Top South Korea hotels
Eating & Drinking Seoul
75 Reviews Hayeong is a newly-opened restaurant perched on top of a hill at the entrance of the Jungmun Resort Complex in Jeju. The restaurant serves high-quality, roasted black pork (for which the island is...
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Customs & Oddities Seoul
59 Reviews Unusual Male Urinal in South Korea. this male urinal is unusually long but is not the most unusual urinal here, they also have flat urinals in the ground wherein you just aim and fire hehehe....
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Other Stuff Seoul
17 Reviews Being in the subway made me open my eyes. If you ever take the subway you will notice the following: (1) There are mirror (mostly) adjacent to the platforms. I wondered why until I saw two Korean...
See All 220 Local Customs in Seoul
Gift-giving Seoul
8 Reviews bought them as gifts to female friends. it cost about 5,000 won each if your buying 5 or more and 7,000 won if youre buying one. (no haggling means 7,000 won for 5 or more and 10,000 won for a single...
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Business/Money in Korea Seoul
7 Reviews Korean bills come in only 1000, 5000, and 10,000 Won notes. Coins come in 50, 100, and 500 won. Since the exchange rate is around 1150 Won to a dollar, you'll see that it takes a lot of paper to pay...
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Ceremonies & Holidays Seoul
8 Reviews Buddha's Birthday usually falls in late April or early May (in 2004 it was 26 May, and in 2005 it will be 15 May). At this time, the temples of Korea, especially Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, are decorated...
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Religion Seoul
7 Reviews Although Buddhism is still the dominant religion in South Korea, there is the emergence of Christians especially among the younger generation. As such, you will find more and more churches in Seoul...
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Historical Anecdotes Seoul
3 Reviews Here is a little story to tell when you are having lunch at the top of Namsan Tower (it revolves and little signs tell you what you are looking at in the distance). In Guui-Dong near the Children's...
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Relationships & Connections Seoul
4 Reviews On Korean fashion: One must at all times wear socks, major rule: never enter a home without socks to maintain the sanitation as you'll always need to remove your shoes in a tiny cramped entryway....
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Health & Well-Being Seoul
3 Reviews Unlike most westerners, it seems that most Koreans do not seek a sun tan. Good for them! I'm sure they have low rates of skin cancer. The primary manifestation of this trait is that, on sunny days,...
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I caught part of the Lotus Lantern festival in Seoul. It is a celebration before Buddha's birthday. I enjoyed the colorful parade. There were many colourful lanterns across the country at Buddhist Sites.
The consideration of the merchandises' prices seem to be especially important. Taking into consideration the propensity of female college students to consume, the online enterprises would have to aim at moderate pricing as this group is not yet regular income earners,"says Professor Yang Yoon (Psychology). These companies are also selective in the nature of their sales-promotion event. For example, prize winners of one past event for Fashionplus.co.kr were given a chance to date a popular male celebrity. Other nonfemale-oriented internet sites are also showing efforts to create a women-friendly image through sponsorship or events involving women. The venture enterprise.kcexpo.co.kr is holding a beauty contest under the title "Cyber Beauty Korea," for women between the age of 18 and 26 until October 30, during which the beauty queen will be selected by the netizens. The beauty queen will...
E-Biz Lures Female Students"For gentle women,"(Maxim Mocha Gold) "You are the Korean beauty,"(Amore) "Where the love story starts,"(Leman)... These advertisement copies all carry a similar tone. And their commonality is not hard to catch as their intention to reach its female audience's sensitivity is blatantly evident. Recently, one July article of Hankook Ilbo, covered the trend that the prime target consumers for various branches of business is women in their twenties. The marketing of online enterprises cannot be an exception. According to i-Biz.com, an online information center for internet businesses, in terms of expenditure gender-wise, women were responsible for 70 percent of online purchases. Also, undergrad and grad students made up 40 percent of online clients out of all the age groups. This explains why numerous shopping sites for women now take into consideration of the...
Language (Hanguel):The Korean language is of the Ural-Altaic family. This includes This includes Turkish, Hungarian, Finnish, Mongolian, Tibetan and Japanese. The written Korean language is very simple with 10 vowels and 14 consonants. This language is called Hanguel and is easy to read and write. It was invented by King Sejong in the 15th century and has increased literacy rates since that time. Some words are added to the end of others to denote what they are: sa - (Temple) - Bulguksa, Bulguk Temple / Hwaomsa, Hwaom Temple san - (Mountain) - Jirisan, Jiri Mountain / Namsan, Nam Mountain nam - (South) - Namsan, Nam Mountain or South Mountain kung - (Palace) - Changdeokkung, Changdeok Palace gang - (River) - Han-gang, Han River
National Flag:flagThe Korean is called the T'aegukki and is derived from the Oriental philosophy of the yin and yang. The circle in the center is divided into two parts. The red is the yang or positive cosmic forces and the blue is the yin or negative. It represents constant movement yet there is also balance and harmony. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams in each of the corners. They each represent:HeavenEarthFireWaterThe four elements which make up the universe
These houses are the cream of the crop of traditional Korean architecture, built with both form and function in mind. Influenced by Confucian ideas, the house is planned with the residentsúV gender, age, and standing in mind. Male adults slept and ate in the úVsarangchae', while women and children dwelled in the 'anchae', which was sometimes used for married couples as well. The servant's quarters were the 'haengnang', and the ancestors were honored in the 'sadang'. The wide porch was called the 'daecheong'. Care was taken to place the 'anchae' in the inner regions of the house to restrict women from going in and out freely. In the case of male children, they lived in the 'anchae' until reaching the age of 7, after which they were moved to the 'sarangchae'. Female children remained in the 'anchae'. Upper classes residences had tiled roofs, and were often referred to as 'giwajib' because...
Middle and lower class residences have a simple structure of the room, porch, and kitchen. Usually, straw was used to thatch the roof, and depending on region oak bark or pieces of pine were used instead. On the windy island of Jeju, rocks were hung from roofs to keep them in place.
Business EtiquetteWhen making introductions for the first time, and in formal meetings, always use the person's title and family or personal name. Do bow politely when you greet. Do schedule prior appointments and respect punctuality. Do use both hands for giving and receiving anything, including business cards and gifts. Do dress formally; men should wear suits, and women should dress conservatively. Do bring a large stack of business cards and present one upon first meeting any new business contact. Do examine the business card briefly and make a comment, when you receive a business card. Do not write on the card in the presence of the Korean giver. Do respect the hierarchy and address yourself to the most senior person. Do make sure that you always save face of your Korean business counterparts. Do understand that personal relationships are important in business dealings, so do...
Koreans love to give (and receive). At family gatherings older relatives often give the kids 1-10,000 won bills just for fun. If you go to a Korean house you MUST bring a gift of food (fruit, cake/bread, juice). Never go empyty-handed, even if you have to stop by the store! Always present with right (or both) hand.Some days:Christmas (Dec 25) Not as big as in the West. Some trees, some decorations, some shopping.신정/shin-jeong Solar New Year's (Jan 1) Children bow to their elders and get money (yay!). (Actually, both Solar and Lunar New Year's are called 설날/seol-nal but the actual solar new year's day is called 신정.)설날/Seol-nal Lunar New Year's (usually Feb) Same as solar variety, but everyone does it (3-day holiday too). (Here, the actual Lunar New Year's day is called 구정/goo-jeong.)Valentine's Day (Feb 14) WOMEN give...
Traditional Korean culture places special emphasis on the first and sixtieth birthdays. The first celebrates the passage of infancy with its associated high mortality rate before the advent of modern medicine. And in the past few people lived to the age of 60. Years after the age of 60 were regarded as "extra years".
Lotte Hotel Seoul Seoul
7 Reviews and 699 Opinions We stayed here for a week. It is very nice but DO NOT have your laundry done by them, a piece of...
The Westin Chosun Busan Busan
4 Reviews and 150 Opinions My wife and I have stayed twice at the Westin Chosun within the last three months. The rooms are...
Youngpyung Resort Kangwon-do
0 Opinions
Reviews and photos of South Korea attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for South Korea sightseeing.
Q: Hi all, I am traveling to South Korea from 4/15-4/21 for a friend's wedding on 4/19 in Seoul. The majority of the wedding...
A: Have a nice trip and fun. Be sure to visit the two tourist kiosks to get maps and guides. One is next to the express bus terminal while the other is beside the main train...
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