Top South Korea hotels
Other Stuff Seoul
21 Reviews Recently, I visited Seoul on business and, despite a busy schedule, had time for sightseeing on a Friday night. This visit was my first to Seoul - my work usually takes me to Japan. I am embarrassed...
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Health & Well-Being Seoul
13 Reviews For those readers who may be abstaining from alcohol I'd like to say: good luck! Korea is a drinking country. They consume over FOUR BILLION (285 ml) bottles of soju here a year (that's over 1.5 per...
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Shopping & Money Seoul
10 Reviews Getting money can be a big problem sometimes. Many ATM's don't accept foreign cards, even a VISA card logo does not guarantee your VISA will be accepted. Many banks don't offer the service. Usually...
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Language Barrier Seoul
8 Reviews Due to the imperfect nature of translating Korean writing into romanized characters, you will find a lot of confusing variation in place names. For instance "G" and "K" seem to be used interchangably...
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Driving et al Seoul
13 Reviews In addition to some of the various other rules you might see in Seoul or other areas, beware that buses are on a schedule and stop lights, signs and various traffic controllers do not apply to them....
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Protests Seoul
6 Reviews We experience the police preparing for a protest at City Hall, since we were staying at the Westin. I wish I was able to go see it but the next day we realize that there was almost 200,000 people at...
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Weather Seoul
2 Reviews Bring an umbrella for any time of the year. Even in the summer it can provide you with shade. Alot of Koreans use them here. You can buy one here also. They are most useful. It's hot hot hot in the...
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Please note that my information is at least seven years out-of-date.Red stop lights in Korea are apparently treated like stop signs. If your driver is sitting at a stop light, and he sees an opening, he may take it.If you're on a long trip, and you're male, and you have to pee, stop and take a leak along the side of the road. No need to find a bush, just face away from the road. That seems to be okay. I wish it were okay in the States!
All koreans are workholics, they work overtime for a few hours each day to give a good impression of them selves to the managers, even if they are only surfing the net..?So if you are going there on a business trip don't expect to have any spare time left to see the sites.
Don't think the only way you can come to Korea is to work for a big school. A lot of the 'recruiting' companies make a big commission on people coming over. Many don't screen the schools. If you can afford it, come over and look around. Also, you can certainly beat 15,000 to 20,000 per hour!
Some alcohol places sell fake stuff if you can believe it! I was told by a number of my friends that they don't drink draft because it is often watered down. Once though, I saw an article on TV where they showed the places actually making fake Jack Daniels, Cognac, Gin, etc. So, be careful and stick with your Korean friends!
Unfortunately, South Korea is the land of corruption. There have been numerous stories in the media about government officials and their relatives being embroiled in some financial scandal or other.This unfortunately filters down through society; 'They do it, so why shouldn't we?' This means that people in markets and some stores will try to rip you off! (personal experience!)Most items in Korea are cheaper than in the west, but be sure to calculate what it would cost in your own money and if it sounds expensive, it is!You can of course haggle/bargain, it's part of the culture, but be sure about what you want to buy and don't want to buy: be firm but polite. And don't be surprised if they become rude or angry if you don't buy!
Korea is a very safe country, just be aware that a lot of people get very inebriated! If you are a Westerner, avoid showing too much affection to a korean boy/girlfriend, it can produce aggression usually only a bother in the big cities. Most drunks are harmless and happy!!
This isn't huge but................. PLEASE TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES BEFORE ENTERING A HOUSE. I still don't know why but it is the Korean custom and you might as well go along with it even when visting a foreigners house unless the foreigner does not take off his or her shoes.
Nothing in particular stood out except for experiencing the sudden commotion when an occasional Air Raid practise was carried out in preparation for an attack by North Korea. Photo of the view from a 900-year old monastery. I was surprised (but should not have been) that their autumn colours were much the same as back at my eastern Canadian home.
If you come out of a subway station or your walking along the street and see green buses with chain link fencing over the windows(riot police)( had this happen to me once) you are probably near a demonstration. Unless you look like a Korean you probably will be mistaken for an American. Avoid the area. Anti-American sentiment often seeps into these demonstrations due opposition to the US military presence there. It's best to avoid the area. Beware Bad Soju!!! Wonderful Korean liquor but I would advise sticking to beer when out on the town. In some of the lower scale bars Soju is cut with FORMALDEHIDE. Yes thats right....embalming fluid. The Soju in the green bottle unusually named 'Green' is the best I found. Good stuff but dont let the lack of taste and 'goes down easy' feel fool ya. Thats when you end up wondering who put all the lights on the wall only to find out you have fallen over...
While there is not usually a lot of tension in Korea the current economic situation is suffering and occassionally there have been labor strikes & student protests in Seoul & other major cities. It is not wise to hang around these...especially if you are a Westerner.
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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