korean War, fewer realize how wrought with conflict Korea’s history really is. The War Memorial of Korea documents this history with a focus on the country’s relationships with North Korea, China and Japan. Calling it a memorial is a bit of a misnomer, as it’s actually a full-fledged museum housed in the former headquarters of the Korean Infantry.

The eight main exhibits house an extensive collection of equipment from the Korean War, including tanks, guns and military planes, as well as a series of sculptures and paintings depicting patriotic war efforts. If you only have time for one exhibit, make it the Korean War exhibit. Technically, the Korean War is still going on, and tensions run hot between the North and the South, rendering the information here particularly relevant.

A majority of the visitors to Busan come for its proximity to the sea, and the city’s stretch of sand known as Haeundae Beach is perhaps the most famous beach in South Korea. Nearly a mile long (1.5 km), the beach is made up of rough sand from shells eroded by the Chuncheon Stream.

Visitors looking to laze in the sand or partake in water sports can rent umbrellas, yellow inner tubes, surf boards and jet skis all along the beachfront. Besides the beach itself, this stretch of coastline is lined with some of Busan’s best international hotels, as well as an assortment of restaurants, shops and the Busan Aquarium.