Introduction
I was fortunate enough to visit Korea during the fall of 2023, specifically from late October until early December. It was my first time since 2019, so it was nice to finally reunite with my family and friends, especially after what we’ve all gone through during the pandemic.
In this post, I would like to share my experience with you – I thought about writing a traditional travel blog post, but because there are a lot of those already out there in the ether, I am more keen on writing about my journey with a personal touch.
Because my trip lasted around 6 weeks, I will organize this post into weeks – here we go!
Week 1
The most memorable part about my first week in Korea was visiting my parents in Jeju Island. This island is the biggest island off the southern coast of Korea and is a major tourist destination. My father was born and raised on this island, so I have a lot of relatives who live around the island. I ended up spending a few days here and was lucky enough to visit a few interesting places.
Of the places I visited, what impressed me the most was hiking one of the numerous volcanic cones, or ‘o-reum’ in Korean. These cones are basically hills that formed due to past volcanic activity on the island.
I hiked up one of these with a hiking group that my mother was a part of. I was by far the youngest member of the party that day, but I didn’t quite feel that way because everyone was hiking so briskly!
Week 2
During my second week, I visited the national botanical garden in northern Seoul with my older brother called Korea National Arboretum.
Before I write any further, I want to note that it was quite a hassle getting up there from the core of Seoul – I remember taking a bus then having to hail a cab to get to the entrance. This was surprising to me because Seoul and its outskirts are generally known to be very easily accessible by public transit, whether it is subway or bus.
Once we started exploring, the hassle became all worth it because the scenery was quite something. Seoul has many parks and greenery, but the nature encompassed by the botanical garden was grand in its scale and beauty.
One thing my brother and I agreed was that we should visit earlier in the fall the next we visit, because most of the leaves have already fallen from the trees. I think the scenery would have been nicer and more colorful if the leaves have stayed on. I will also note that the garden becomes most crowded during the beginning of the fall, which is no surprise.
Week 3
My third week in Korea was special because my mother travelled north from Jeju Island to spend time with me in Seoul. We visited many places during this time, and there are a few that I would like to highlight here.
One highlight of our time together was visiting the famous art gallery run by Samsung called Leeum. The name is a combination of ‘Lee,’ which is the surname of the founder of Samsung, Byung-chul Lee, and ‘um,’ which is the ending of the word ‘museum.’ One of the three most prominent art galleries in Seoul, this venue displayed countless national treasures in addition to art, which was very impressive.
Because we recognized that we won’t be here again any time soon, my mother and I decided to tour not only the art gallery’s permanent collection, but also a special exhibition that was held at the time called ‘How to become a rock.’ This was a solo exhibit by a Korean contemporary artist named Kim Beom. We checked out this special exhibit, followed by the permanent collection.
Special Exhibit
The exhibit was held all in one floor, and the collection was more extensive than I thought. There were all kinds of art, from your traditional paintings to installation art.
(Source: https://blog.naver.com/yeonsj1992/223225734049)
One collection that struck me was an assortment of drawings that showed diagrams or maps with legends to explain what the specific symbols were. There was one that depicted a safe house, and another one that showed a labyrinth.
(Source: https://blog.naver.com/yeonsj1992/223225734049)
Another memorable piece of art was an installation art – specifically, miniature home appliances were sitting in what looked like a miniature high school classroom, all facing a screen where a lesson was projected. Substituting objects in lieu of students was ingenious. Unfortunately, I do not recall what the lesson was precisely about, although the instructor shown on screen was explaining a humanities-related concept.
(Source: https://blog.naver.com/yeonsj1992/223225734049)
But the most shocking of all was a video of the artist himself drawing on a canvas with a brush and various hues of paint. This video was shown inside a dark room with chairs for the gallery visitors to enjoy.
(Source: https://blog.naver.com/yeonsj1992/223225734049)
What was shocking was that every time the artist used his brush to paint, he would scream into the canvas. I will add that he would provide commentary about what the next stroke of brush will mean, like depression or transcendence, and then proceed to paint and scream simultaneously.
I found this video fascinating. First, I thought that this was a creative achievement since I have never seen any kind of art like this before. Also, it made me think deeply about what defines art. I wondered how people would feel about this video if it wasn’t shown at a reputable art gallery but rather on YouTube.
Permanent Collection
After we finished checking out the above exhibit, my mother and I moved to a different part of the gallery where the permanent collection was displayed. The collection was housed in a multi-story building, which each floor having a distinct theme, such as white vases from the Joseon dynasty.
In addition to vases, there were royal decorative artifacts and the writing of a Joseon king among other things. The fact that each floor had too many government-designated national treasures to count really impressed me. In fact, the Leeum gallery has more national treasures than any other gallery in the country, which is unbelievable for a privately owed art gallery.
Week 4
I spent a part of my fourth week in Yeosu, which is a city on the southern tip of the country. I have been here many times because this is where my maternal grandmother resides.
The most notable part of my stay in Yeosu was when the three of us, namely myself, my mother, and my grandmother, visited Odongdo, which is an island located on the southeastern part of Yeosu.
Once we got close to the island, we took a miniature train to go into the island – riding the train felt like riding an amusement park ride. After the train ride, we got a bite to eat. Then, we strolled by the water and checked out the view from the island, which was exceptional.
After a few hours, we decided to get going, but we had to wait for the train to arrive, which only came in intervals. And because it was quite windy that day, we stayed inside a small building that we thought was only an information centre for the island.
The building was, in fact, an information centre, but it also hosted a memorial for the Yeosu–Suncheon rebellion. This was a historical incident that occurred in 1948 where locals protested against the government, which turned bloody.
Week 5
During my fifth week, I spent the first part of it in Seoul and the second part in Jeju Island.
On one evening in Seoul, my brother and I visited a live jazz bar called All That Jazz in Itaewon, a neighborhood in central Seoul that is famous for its foreign crowd.
(Source: https://www.theseoulguide.com/itaewon/)
Itaewon has a large concentration of non-Korean folks due to the United States military – after the Korean War, U.S. troops have continued to stay in Korea, and a recently-closed military base near Itaewon was the biggest of its kind in the country while it was around.
I believe All That Jazz is the most famous live jazz bar in the city, so it was nice to finally visit and enjoy some good music. I also had my favorite cocktail, the old fashioned, during the show, which was quite good.
During the second half of that week, I returned to Jeju Island to see my family again. This time, I got to see a football game at Jeju World Cup Stadium, home of Jeju United Football Club. It was my first time seeing live football ever, so it was a nice treat.
The word ‘SEOGWIPO’ you see above is the name of the city where the stadium is located – Seogwipo is the biggest city in the southern part of the island, the largest city in the island being Jeju City in the north.
Week 6
The most notable place I visited during my last week in Korea was Hongdae. Hongdae, whose name is derived from Hongik University, is a neighborhood famous for its young crowd and clubbing scene. It is also well-known for busking as well as concerts.
(Source: https://www.theseoulguide.com/hongdae-hongik-university-area/)
My brother and I enjoyed ramen, watched a busker sing his heart out, and went to a karaoke bar ourselves to sing our hearts out also.
As someone who frequented this part of town in the past, I noticed that Hongdae has changed quite a bit. First, there were far more foreigners than in the past. It felt like the percentage of foreigners outweighed that of Koreans. Also, it seemed to me that more mainstream businesses, like Starbucks and McDonald’s, have set up shop at Hongdae than during the years prior. There is nothing wrong with either of these changes, but on a personal note, the neighborhood felt unfamiliar to me, not intimate as I expected and wanted.
I am also aware that gentrification has been going on at Hongdae for a while now, my second observation above being emblematic of this. I also recognize that because of this, independent restaurants and artistic venues have moved to the outskirts and fringes of Hongdae, which have become the new ‘it’ places that Hongdae once was.
Closing Thoughts
Without hesitation, I will proclaim that my Korea trip last year has been the highlight and crown jewel of my 2023. It was lovely to reunite with my family and friends, but it was also an amazing feeling to finally get some overseas travelling going after many years staying put.
Although I am biased as a Korean, I highly recommend you check out Korea if you get the chance. Whether you travel solo or bring company, Korea is a great place to do some sightseeing, eat some amazing food, and try out things you otherwise won’t get the opportunity where you’re based.
