If you take a look at a map of Asia, you’ll realise that South Korea is a pretty small country. But if you go there, you’ll also realise that it’ll take you a lifetime to experience everything that it has to offer – especially since you wouldn’t want to leave. This might be a multi-part series so stay tuned for part 2 of Pree’s adventures in South Korea. Let’s start with Seoul.

Seoul, in a lot of ways, is what you would expect from a 21st Century metropolitan capital city – tall skyscrapers, an advanced public transport system, busy roads and bustling nightlife. But in some very distinct ways, it’s also not.

You’d see how a modernised city like Seoul manages to seamlessly immortalise its history and culture through its famous monuments that are well preserved, protected and maintained. They don’t seem out of place or performative.

Usually, modernisation means culture gets stripped and invisible. However, in the case of Seoul, the South Korean-ness is still omnipresent in everything they do.

Fun Anecdote: Korean people are generally very polite and nice. I mean, their entire Korean language structure is built upon the premise of politeness.
They are even nicer and will compliment you if you’re a foreigner who can speak Korean. I very much got some special treatment from several store owners, ahjummas and ajusshis.
Definitely got some free stuff here and there. So make sure to learn a few conversational phrases before you go there! Not for the free stuff but more so because it feels so good to actually converse with locals.

For one, Korean street food is ubiquitous and for good reason – well, they taste amazing, obviously. Every 15 mins you walk, there’ll be another stall with ahjummas perpetually preparing new batches of whatever snack they’re selling.

From spicy tteokbokki and ramen, to kimbap, sundae and grilled meat as well as desserts like the famous Dalgona Candy from Squid Game, you’ll never get tired of them. I sure didn’t.

You’d see very clearly that they put their heart and soul into their food, which is probably why it tastes so good.

The most iconic historical monument in Seoul is hands-down the Gyeongbokgung Palace. There are various palaces in Seoul that you visit but this was my favourite. Built in 1395, it was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty.

The premises were once destroyed by fire during the Imjin War (1592-1598) when the Japanese invaded Korea. However, all of the palace buildings were later restored under the leadership of Heungseondaewongun during the reign of King Gojong (1852-1919).

Once you enter, there is a secondary palace building behind the main one, that is breathtakingly surrounded by a body of water. I absolutely loved that I visited it during winter because the entire body of water was frozen making the beautiful view look like it was painted on.

That place felt surreal, like a whole other world, not just because it was beautiful but also because it genuinely felt healing.

Next, let’s talk about the Bukchon Hanok Village. This isn’t just a singular place. Just like the name, it’ll feel like a small village. There will be tour guides here and there along the route giving out maps and explaining where are the main attractions. There are multiple routes you can take and they feature museums, Hanoks, cafes, souvenir shops and more.

The highlights are, of course, the Hanoks that are open to the public for viewing. These are traditional Korean houses, that were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon Dynasty. In these houses, men’s and women’s quarters are separate.

The hanok consists of several separate buildings, including the "anchae" (main building) for women, which is located further from the main gate, and the "sarangchae" for men, studying and receiving the guests, which was usually located nearer the gate.

Hanok houses hold the special characteristic of being fully recyclable, and can therefore be considered as pioneers in eco-friendly architecture.

Truly, there is so much more to discover in Seoul and this article doesn’t even come close to covering it. If you’re thinking about experiencing both the hustle and bustle of city life as well as having some meaningful cultural indulgence, look no further. Simply contact the APERTUS team and we’ll do all the work to get you to Seoul.