From Wikitravel

South Korea, [1] formally the Republic of Korea (대한민국 Daehan Minguk) is a country in Far East Asia. It occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula that lies between the Yellow Sea and the East Sea (Sea of Japan). It is bordered to the north by North Korea, and Japan lies across the Korea Strait to the southeast.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 History 1.2 People 1.3 Culture 1.4 Holidays 1.5 Climate 2 Regions 3 Cities 4 Other destinations 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By boat 5.4 By land 6 Get around 6.1 By plane 6.2 By train 6.2.1 KR Pass 6.3 By bus 6.4 By boat 7 Talk 8 Buy 8.1 Costs 8.2 Tipping 8.3 What to buy 9 Eat 9.1 Etiquette 9.2 Barbeques 9.3 Rice dishes 9.4 Stews and soups 9.5 Noodles 9.6 Seafood 9.7 Other 9.8 Dietary restrictions 10 Drink 10.1 Soju 10.2 Rice wine 10.3 Beer 10.4 Tea and coffee 10.5 Other drinks 11 Sleep 11.1 Motels 11.2 Hotels 11.3 Minbak 11.4 Jjimjilbang 11.5 Temples 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 17.1 By phone 17.2 By net 17.3 By mail

Understand

History

Archeological finds of human toolmaking date back to 700,000 BCE, and the first pottery is found around 8000 BCE. Comb-pattern pottery culture peaked around 3500-2000 BCE.

Korea's history begins with the founding of Gojoseon (also called Ancient Choson) by the legendary Dangun in 2333 BCE. Archeological and contemporaneous written records of Gojoseon as a kingdom date back to around 7th-4th century BCE. It was followed by the Three Kingdoms of Korea, namely Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, which vied for control of the peninsula until unified by Silla in 668. Unified Silla was replaced by the Goryeo (also Koryo) dynasty, from which the modern name "Korea" derives. The Joseon (also Choson) dynasty ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910, one of the longest actively ruling dynasties in world history.

In the early 20th century, Japan forcibly occupied Korea, as a protectorate in 1905 and by annexation in 1910. Despite a fierce independence movement, 35 years of brutal occupation followed, through lethal suppression of resistance, economic exploitation, and a "cultural assimilation" policy.

After Japan's defeat in World War II, US-occupied southern half and Soviet-occupied northern half each declared separate states in 1948. The Korean War (1950-53) began with North Korea's attack, and when US and other UN forces intervened on South Korea's side, China supported the North. An armistice was signed in 1953 splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel, but a peace treaty has never been signed.

Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per capita income rising to roughly 20 times the level of North Korea. South Korea is now a liberal democracy and the 10th largest economy in the world. In June 2000, a historic first summit took place between the south's President Kim Dae-jung and the north's leader Kim Jong-il, but the peace process has moved at a glacial pace.

People

South Korea is a very homogeneous country, with nearly all inhabitants identifying themselves as ethnically Korean and speaking the Korean language.

Although it is the 12th most densely populated country, South Korea now has the world's lowest birthrate (1.16 children per woman nationwide and even less in Seoul), and dealing with this will be one of the major problems of the 21st century. About 85% of South Koreans live in urban areas.

Culture

During the Joseon dynasty Korea's dominant philosophy was a strict form of Confucianism. People were separated into a rigid hierarchy, with the king at the apex, an elite of officials and warriors below him, a small middle class of merchants below them, then a vast population of peasants and a hereditary class of slaves. Men were superior to women, educated were superior to the uneducated and everybody stuck to his defined role or faced the severe consequences. Buddhism and its dangerous notions of equality and individual spiritual pursuit were suppressed.

While the Joseon Dynasty ceased to exist in 1910, its legacy lives on in Korean culture: education and hard work are valued above all else, and women still struggle for equal treatment.

Korea has a significant number of Christians (26%) and Buddhists (26%). Some 46% of the country profess to follow no particular religion.

Holidays

Korea's traditional holidays follow the lunar calendar, so they fall on different days each year. The big ones are family holidays and entail everybody returning to their hometowns en masse, meaning that all forms of transport are absolutely packed.

Seollal (설날), on the 1st day of the 1st month in the lunar calendar, is also known as "Korean New Year". Families gather together to eat traditional foods and perform an ancestral service.

Chuseok (추석), often dubbed "Korean Thanksgiving", is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the year (usually August-September). Koreans celebrate by eating traditional foods, notably a rice cake called songpyeon (송편) and playing folk games.

Climate

• Spring is a great time of year to be in Korea. The temperatures are warm but not hot and there's not too much rain either.

• Summer starts with a dreary rainy season in June and turns into a steambath in July-August, with extreme humidity and the temperature heading as high as 40°C. Best avoided.

• Fall, starting in September, is perhaps the best time to be in Korea. Temperatures and humidity become more tolerable, fair days are common and the justly renowned fall colors make their appearance.

• Winter is a good time to go skiing or hot-spring hopping, and the Korean invention of ondol (floor heating) helps defrost any parts that froze outside.

Regions

• North Chungcheong — landlocked province filled with mountains and national parks
• South Chungcheong
• Gangwon — "No.1 Tourist destination in Korea" designated by the Korea Government.
• Gyeonggi — surrounding Seoul and covered in its urban sprawl
• North Gyeongsang
• South Gyeongsang
• Jeju — Korea's honeymoon island
• North Jeolla
• South Jeolla

Cities

• Seoul — the capital and one of the world's 5 largest cities, just a stone's throw from the DMZ

• Busan — Korea's number two city, a bustling port in the southeast
• Daegu
• Daejeon
• Incheon — major port and site of Seoul's new airport
• Jeonju — Self-proclaimed new cultural capital of Korea
• Jinju — a pretty city with a famous fortress
• Gwangju
• Gyeongju

Other destinations

• Guinsa — spectacular mountain headquarters of the Buddhist Cheondae sect
• Seoraksan National Park
• Panmunjeom — the only tourist site in the world where the Cold War is still reality

Get in

The nationals of 99 countries, including all the usual suspects, will receive a visa on arrival valid for 30 to 90 days. Rules for visiting only Jeju are even more lenient, allowing in everybody except citizens of 18 countries (notably including China and India). See the Immigration Bureau [2] for the latest details. Don't overstay, even by a single day — this encurs heavy fines and possible jail time, and you'll probably be banned from re-entering.

By plane

There are 6 international airports (Seoul-Incheon, Busan, Jeju, Daegu, Cheongju, and Gwangju) in Korea. The largest international airport in South Korea is Incheon International, located approximately 45 minutes west of Seoul. This is arguably the best run and best designed airport in the world - a pleasure to use. Among the others, only Busan and Jeju field significant numbers of international flights, links from the rest being limited to nearby major Japanese and Chinese cities.

Korean Air and Asiana are the principal carriers to and from South Korea.

United Airlines and Northwest Airlines serve Seoul Incheon (ICN), principally through their connecting hub in Tokyo Narita (NRT).

By train

Travel from North Korea (and hence anywhere else in Asia) to South Korea by train remains impossible, although work continues on reconnecting two lines between the countries. However, for travelers coming from or continuing on to Japan, special through tickets are available, giving discounts of 30% on KTX services and 9-30% on Busan-Fukuoka ferries as well as Japanese trains.

By boat

There are fairly frequent ferry connections to Japan. JR's Beetle hydrofoil service from Busan to Fukuoka manages the trip in just under three hours with up to five connections a day, but all other links are overnight slow ferries, such as Pukwan Ferry Company's services to Shimonoseki from cost from $US60 (one-way). A Seoul-Osaka combination ferry/train costs $US195.

Towards China, there are ferry links between Incheon and Weihai, Qingdao and Tianjin in China. The largest operator is Jinchon [3], but Incheon Port has full listings on their website [4]. These ferries are similar to miniature cruise lines and are complete with karaoke rooms, Playstation games (for a fee), DVD rentals (private rooms only), and a nightly grill on the back deck. Inside, accomodations are a hit and miss. If you have an economy ticket, which will set you back approximately €180 (roundtrip), you can request a sleeper bunk where you have a considerable amount of privacy. If these are all taken however, the other option for an economy ticket is the sleeping deck where everyone who is crammed on the floor like sardines in a can. To avoid being relegated to the sardine room, get to the terminal early, 2 or 3 hours should be sufficient. This is definately worth it as the ferry can take as much as 24 hours depending where you go. To make the most of this ferry ride, take a good book, work, and/or a laptop to pass the time.

There are also weekly departures to Vladivostok from $US270.

By land

Due both to its location at the end of the Korean peninsula and the political situation with North Korea, entering South Korea overland is practically not possible. The border between North and South Korea is considered the most heavily fortified border in the world, and while some crossings have occurred at the truce village of Panmunjeom, one of the cases (a Soviet defector in 1984) was shot at by both sides and, although he survived, you might not be so lucky. In the 80's and the early 90's most of those who crossed the border either way would be arrested and prosecuted for reasons mostly referred to as 'threatening national security'. These days it is possible to do limited trips into North Korea from the South (see details under North Korea), but not vice versa.

Get around

South Korea is fairly compact and you can get anywhere very fast if you fly, and reasonably fast even if you don't.

By plane

South Korea is small enough that flying is more of a luxury than a necessity, with the notable exception of connections to the island of Jeju. The long-standing domestic flight duopoly of Korean Air [5] and Asiana [6] was broken in 2005 by the arrival of low-cost competitors Hansung Airlines [7] and Jeju Air [8], which offers flights not only to Jeju, but also serves the Seoul-Busan sector with lower fares than the KTX express train.

By train

National train operator Korail [9] connects major cities in South Korea. Neglected for a long time, a large amount of money has been plowed into the network in recent years and trains are now quite competitive with buses on speed and price, and much safer and more comfortable to boot. The main problem is that the network is still a little limited and services in rural areas are limited, with trains only once every few hours.

Particularly useful are the high-speed Korea Train eXpress (KTX) [10] services between Seoul and Busan via Daegu and Daejeon, which use French TGV technology to zip along at up to 300 km/h. The full trip currently takes 160 minutes, a figure which is expected to improve to 116 minutes by 2010 when the second stretch of high-speed track is taken into use. The KTX trains have 18 cars with the first 3 being first class and the rest reserved economy seating except the very last car (number 18) which is open seating. There are drink vending machines on board and an attendant that comes by with a snack cart which includes reasonally priced beer, soda, cookies, candy, sausages, hardboiled eggs, and kimbap (rice rolls).

Non-KTX trains are poetically ranked as Saemaeul (새마을, "New Village"), Mugunghwa (무궁화, "Rose of Sharon") and Tongil (통일, "Unification"), corresponding roughly to express, semi-express and local services. Saemaeul trains are a little pricier than buses, while Mugunghwa are about 30% cheaper and Tongil — sadly an endangered species — are less than half price. Both Saemaeul and Mugunghwa trains are very comfortable, while Tongil are a little basic and, lacking airconditioning, get a little stuffy in summer. Prices are highest on weekends, while you can get discounts of up to 15% by travelling mid-week. If not pressed for time, catching a ride on the first class of the Saemaeul costs about the same, is much more comfortable and has better views than economy class on the KTX.

Seoul also has an extensive commuter train network that smoothly interoperates with the massive subway system, while Busan, Daejeon, Daegu and Incheon also have local subway services.

KR Pass

The KR Pass [11] is a special rail pass introduced in 2005 for non-resident foreigners only, allowing unlimited travel for a set period on any Korail train (including KTX) and including free seat reservation. The pass is not valid for first class or sleeping cars, but you can upgrade for half price if you wish. The regular pass costs US$76/114/144/168 for 3/5/7/10 days, with additional discounts of 10-20% for youths (age 13-25), students and groups of 2-5 traveling together. Note that the pass must be purchased before arrival in South Korea, either via a travel agent or online, and you'll need to do quite a lot of traveling to make it pay off.

By bus

Buses (버스 beoseu) remain the main mode of national transport, connecting all cities and towns. They're frequent, punctual and fast, sometimes dangerously so, so fasten the belts you'll often find in the seats.

There is a somewhat pointless division of long-distance buses into express buses (고속버스 gosok beoseu) and inter-city buses (시외버스 si-oe beoseu), which often use separate terminals to boot. Express buses are marginally faster on long runs, but inter-city buses go to more places. For additional comfort, look for buses with just three seats across instead of the usual four; these cost about 50% extra.

• Korean Express Bus Lines Association

Timetables and fares of the Express bus routes in South Korea

By boat

Boats shuttle out to Korea's many islands, including Jeju.

Talk

Koreans speak Korean, and knowing a few words of this will come in very handy. Unfortunately, the language is rather drastically different from any Western language in its grammar and pronunciation, while not tonal, is rather difficult for the English speaker to get right.

Written Korean, called Hangeul, is a phonetic writing system, like the Latin and Cyrillic writing systems, as opposed to the Chinese ideographic writing system. It was designed by a committee and looks like it, at first glance all right angles and little circles, but is remarkably consistent and logical and quite fast to pick up. Learning to read Hangeul before you arrive in Korea will make traveling much easier, as many signs and menus are written in Hangeul only. Even basic pattern-matching tricks come in handy: for example, if you know that a circle at the bottom of a block is read -ng, you can already distinguish Pyongyang (평양) from Seoul (서울). Further, the Korean words for many common products -coffee, juice, computer- are often the same as the English words, but will be written in Hangeul. If you can read Hangeul, you'll find survival Korean surprisingly easy.

The spelling of Korean words in Roman letters can be quite inconsistent, so don't be too surprised to see adjacent signs for Gwangalli and Kwanganri — it's the same place. In 2000, the government officially standardized on the Revised Romanization system also used in Wikitravel, but you will frequently encounter older McCune-Reischauer spellings and just plain weird spellings. Notably, words beginning with g, d, b, j may be spelled with k, t, p, ch instead, and the vowels eo and eu may be spelled o and u. The letters l, r and n also get swapped often, and the vowels i and u are sometimes written as ee and oo respectively.

All Koreans have taken English lessons as part of their education, and the English level of the country is being improved by government policy and investments. However, due to lack of practice (as well as fear of mispronunciation), many Koreans have little more than a very basic grasp of English phrases in actual conversation. Reading and writing comes much easier however, and often people will be able to read and understand a great deal of English even without any practice with real conversation. Nonetheless, travellers can get by in major cities with English only; however it goes without saying that learning basic Korean phrases will enrich your travel experience.

A common experience for western travellers in South Korea is to be approached by children interested in practicing their English skills. They will often take a picture of you, as proof they really talked to you.

Older folks may also still speak some Japanese. The city of Busan, being a short trip from Fukuoka in Japan has a larger number of Japanese speakers per capita, and the dialect itself is more similar to Japanese in the same way that the Japanese dialect in Fukuoka also has a large Korean influence.

See also: Korean phrasebook

Buy

The currency of South Korea is the won (₩), written 원 in hangul. As of April 2006, the exchange rate was approximately US$1:KRW940. Thus a single won is worth approximately 1/10th of one US cent. The simplest method of calculating exchange on the run is to divide by 1000 for US$. The largest bill currently in circulation is W10,000 (roughly US$10), which makes carrying around large sums of currency a bit of a chore. There do exist some 100,000 won "checks" that are privately produced (by banks, etc.) which can be used as "c-notes."

ATM are ubiquitous, but most Korean ATMs don't accept foreign cards, only special Global ATMs do. These can be found at airports and major cities, so stock up before heading to the countryside. Credit card acceptance, on the other hand, is very good, and all but the very cheapest restaurants and motels will take Visa and Mastercard.

Costs

Korea is fairly expensive for an Asian country, if still notably cheaper than Japan. A frugal backpacker willing to eat, live and travel Korean-style can squeeze by on under W60,000 per day, but if you want top-class hotels and Western food even W100,000/day will not suffice.

Tipping

Tipping is not necessary anywhere in Korea, except maybe bellhops in high-end hotels. Restaurants do not need tips and taxi drivers do not expect them either, although rounding up to the nearest W1000 is not entirely unknown.

What to buy

Korea is the ginseng capital of the world. Medicinal herbs are often sold in mountain resorts. Traditional clothing, dishes, gimcracks are readily available. Insadong in Seoul has Buddhist supplies. Postcards are sold in some locations, though not the variety one would find in the west. Try Insadong for souvenirs and crafts in general.

Eat

Few fall in love with Korean food at first taste, but like most acquired tastes, it's an addictive one once you get used to it. While there are obvious influences from both China and Japan, Korean food is definitely in a class of its own, mixing spicy chillies and copious amounts of garlic with delicate ingredients like raw fish. It's also very healthy, a fact attested to by the observation that very few South Koreans are overweight.

A Korean meal is centered around rice and soup, invariably served with a vast assortment of side dishes known as banchan (반찬). The humblest meal comes with three types while a royal banquet may well feature twelve. Typical banchan include bean sprouts (콩나물 kongnamul), sauteed fishcake (어묵조림 eomuk jorim) and pickled cucumbers (오이무침 oi-muchim).

The ubiquitous kimchi (김치 gimchi), made from fermented cabbage and chili, accompanies nearly every meal and may be a bit of an acquired taste for visitors as it can be quite spicy. In addition to the common cabbage type, kimchi can be made from white radish (깍두기 ggakdugi), cucumbers (오이 소박이 oi-sobagi), chives (부추 김치 buchu gimchi) or pretty much any vegetable that can be pickled. Many different dishes are made using kimchi for flavoring, and kimchi is served as a side dish as well.

Two more condiments found in almost every dish are doenjang (된장), a fermented soybean paste akin to Japanese miso, and gochujang (고추장), a hot (or not so hot) chilli paste.

A common perception amongst Koreans is that foreigners simply don't like spicy food, so you might have to spend some time convincing people otherwise if you really want to eat something hot. Also, while Korean food undoubtedly has the neighboring bland-dieted Japanese and northern Chinese breathing fire, if you're accustomed to (say) Thai or Mexican food you may wonder what the fuss is about.

Most restaurants specialize in one or two dishes - so you need to agree with your friends what you'll be having for dinner. There are beef restaurants, pork restaurants, spicy chicken restaurants, and cow knee soup restaurants.

Etiquette

Koreans use chopsticks with a twist: alone among the peoples of Asia, they prefer chopsticks of stainless steel. Unfortunately for the chopstick learner, these thin and slippery sticks are not the best implements to practice with, but if you can eat with wooden or plastic chopsticks you'll manage with some fumbling. When eating as a group, communal dishes will be placed in the center and everybody can chopstick what they want, but you'll still get individual portions of rice and soup.

Some etiquette pointers:

• Don't leave your chopsticks sticking into a dish. A spoon sticking downright into the rice bowl is also not a good sign, since that's how Koreans set up the dishes for their passed ancestors.
• Eating rice with your spoon is polite. Actually Korea is one of the few countries where eating rice with your chopsticks is considered rather rude, mostly by the elder Koreans. This is not the case in Japan or China, where they usually eat rice with their chopsticks. However, eating rice with chopsticks is more accepted among the younger generation.
• Don't lift dishes up from the table. (This rule, too, is widely ignored by Korean youth.)
• But most of all, Koreans are generally very interested in foreigners. Most of them will look at you out of interest, not because you're eating the wrong way. So don't be self-conscious of whether you're doing something right or wrong. Just use your common sense of politeness and good manners, and everything will be fine.

Barbeques

Hound by the pound Yes, it's true — Koreans eat dog. While theoretically illegal, in practice the law is not enforced and dog meat soup (보신탕 bosintang or 영양탕 yeongyangtang) remains a popular dish among those looking to improve male virility or just beat the summer heat. Another option is suyuk (수육), which is just meat boiled with spices to eliminate smell and make the meat tender. Aside from the cultural taboo, there are some issues regarding how the dogs are raised, butchered, and processed. No, dogs are not beaten to death to improve the taste — but calling the conditions in which dogs are raised and butchered humane would also be an exaggeration. Even in Korea people get quite opinionated on this matter, so take anything you hear with a grain of salt. In any case, you're unlikely to end up chowing on Snoopy by accident, as dog is only served by speciality restaurants, and as they rarely advertise you will have to actively seek out them out. If you do make the effort, a bowl can go for under W10,000 and you'll find that dog taste broadly like beef or veal, if perhaps a tad gamier.

"Korean barbeque" is probably the best-known Korean dish, split in Korea itself into bulgogi (불고기), which uses cuts of marinated meat, and galbi (갈비), which uses unmarinated ribs. In both, a charcoal brazier is placed in the middle of the table and patrons cook their choice of meats, adding garlic to the brazier for spice. The cooked meat from both of these is placed on a lettuce or sesame leaf along with shredded green onion salad (파무침 pa-muchim), raw (or cooked) garlic, shredded pickled radish (무채 muchae) and some chili-soya paste (쌈장 ssamjang) and then devoured. All are optional, so be creative.

The cost of a barbeque meal depends largely on the meat chosen. Beef is the most common choice but pork or chicken are also popular. You'll rarely see filet mignon, instead common cuts of meat include ribs, unsalted pork bacon (삼겹살 samgyeopsal) and chicken stir-fried with veggies and spicy sauce (닭갈비 dakgalbi). Unmarinated meats tend to be higher quality, but in cheaper joints it's best to stick with the marinated stuff.

Rice dishes

Bibimbap (비빔밥) literally means "mixed rice", which is a pretty good description. It consists of a bowl of rice with all sorts of condiments on top (vegetables, shreds of meat, and an egg), which you mash up with your spoon, stirring in your preferred quantity of gochujang (고추장 chili sauce), and then devour. Particularly tasty is dolsot bibimbap (돌솥비빔밥), served in a piping hot stone bowl (watch your fingers!) that cooks the rice to a crisp on the bottom and edges.

Another healthy and tasty option is gimbap (김밥), sometimes (rather inaccurately) dubbed "Korean sushi". Gimbap contains rice, sesame seed, a Korean variety of spinach, pickled radish, and an optional meat, such as minced beef or tuna, all neatly wrapped in dried seaweed, topped with sesame oil and sliced. A single roll makes a good snack or meal depending on one's appetite, and they travel well. Basically what differentiates Korean and Japanese gimbap is how they prepare rice: Korean style gimbap usually use salt and sesame oil to flavor the rice, while Japanese style uses sugar and vinegar.

More of a snack than a meal is tteokbokki (떡볶기), which resembles red slugs at first sight, but is actually rice dumplings in a sweet chili sauce.

Stews and soups

The Korean word for soup is tang (탕), while the term jjigae (찌개) covers a wide variety of stews. Common versions include doenjang jjigae (된장찌개), made with doenjang, vegetables and shellfish, and gimchi jjigae (김치찌개), made with — you guessed it — kimchi.

Sundubu jjigae (순두부찌개) is made with soft tofu as the main ingredient. The common meat version by frying ground pork with oil and dried chili powder, then pouring in broth and adding tofu and vegetables. There's also a seafood version called haemul sundubu jjigae(해물 순두부찌개) where the meat is replaced by shrimp, squid and the like.

Budae jjigae (부대찌개) has some contemporary history involved. It's known to have originated from the city of Uijeongbu where a US military base was located, and naturally there would be a lot of American canned food available, such as SPAM, sausages, and pork beans. Some got creative, and found out that these ingredients can be assimilated into the traditional Korean food of jjigae. Therefore, budae jjigae can be thought of as some sort of a fusion food in the past, which is now accepted and enjoyed by Koreans all over the nation. All restaurants have somewhat different recipes, but generally it's pretty spicy, and will usually have kimchi and spam-like American ingredients. Most places will bring you a big pan of stew and put it on a gas stove in the middle of the table. Many like to put ramyeon noodle (라면 사리) in the stew, which is optional.

Popular soups include seolleongtang (설렁탕), a milky white broth from ox bones and meat, gamjatang (감자탕), a stew of potatoes with pork spine and chillies and doganitang (도가니탕), made from cow knees. One soup worth a special mention is samgyetang (삼계탕, pron. saam-gae-taang), which is a whole spring chicken stuffed with ginseng and rice. Thanks to the ginseng, it's often a little expensive, but the taste is quite mild. It's commonly eaten right before the hottest part of summer in warm broth in a sort of "eat the heat to beat the heat" tradition.

Noodles

Koreans are great noodle lovers too, and the terms kuksu (국수) and myeon (면) span a vast variety of types, sold in fast-food noodle shops for as little as W1000-2000.

Naengmyeon (냉면) are a Korean speciality, being thin, chewy buckwheat noodles served in ice cold beef broth, and hence a popular summer dish — although it's traditionally winter food! They're also a classic way to end a heavy, meaty barbeque meal. The key to the dish is the broth (육수 yuksu) and the recipes of well known restaurants are usually closely guarded secrets.

Mandu (만두) dumplings are also very popular and are served up in steamed or fried as an accompaniment to other foods, or boiled in soup to make a whole meal.

Ramyeon (라면) is Korea's variant of ramen, often served with kimchi (what else?). Korean ramyeon is well known for its overall spicyness, at least when compared to Japanese ones. Try shin ramyeon (신라면) for example. Jajangmyeon (자장면) is a noodle with a black sauce that usually includes pork, onions, cucumber, and garlic. Finally, u-dong (우동) are thick wheat noodles, similar to the Japanese udon.

Seafood

Since Korea is a peninsula, you can find every type of seafood (해물 haemul), eaten both cooked and raw. Restaurants where you pick your own fish — or bring it from the fish market next door — are popular, but can be very expensive depending on what you order.

Hoe (회), pronounced roughly "hweh", is raw fish Korean-style (similar to sashimi), meaning it's served with spicy gochujang (chili sauce) sauce. Chobap (초밥) is raw fish with vinegared rice, similar to Japanese chirashizushi.

Another cooked specialty is haemultang (해물탕), a spicy red hotpot stew filled crab, shrimp, fish, squid, vegetables and noodles.

Other

Jeon (전), jeonya (저냐), jijimi (지짐이), jijim (지짐), bindaetteok (빈대떡) and buchimgae (부침개) are all general terms for Korean-style pan-fried pancakes, which can be made of virtually anything. Pajeon (파전) is a Korean-style pan-fried pancake laden with spring onions (pa 파 is green onion). Haemul pajeon (해물파전), which has seafood added, is particularly popular. Saengseonjeon (생선전) is made of small fillets of fish covered with egg and flour and then pan fried, and nokdu bindaetteok (녹두빈대떡) is made from ground mung bean and various vegetables and meat combined.

If barbequed meat is not to your taste, then try Korean-style beef tartar, known as yukhoe (육회). Raw beef is finely shredded and then some sesame oil, seseme, pine nuts and egg yolk are added, plus soy and sometimes gochujang to taste. It's also occasionally prepared with raw tuna or even chicken instead.

Fear Factor fans will find a few familiar items in Korea. A snack often sold on the street and occasionally appearing in your banchan selection is roasted silkworm larvae (번데기 beondegi), which smell notoriously bad when being sauteed but don't actually taste like much. Sometimes these creatures are ground and made into soup. Another popular insert is grasshoppers, fried and sold on the street sometimes. Crunchy and doesn't taste as bad as you would think.

A squirmy delicacy is live octopus (산낙지 sannakchi) — it's sliced to order, but keeps wiggling for another half hour as you try to remove its suction cups from your plate with your chopsticks. Sea squirts (meongge) are at least usually killed before eating, but you might be hard-pressed to tell the difference as the taste been memorably described as "rubber dipped in ammonia".

A note regarding Chinese food in Korea: The description Chinese is often times a code word for simply less flavorful versions of standard Korean dishes. That is not to say that good quality foreign food cannot be found in Seoul or elsewhere, but typically, around popular tourist destinations, a number of Chinese food restaurants may be found, appealling primarily to non-Koreans who cannot take the powerful spices of regular Korean food. Jajangmyeon is often found on the menus of these false Chinese restaurants, and kimchi and banchan dishes are still typically served with the meal.

Dietary restrictions

Vegetarians will have a tough time in Korea. As in most of East Asia, meat is understood to be the flesh of land animals, so seafood is not considered meat. If you ask for "no gogi" (고기) they will probably just cook as usual and pick out the big chunks of meat. One good phrase is to say you are chaesikjja (채식자), a person who only eats vegetables. This may prompt questions from the server, so be prepared!

Most stews will not use beef stock, but fish stock, especially myeol-chi (멸치, anchovy). This will be your bane, and outside of reputable vegetarian restaurants, you should ask if you are ordering any stews/hotpots or casseroles.

Spicy (red) kimchi will almost certainly have seafood, such as salted tiny shrimp, as an ingredient. Since it disappears into the brine, you will not be able to visually identify it. Another type of kimchi, called mulgimchi (물김치, "water kimchi") is vegan, as it is simply salted in a clear, white broth with many different vegetables.

On the bright side, vegans and vegetarians are perfectly safe at Korean monastery cuisine restaurants, which uses no dairy, egg, or animal products, except perhaps honey. There has been a recent vogue for this type of cuisine, but it can be rather expensive.

There is an increasing number of vegetarian restaurants in Korea - most are in the larger or medium-sized places. Some of these are run by Seventh-Day Adventists or Hindus.

Drink

Alcoholics rejoice — booze is cheap and Koreans are among the heaviest drinkers in the world. Due to the strict social norms in effect at the workplace, the drinking hall tends to be the only place where inhibitions can be released and personal relationships expressed. Significant business deals are closed not in the boardroom, but in the bar. Promotions, grants, and other business advancements are secured over drinks at singing rooms, late night raw fish restaurants, and restaurant-bars. Many Korean men are what would be considered heavy drinkers in the west, and as alcoholism is being recognized as an ailment, public moves have begun to attempt to curb alcohol intake.

There are a few etiquette rules to observe when drinking with Koreans. You're not supposed to fill your own glass; instead, keep an eye on others' glasses, fill them up when they become empty (but not before), and they'll return the favor. It's considered polite to use both hands when pouring for somebody, and to turn your head away from seniors when drinking.

Younger people often have a difficult time refusing a drink from an older person, so be aware when asking someone younger than you if they want to drink more as they will often feel unable to say no to you. Of course, this works both ways. Often times, if an older person feels you are not keeping up with the party, he may offer you his glass, which he will then fill and expect you to drink. It is considered polite to promptly return the empty glass and refill it.

Soju

The national drink of South Korea is soju (소주), a vodka-like alcoholic beverage (usually around 20%). It's cheaper than any other drink — a 350ml bottle can cost under W1000 — and also strong. Usually this is made by fermenting starch from sweet potato and tapioca etc, to produce pure alcohol which is then diluted with water and other flavors.

Traditionally, soju was made by distilling rice wine and ageing it, which created a smooth spirit of about 40%. This type of traditional soju can still be found, for example Andong Soju (안동 소주) — named after the town of Andong — and munbaeju (문배주). These can be expensive, but prices (and quality) vary considerably.

History tells that there were numerous brewers throughout the country in the past until late Chosun dynasty and before Japanese colonization. However, by the Japanese colonization and the oppressive and economy-obsessed government in the 60-70s, using rice for making wine or spirits was strictly prohibited. This eliminated most of the traditional brewers in the country and Korea was left with a few large distilleries (Jinro 진로, Gyeongwol 경월, Bohae 보해, Bobae 보배, Sunyang 선양, etc), that basically made 'chemical soju'. Brewery distribution and markets were regionalized, and until the 1990s it was difficult to find a Jinro soju anywhere else than Seoul (you would have to pay premium even if you found one), Gyeongwol soju outside Gangwon, or Sunyang outside Chungcheong.

Amongst young people cocktail soju has been gaining popularity (like cherry soju, yogurt soju, peach soju, grape soju). For the daring, there are also soju cocktails such as "socol" (soju + coke), ppyong-gari (soju + pocari sweat - sports drink) and such, all aimed at getting you drunk quicker and cheaper.

Rice wine

Cheongju vs. sake There are two major differences between Korean rice wine and Japanese rice wine. The first is that Korean wine uses nuruk, while Japanese wine uses koji. While both can be considered yeasts, nuruk contains various kinds of fungi and other microorganisms, while in koji a more selected and pure breed of fungi does its job. The treatment of rice is also different: traditionally rice for making cheongju is washed "a hundred times" (paekse 백세), but for sake, the rice is polished until the grain size is as little as 50% of its original size. Therefore, some people comment that in general cheongju tastes more complicated and earthy, while sake tastes "cleaner" and "sweeter".

Traditional unfiltered rice wines in Korea are known as takju (탁주), literally "cloudy alcoholic beverage". In the most basic and traditional form, these are made by fermenting rice with nuruk (누룩), a mix of fungi and yeast that breaks down starch in rice into sugar, for a short while (3-5 days usually). Then this is strained, usually diluted to 4-6% and imbibed. However, as with the case of traditional soju, unless explicitly stated on the bottle most takju are made from wheat flour and other cheaper grains. Makgeolli (막걸리) is the simplest takju, fermented once and then strained, while in dongdongju (동동주) more rice is added once or more during the fermentation to boost the alcohol content and the flavor. Typically you can find a couple of rice grains floating in dongdongju as a result.

Yakju (약주) or cheongju (청주) is filtered rice wine, similar to the Japanese rice wine sake. The fermentation of rice is sustained for about 2 weeks or longer, strained, and then is kept still to have the suspended particles precipitate. The end result is the clear wine on top, with about 12-15% alcohol. Various recipes exist, which involves a variety of ingredients and when and how to add them accordingly. Popular brands include Baekseju (백세주) and 'Dugyeonju (두견주).

Those with an interest in the wine production process and its history will want to visit the Traditional Korean Wine Museum in Jeonju.

Beer

Western-style lagers are also quite popular in Korea, with the three big brands being Cass, Hite and OB, all of which are rather light and watery and cost around 1500 won per bottle at a supermarket. Korea's version of the beer pub is the hof (호프 hopeu), which serve pints of beer in the W2000-5000 range, although imported beers can be much more expensive. Note that you are expected to order food as well, and may even get served grilled squid or similar Korean pub grub without ordering, for a charge of W10000 or so.

Tea and coffee

Like their neighbors, Koreans drink a lot of tea (차 cha), most of it green (녹차 nokcha). However, the label cha is applied to a number of other tealike drinks as well:

• boricha (보리차), roasted barley tea, often served cold in summer
• insamcha (인삼차), ginseng tea
• oksusucha (옥수수차), roasted corn tea
• yulmucha (율무차), a thick white drink made from a barley-like plant called Job's tears

Coffee (커피 keopi) is also widely available, especially from streetside vending machines that will pour you a cupful for as little as W300, usually sweet and milky. Latte snobs will also be glad to know that Starbucks and assorted copies are spreading like wildlife.

Other drinks

Some other traditional drinks worth keeping an eye out for:

• sikhye (식혜), a very sweet, grainy rice drink
• sujeonggwa (수정과), a sweet, cinnamon-y drink made from persimmons

Sleep

There's plenty of accommodation in all price brackets in South Korea. Note that prices in Seoul are typically about twice that of anywhere else in the country.

Some higher-end hotels offer a choice of both Western-style and Korean-style rooms. The main feature of Korean rooms is an elaborate floor-heating system known as ondol (온돌), where hot steam (or, these days, water or electricity) heats stone slabs under a layer of clay and oiled paper. There are no beds; instead, mattresses are laid directly on the floor. Other furniture is typically limited to some low tables (you're also expected to sit on the floor) and maybe a TV.

Motels

Some of the cheapest accommodation in South Korea are in what are locally termed motels (모텔 motel) or yeogwan (여관), but these are rather different from motels in the West and closer to Japan's "love hotels". Motels in South Korea are generally very cheap hotels targeted at young couples aiming to spend 'time' together away from their elders, complete with plastic beds, occasionally vibrating, with strategically placed mirrors on the ceiling, as well as a VCR and a variety of appropriate videos. However for the budget traveller, they can simply be inexpensive lodging, with rates as low as W25,000/night. Just look for the symbol "♨" and gaudy architecture, particularly near stations or highway exits. These are also popular with single female travellers.

In some motels picking your room is very easy, as there will be room numbers, lit pictures and prices on the wall. The lower price is for a "rest" of a few hours, while the higher price is the overnight rate. Press the button for the one you like, which will go dark, and proceed to check-in. You'll usually be expected to pay in advance, often to just a pair of hands behind a frosted glass window. English is rarely spoken, but the only word you need to know is sukbak (overnight). You may or may not receive a key, but even if you don't, the staff can usually let you in and out on request — just don't lose your receipt!

Hotels

Full-service hotels can be found in all larger towns in Korea. Cheaper hotels blend into motels with rooms from W40,000, while three-four star hotels are closer to W100,000 and five-star luxury hotels can easily top W200,000. Outside peak season you can often get steep discounts from the rack rates, so be sure to ask when reserving.

Minbak

In rural areas in and near national parks, you can find a minbak (민박). Most of these are just a room or two in someone's home - others are quite fancy and may be similar to yeogwans (motels) or hotels. Generally, they have ondol rooms with maybe a TV and that's about it. Bathroom is generally not in the room, though some of the fancier ones can be found en suite. Minbaks usually run around 20,000 won off-season though the price may go up quiet a bit during high season.

Jjimjilbang

For the budget traveller public bath houses known as jjimjilbang (찜질방) can offer a great way to sleep. Entrance costs around W5000 to get in, and includes a robe to wear. Inside there are public baths, a restaurant, computer lab, a room with movies, and places to sleep, although this often means little more than a quiet, warm room with maybe some wooden blocks to rest your head on. These places are more often meant for families coming in for a day and as such are not perfectly catered to travelers. When you leave you have to take everything with you, and pay to get back in. There is no secure place to leave your things except a single locker. Aside from these drawbacks, jjimjilbang offer a very relaxing place to sleep and bathe.

Temples

Jogye, Korea's largest Buddhist sect, runs a popular Temple Stay program where visitors get to spend 24 hours living at a Buddhist temple. Korean ability helps but is not necessary at some temples, but you will be expected to work at the temple and get up at 3 or 4 AM to participate in morning prayer. In exchange for three meals and a basic bed for the night, a "donation" of W50,000-80,000 is expected. Reservations are necessary and can be made at the Temple Stay site [12] or via Korea Travel Phone, tel. +82-2-1330.

Learn

• Taekwondo — If you're interested in martial arts, you should learn Taekwondo. Taekwondo is originally from Korea, and you can study at any of the numerous schools all over the country. Taekwondo is a very courteous sport, and also a very effective form of self-defense.

• Chang or Pansori — If you like music, this will be good for you. It's a unique traditional Korean form of singing. If you want to learn about Pansori through film, "Seo Pyen Je" would be an excellent choice.

• Korean — Seoul National University and Yonsei University(in Seoul) provides Korean language programs. You can meet people from all over the world while studying Korean.

• Korean Traditional Dance — You can go to a dance studio and learn Korean traditional dance. You will wear "Han Bok" - Korean traditional cloths.

• Baduk — Korean name for the ancient board game called Go in English. Many Koreans play the game, and among them are some of the world's finest players. There are even schools that specialize in Baduk. See this [Go Wiki].

Work

Work as an English teacher is available through various companies, with the desired minimum level of education being a Bachelor's degree. Schools prefer native English speakers, and some prefer North American accents.

Native speakers of English who have four-year university degrees may find it easy to obtain employment in one of Korea's many private academies (hagwon). These schools have proliferated in response to perceived failings of the public education system, although there are also hagwons aimed at adult instruction. Often, people interested in these teaching positions find them via professional recruiters. There are pros and cons to teaching ESL in the hagwon system. On the plus side, the money can be quite good. As of late 2005, the average monthly salary is approximately 2 million KRW, and housing is usually provided. It's possible to live comfortably on half of one's salary, and to save the rest. However, it is important to evaluate each prospective employer before accepting an offer; tales of unscrupulous academy owners and incompetent directors abound. Dave's ESL Cafe has general Korean job ads, and the Hagwon Blacklist is essential reading. A web search will turn up many more.

University employment is also possible. Those who have a graduate-level degree, preferably in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language) may find professional opportunities at the postsecondary level preferable to teaching in private academies.

Stay safe

South Korea is an extremely safe country, although theft, assault and hotel burglary might happen in major cities such as Busan or Seoul. Rape has also been reported. Take care especially in known tourist areas. Use only legitimate taxis. Illegitimate taxis run even from the airport, and their safety and honesty cannot be guaranteed. Be also careful late at night with drunk American GIs in some areas of Seoul.

See also the travel topic articles on pickpockets and common scams.

The emergency number for police is 112 from a phone and 02-112 from a cellular phone, fire and ambulance services are 119 or 02-119 from a cellular, and emergency-service, English interpreters are available 24 hours a day.

Stay healthy

Although health care in South Korea is not free, it is heavily subsidized by the government and is very cheap compared to the United States. For expat workers who have a medical insurance card (this is required), it is even less expensive (although still not free.)

Most doctors speak at least some English, typically peppered with medical terms that might be unfamiliar to most people. In general, the larger hospitals in big cities will be more able to accommodate people with little or no command of the Korean language.

In addition to Western medicine, Oriental medicine is quite popular in Korea. Herbal supplements can be bought in most pharmacies as well as from shops which produce their own. The most popular herbal supplements (such as Ginseng) can even be bought in convenience stores in the form of energy drinks, tea, gum, and alcohol.

Pharmacies are usually located near hospitals, as hospitals in Korea are not allowed to dispense take-home perscriptions; prescriptions are dispensed in small paper packages. No special vaccinations are required to enter Korea from most countries -- check your local consulate for details.

Respect

Korea is a land of strict Confucian hierarchy and etiquette. As a visitor you will not be expected know every nuance, but making an effort will certainly be appreciated.

When Koreans greet, they bow to each other to show their respect.

When picking something up or taking something from somebody older always use two hands. If you have to reach to get it and this is not possible, you can simply support your right arm with your left hand. Likewise, when shaking hands with somebody older support your right arm with your left hand.

Contact

By phone

South Korea does not have a GSM network, which means that roaming opportunities are limited, although there are now both types of 3G networks (W-CDMA and CDMA2000). Roaming onto these is possible in a limited number of cases, so check with your operator.

There are no prepaid mobile phones in South Korea, but SK Telecom and KTF offer mobile phone rental services, and some handsets also support GSM SIM roaming. Both companies have outlets at the airports in Seoul, Busan and Jeju and charges start from W2000/day. Reserve in advance via Tour2Korea (the official Korea Tourism Organization site) for a discount and guaranteed availability.

By net

South Korea is the world's most wired country and Internet cafes, known as PC bang (PC 방), are ubiquitous through the country. Most customers are gaming addicts but you're free to sit and type e-mails as well, typical charges are about W1000 to W2000/hour. Like anything, it may be more expensive in more "luxurious" places. Also, snacks and drinks are available for purchase in most PC bangs.

By mail

South Korea's postal service is fast and reliable. Postcards anywhere in the world cost W300.

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