Unthinkable, but true.

In Seoul, there is a call center you can call to enquire virtually anything, ranging from a lost pet dog to finding a job to Zodiac signs.

Just dial 120 and a counsellor will be at your service.

When there is traffic and you want to find out the quickest route to your destination, when your pet dog is lost and you are wandering whether there has been anyone who filed a report, when you forgot what time your opera starts – IF IT’S HAPPENING IN SEOUL, VIRTUALLY ANYTHING IS ENQUIRABLE.

When I found a comment on my blog enquiring whether foreigners too are allowed to use the free subway pass for the elderly, I called the Dasan Call Center to ask. (The answer, unfortunately, was no.)

It sure is the quickest way to ‘know’ what you want.

Step 2. Select English, and the select the desired service. Beware that ‘Free ticket’ is for senior citizens over the age of 65 or the disabled. If you have used the subway many times before and own a transit card, press ‘Reloading the transit card’ and charge up the transit card following the instructions. Select ‘Single Journey’ if this is your first ride.

Step 3. You must select your destination, as the fare is different for each station according to the distance travelled.

Step 4. After you have selected your destination, if you are an adult, look under the ‘General’ section and press the number of tickets that you want. The machine will display the fare needed. There is a 500 Won deposit for each ticket. If you are not an adult, you can press the ‘discount’ section.

Step 5. Place the money in the slot. The machine will pick it up. Then wait for the ticket and change.

Step 6. Use the subway – just press the ticket onto the ticket barrier.

Step 7. After using the subway, your ticket is still with you – you must get a refund on the deposit.

Step 8. Go to the ‘Deposit Refund Service’ machine and place your ticket into the slot. The machine will pick it up and will spit out a
500 Won coin.

Gwanghwamun station

Gwanghwamun station is by far the most interesting metro station in Seoul. Not only is it the center of arts and culture, but it is a station that also embraces the city’s history.

Sejong Center

              First, the Sejong Center is placed nearby. Sejong Center was once recognized as the one of the top ten theaters in the world. It always has an interesting variety of operas, musicals, plays and musical performances on show. Currently its main shows are the musical ‘Mozart’ and the play ‘Please Take Care of Your Mom’.

In front of Sejong Center is the Gwanghwamun Square, which opened last year and has hosted the Snowboard World Cup Big Air Competition, the Snow Jam 2009, this winter. It also runs a skate link during the winter season. Gwanghwamun Square’s motto is to be ‘open’ and ‘comfortable’ to those who visit the Square, and so far it is an exotic place to skate – right in the heart of the city, in the middle of one of the busiest areas in Seoul. Also, there is a statue of King Sejong, the creator of the Korean language, Hangul. There is a place in the Square that lends you the King’s attire. On a weekend trip to the Square, you can easily spot children wearing little robes and wandering about, looking at the Angbu Ilgu, the sundial that was invented under Sejong’s rule by the scientist Jang Yeong-sil. There is also an underground display in the Square that shows symbols of the city. These are all great attractions that you can find right outside the Gwanghwamun subway station.      

Walk along the Cheonggyecheon, the 6-km long stream that was once a messy wasteland covered by transportation infrastructure. It has been reborn in 2005 as a public recreation structure. It is now a structure that represents introducing nature back into the city center. Walking by the streams will allow you to take a good look at the various parts of the center of Seoul city. There are street artists who play Korean folk songs and at night, the creek is lightened with beautiful bright lights.

     Keep walking till you arrive at the Duksugung palace. Walking along the walls surrounding Duksugung is a pleasant experience – there is a myth that if you walk with a loved one along the walls, you will soon be separated. But despite this believe-it-or-not tale, many lovers visit this scenic spot as the falling tree leaves and the serenity of the walk make for a wonderful dating spot. Then you will find the Seoul Museum of Art, where there are a variety of exhibitions by artists from all around the world. Currently it is exhibiting the works of Andy Warhol. The Seoul Museum of Art is definitely one of the most noted art museums in Seoul, known for exhibiting the historic works of renowned artists such as Millet, Chagall, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir and so on. 

Feeling hungry? Near the Gwanghwamun subway station are a variety of restaurants which serve local dishes. Gwanghwamun station is a great place to start touring the city – it has the art, culture and history all packed into one

He’s one of the most famous Hallyu actors, gaining his fame from the movie, ‘Joint Security Area(JSA)’ in 2000. Then in 2003, from the soap opera ’All In’, his publicity became Asian wide. His acting career was smooth even after that, taking part in the movie,’The good, the bad, the weird’ and also in another action/thriller soap opera, ‘Iris’.

He is also the first Korean actor to enter the mainstream Hollywood-taking part in the blockbuster, G.I. Joe, acting as ‘Storm shadow’.

2.Bae Yong Joon

I think there’s no doubt that Bae Yong Joon is the actor that best represents Korea. His publicity(popularity) in Japan is so huge that a lot of Japanese tourists that visit Korea come here because of him! He is the leading actor of Hallyu – the one that made Hallyu possible! (Although he’s not that popular nor famous in Korea..lol)

3. Rain

If Lee Byung Hun is the first Korean actor to ‘enter’ the mainstream Hollywood, Rain is the first Korean to act as a leading role in Hollywood. Starring in ‘Ninja Assassin’, his success in Hollywood as an actor(not as a singer) was the starting point of ‘Let’s go to Hollywood’ trend. After his success, the Wonder girls followed his lead, entering the mainstream pop music – and eventually ranking 77th on the Billboard Chart. The interesting fact is that Rain was more famous as a singer than as an actor in Korea. I wonder when he’ll be back as a singer.

Other actors that represent Korea include- Jang Dong Gun, Won Bin, and many others!

Despite the cold weather, the first day (which was a jump show of the competitors, casted on an artificial snow hill hoisted up in the middle of the square) saw 65,000 Seoul citizens gathering in the Square to watch the competitors. Many news cameras broadcasted the excitement that this event caused in the middle of Seoul city, of excited citizens with open jaws, many of them who have seen actual professional snowboarders for the first time in their life.

The second day which was the tournament, 95,000 citizens gathered, and the BigAir world cup preliminaries and the finals drew 100,000 visitors – in total, 260,000 citizens have gathered to watch this show.

This event was hosted in celebration of the 2010~2012 “Visit Korea” years. It also aims to show that Korea is very capable of hosting the 2018 winter Olympics in PyongChang, a feat that was cancelled as the Olympic Committee voted in favor of another country to host the Winter Olympics.

The first section, ‘Learn Korea right’ corrects the various mistakes often made in foreign maps and other publications regarding the names of places or oceans. The second section displays errors made in foreign textbooks regarding Korea, and what actions took place to correct and replace those names. The third section shows how to introduce Korean to the world through YouTube, and there was photo wall of the world map where visitors could take photos.

The main issue of this exhibition was ‘Dokdo’, the island that is the relentless subject of dispute between Korea and Japan. The main aim of VANK’s exhibition was to let the world know that Dokdo is Korea’s land by correcting the names of the ocean surrounding the island and the name of the island itself, both often wrongly named in world maps and textbooks.

Many people partook in this event. We hope that VANK is successful in achieving its aim, and will do our best to help.

Jokbal(left), is made of pig’s feet. I know that some foreigners might be surprised or even be disgusted because (to be honest) pig’s feet doesn’t sound very tasty nor hygienic. But big’s ‘feet’ doesn’t mean the feet itself, but it actually means the meat around it.

Jokbal usually goes with Bossam(right).  The difference between Jokbal and Bossam is that Bossam is made of  pork belly, and people usually wrap it in a cabbage and then eat it.  For those who don’t feel unpleasant about pork’s feet might as well try out Bossam.

The last food that I’m going to introduce is instant Ramyeon!!! Not only is it a beloved midnight snack, it’s also a popular regular snack/meal.  It’s originally from Japan, where they call it Ramen(it’s a lot different from Korea Ramyeon), and it was introduced to Korea in the 1960′s. Since then, Ramyeon is probably the most popular food in Korea(after kimchi, etc.).  When cooking it, put green onion and an egg in. You’ll probably be smacking your lips for some more!

<Images from Google>

It is located in the Northern part of the city, sprinkled with beautiful cafes and lovely museums, art galleries and eateries. It is a great place for both the sight and the taste buds, since one can view the glamorous architecture of the Chosun dynasty style and enjoy traditional Korean cuisine.

The streets are sometimes very narrow, because they are preserved from an era where there were fewer cars and more people travelled on foot. It is also renowned for its Feng Shui, (topography) and is considered a ‘myong dang’ (good place where prosperous things happen). ‘Bukchon’ was once where the current president resided, because of this characteristic. Mt. Baegak is behind the ‘Hanok of Bukchon’ which keeps the temperature suitable for all weathers.

There are many beautiful alleys, such as the Samcheongdong-gil street, where there are a lot of art galleries and diners that are a mix of the east and the west. It has recently been newly introduced to the younger generation as a place of both comfort and oriental luxury, for people who are tired of the same old cafes and casual dining restaurants and are trying out something new and more oriental.

 The numerous art galleries and traditional rice-cake pounding performances are also a reason to visit this street. There are other famous streets such as Gahoedong-gil street and Gyedong-gil alleyway and the Changdeokgung-gil alleyway where you can view traditional palaces as well.

One most easily accessible palace is Deoksugung (‘Gung’ stands for palace), located at the center of the city, next to the City hall. (The City hall is also the name of the metro station one has to get off to get to Deoksugung) It is a beloved palace to the citizens because of its glorious past, painful history and survival into the present. Originally built in 1593 as a residence for prince Wolsan, brother of King Seongjeong of the Han Empire, it was upgraded and renamed Gyeongungung as future Kings have decided to use it as a royal residence. Back then, the area of the palace was three times as large as it is now. During the Japanese invasion, the palace was damaged beyond repair and its original form was lost, as the site of the palace was transformed to a public park. The number of buildings were also reduced to one-tenth of its original number. Deoksugung is currently undergoing some reconstruction and remodeling work, and continuous corrections are being made, as a part of an effort to restore the palace to its original magnificence.

Deoksugung is located near the City Hall. One can reach it by taking subway line number 1 or 2, and getting off at the city of City Hall. It welcomes visitors for twelve hours each day from 9 a.m. to 9p.m. but not on Mondays, when it is closed. The admission fee is 1,000won for an adult and 500won for children.

When you first enter Deoksugung through the Daehanmun (‘Mun’ stands for ‘door’), you pass over Geumcheongyo (‘Gyo’ stands for bridge). Then there is the Junghwamun, which is the entrance into the main building. An official entrance is a defining feature of the architectures of Joseon dynasty. Each main building of a palace has its own official entrance. Parts of Deoksugung are currently going under renovation, the Deokhongjeon and Hamnyeongjeon.

Outisde of Deoksugung is the center of Seoul, which is one of the most developed areas in the city. It not only represented as the heart of the capital by the City Hall, but some of the tallest buildings in the city are located here, and it is also the center for many businesses and financial industries – where tens of thousands of Seoul citizens come to and fro to their workplaces. This is what makes Deoksugung special – it is a small but definite reminder of the city’s history and provides the citizens with a place of peace right here in the middle of the hustle and bustle of everyday life.