A wonderful world: October 2010

Bongeun-sa temple in Samseong-dong

I have never been to South Korea and have never had the urge to go either. I guess it's partly due to preconception and misunderstanding from the past. Unfortunately, South Korea is sandwiched between the attention-grabbing (not intentionally) neighbours like China, Japan and North Korea, so it has always been a bit of an underdog in Northeast Asia until recent years, thanks to the rise of its electronic, film and entertainment industries. Perhaps the South Koreans should consider including Samsung, Rain and Chan-wook Park as part of their national treasures?!

Understandably, South Korea's capital, Seoul, has never been a major travel destination except for cosmetic surgeries seekers from within the Asian region. When I decided to visit the appointed World design Capital of 2010, I found only a few guide books on South Korea and almost none on Seoul alone! Timeout has over 60 city guides but Seoul is not on their list which I think is quite odd! And when I turned to my Hong Kong friends who have visited Seoul before for advice, they would tell me that there's isn't much to do and would rather go to Tokyo or Bangkok!

Luckily, just a few months before my trip, I noticed that things are changing because of the increasing media coverage on Seoul esp. on its effort to promote their design culture and architecture. Determined to prove my friends wrong, I decided to explore Seoul from a designer's angle using the little information I found through magazines and websites.

My verdict: Seoul is a big, modern and vibrant metropolis which resembles Tokyo in some ways i.e. the narrow back alleys and endless of convenient stores. Like Tokyo, contemporary architecture is changing Seoul's urban landscape, but at the same time, its history can still be seen and appreciated in the old palaces and Bukchon Hanok Village. Meanwhile the government's effort to turn Seoul into an environmentally-friendly city is paying off, the success of urban renewal projects like Cheonggyecheon stream is an excellent example. Being one of the most overlooked cities in Asia, Seoul definitely deserves a lot more attention from the outside world, hopefully, the World design Capital is just the beginning of the story...

Transport
Public transport in Asia is usually reliable, frequent and cheap and Seoul is no exception. The subway is clean, safe, user-friendly and cheap, you can also connect freely with buses within a certain time frame (if only this could happen in London)! However, taking the bus can be tricky because everything is in Korean, the best is to find out the bus numbers from your hotel reception first, otherwise, it would be a struggle at the bus stops. Besides public transport, taxis are also easy to find and pretty cheap as well, though it's probably wise to provide the drivers with Korean addresses as many of them don't speak English.

Sights

Cheonggyecheon
Opened in 2005, this restored stream has been extremely popular with the locals, tourists and has been featured in many Korean TV series. I hope the success of this project will inspire other cities esp. in China to reconsider their urban planning (or lack of it) because city dwellers need a fair amount of recreational spaces and not just high-rise that block the sun and the sky. I was thrilled to see a tunnel being converted into a gallery filled with historical photographs of Seoul and the old stream. Although the project has been criticised for its high costs, I think it is money well spent judging by the look on the faces of passing children and lovers...

The Spring, designed by Claes Oldenberg, 2006

A mini waterfall at the Cheonggye Square, the start of the stream

Gallery space

Bongeun-sa
This Buddhist temple was originally founded in 794 during the Shilla period, although the buildings were renovated and rebuilt over the years, it is still quite impressive. The site is surprisingly big esp. since it is in the middle of a commercial district near the COEX mall. There are many shrine halls as well as a huge outdoor statue, the Maitreya (Future) Buddha. There many daily activities and guided tours available, so it is really worth visiting if you want to understand a bit more about Korean Buddhism and culture.

Bongeun-sa temple

Gyeongbok Palace
Despite being destroyed a numerous times by fire and the Japanese, this 14th century palace still looks pretty impressive. However, if you have visited the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, then this in comparison is less grand and looks a bit too new. OK, it is quite touristy esp. with the staff dressed up as people from centuries back but it is still quite nice to wander around and the Folk Museum within the palace grounds is definitely worth visiting.

Gyeongbok Palace

Changdeok Palace & Biwon garden
Just like Gyeongbok Palace, this 15th century palace complex ( a Unesco World Heritage site) was burned down by the Japanese in the mid 16th century. After being rebuilt several times, now only 13 buildings remain on the site ( as well as 28 pavilions in the garden). In order to visit the famous Biwon garden, it is necessary to join a guided tour, unfortunately, I missed the English guided tour and so I didn't get a chance to see the garden. It was a shame because I think the essence and best part of this palace is its garden, I guess I will have to be a bit more prepared next time...

Changdeok Palace

Bukchon Hanok Village
Not far from the two palaces is the 600 year-old Bukchon Hanok Village, an area where aristocrats used to reside and have been preserved for visitors to experience the historical ambience. The best thing about this village is that it is still being occupied by local residents, so it doesn't feel like a film set. And for some odd reason, part of the village has a Mediterranean feel to it, it's very relaxing to stroll and wander around the area. There are also tea houses, crafts and arts museums, it is definitely a MUST-SEE sight in Seoul.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Seoul at night

Museums & galleries
There are many museums in Seoul (including a Kimchi Museum) and here are some of the ones that I recommend:

National Museum of Korea
This museum is huge and it's free! If you want to understand more about Korea's history and culture, this is the best place to visit but be prepared to spend at 1/2- full a day here! I learnt a lot in just a few hours' time, but unfortunately I wasn't able to spend more time there, so it will be high on my 'to do list' the next time I visit. If you have to visit one museum in Seoul, let it be this one! Free English tours are also available twice a day except Sundays.

National museum of Korea

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art
Samsung is an iconic brand in South Korea so it is not surprising to see an art museum set up by the company. It is not hard to see Seoul's effort to create a art, design and cultural hub in Asia. Although it is still quite behind Tokyo but its rapid improvement in recent years is quite astonishing! It is fair to say that Leeum museum can be considered as a world-class modern art museum and one of the best in Asia. The museum is divided into 2 parts, Museum 1 is designed by Swiss architect, Mario Botta, and it exhibits traditional Korean art from porcelain to calligraphy and Buddhist art. Museum 2 is designed by the famous Jean Nouvel and exhibits contemporary Korean and international art work including names like Mark Rothko, Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol. But it is Louise Bourgeois' giant spider outside of the museum that is the most eye-catching! The layout of the museums is surprisingly easy to follow and the overall ambience is modern, sophisticated but not intimidating. There are also temporary exhibitions going on all the time, so even if there are many sights nearby, it is worth making a trip here.

Louise Bourgeois' giant spiders

Jean Nouvel's building

Mario Botta's building

Leehum, Samsung musum of Art

Coreana Cosmetics Museum
I found this museum by accident but was quite intrigued by the subject. As we know, Korean ladies are very conscious of their looks esp. when it comes to their faces. Hence cosmetic surgeries and skincare/make-up businesses all thrive in this country! This small museum showcases many cosmetic/beauty-related products dating from the Three Kingdom period and has interesting temporary exhibitions (there was a 'hat' exhibition during my visit). It's fascinating and worth a visit if you happen to be in the area.

Coreana cosmetics museum

National Folk Museum of Korea
Established in 1924, this museum on the grounds of Gyeongbok Palace really worth visiting because it shows the history and culture of Koreans from pre-historic times. From religions to agriculture, rituals and celebrations, medications, fashion and domestic affairs etc, this museum is educational but enjoyable too.

National Folk Museum

Owl Art and Craft Museum
I came across this cute museum in Samcheong-dong and was immediately attracted by its wonderful murals and signage. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day (apparently, it only opens from Thursday to Sunday), so I will have to return when I am next in Seoul because I am sure it must be very unique and wonderful inside!

Owl Art and Craft Museum

Kukje gallery in Samcheong-dong

Design & creative hubs
Tokyo and Berlin are often seen as the forefront of architecture and design, but it seems like Seoul is working its way up the ladder, esp. with the much anticipated Dongdaemun Design Plaza designed by Zaha Hadid which will open next year. Over the last few years, many multi-functional design and cultural complexes were built and they are changing not just the city's landscape but also Seoul's cultural and design scene.

Kring Kumbo Center-
Opened in 2008, this futuristic looking building with 'speaker-like' design features is designed by local architecture firm, Unsangdong Architects. It is a cultural centre comprises of offices, conference rooms, cafes and space for public performances, events and exhibitions.

Kring

Platoon Kunsthalle
Originated from Berlin in 2000, this cultural center built out of 28 cargo containers opened in 2009, is the first in Asia. It is a platform to promote subculture like street art, fashion, video art, music, club culture, political activism etc. There are is a bar and restaurant, as well as exhibitions and ongoing events and projects.

Platoon Kunsthalle

Sangsangmadang
Located in the Hongik University district, this eleven-story building houses a cinema, live performance hall, art gallery, studio and a shop selling contemporary Korean designs.

Sangsangmadang

aA design museum
This design museum has two locations and they both consist of a cafe and exhibition space specialised in mainly Scandinavian industrial and furniture designs. I have to say that it's hard to tell that you are in Seoul when you are inside the museums, the ambience is very European, it's definitely a cool place to hang out in Seoul.

aA design museum, Samcheong-dong

aA design museum, Hongdae

Horim art center, Gangnam-gu

Restaurants & food

Chillies - Can the Koreans live without them?

As in most Asian cities, it's hard to be hungry in Seoul... There are endless restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, convenient stores and street vendours to keep everyone happy. And aside from Kimchee, there are lots of other cuisines and non-spicy options to choose from. I was surprised by the prices at the local Korean restaurants, since it's easy to enjoy a delicious meal for less than US$8 p/p! They would also provide you with side dishes, free water without service charge! Like China and Japan, tipping is not common here, so you don't need to worry about how much you should leave. I was pretty satisfied with the standard of food overall but was particularly impressed with their cafes/ coffee shops. I didn't know about Korean's passion for coffee, so I was over the moon to find many independent coffee shops. If you love coffee, then Seoul would definitely make you very happy!

Gorillas in the kitchen
This popular healthy restaurant is owned by Korean star Bae Yong-joon (whose fans are mostly housewives over 35), but luckily, there are no cheesy photos or autographs of the star. Instead, the decor is contemporary and stylish, which reflects the philosophy of the restaurant. Nothing on the menu is fried, besides low salt content, butter and cream is also forbidden in the cooking! (I wonder if this would go down well in the UK /US?!) The menu also lists all the ingredients, calories and nutritional information, very convenient if you are concerned with your weight! Despite the daunting sound of all this, my culinary experience here was good, the service was friendly and efficient and the food was substantial and tasty!! Actually, their cooking method and philosophy is similar to my home cooking, so I would dine here quite frequently if I was living in Seoul, shame that there isn't anything similar in London!!

Gorilla in the kitchen

Suji's
After eating Korean food for days, I was craving for something non-Asian and it brought me to this popular New York style cafe , Suji's in the expat district, Itaewon. The service here was casual, really friendly and the food was good too, however, I did notice that prices were much higher than the local Korean restaurants, I guess authenticity does come with a price afterall!

Burger at Suji's

Cool interiors inside a restaurant in Cheongdamdong

Tofu kimchee stew

Yummy clam noodles

Bibimbap

Dumplings with noodles

Spicy cold noodles

Exteriors of restaurants

An Indian restaurant, I presume...

A very Chinese-looking restaurant

Restaurant specialises in fugu!

Very Mediterranean!

Che

Cafes/ coffee culture
Unlike most other Asian cities where tea is the most common beverage, coffee seems to rule in Seoul. There are chained coffee shops like Starbucks and other local names but there are also many small independent coffee shops, with so many to choose from, you will never need to drink instant coffee in the hotel rooms! In most coffee shops, you have to order at the counter and will be given a buzzer that will notify you when your coffee or food is ready. (What a great idea!)

Book cafe, Samcheong-dong

Cafe Artisée, inside the Horim art center

A traditional tea house in Insa-dong

A cute cafe near Bukchon Hanok village

Shopping
Just like other parts of Asia, food and shopping play key parts in the Korean's lifestyle these days. Apart from being a magnet for cosmetics surgeries within the region, Seoul also offers low-cost and same-day optical services including cheap contact lenses and prescriptive glasses. There are also many local skincare and cosmetics brands that are becoming quite popular within Asia, and every one of them seems to be selling some kind of 'BB cream' (a thick, whitening primer/ cream which I find quite scary). However, there are other products for the body and they are generally quite cheap and you will be given lots of samples even if you are just buying one or two products.
Home to the largest electronic maker in the world, Seoul is definitely a good place for Korean electronic goods and you can claim the tax when you leave the country. But surprisingly, even though people here are all wired-up (Seoul has the highest broadband internet penetration in the world and most hotels rooms here have computers and free internet access!), they still have a passion for stationery! There are many cute stationery stores that sell notebooks, planners, diaries and other writing instruments, which I find quite refreshing especially for a city that is so driven by digital technology!

Shopping districts

Myeong-Dong
Highly recommended by the waiter at Suji's, this is probably the busiest shopping district in the city... think Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Oxford Street in London or Shibuya in Tokyo. There are endless of cosmetic and skincare stores, (each brand has about 3 branches within a 100 metre range with sales assistants constantly trying to lure you in!), optical stores and fashion brands like Uniqlo, Gap and Banana Republic. If you love being in a hectic and bustling environment, then this is THE place to visit but this is really not for me...

The crowds in Myeong-Dong

Dongdaemun Market
Another popular and crowded shopping district but this area has a USP unlike others! Apart from the fashion and textiles night markets, there area also several fashion department stores like Doota, Migliore that are open until late... and I mean late like 4 or 5am! Shopping at 11pm in a crowded department store felt quite odd but I guess it's more entertaining than watching CNN in the hotel room! However, I am not convinced about the Korean fashion scene, compare to neighbouring cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong, it's still got a long way to go!!

Apgujeong & Cheongdam-dong
This is the chi-chi shopping area with many high end fashion boutiques as well as young, hip designer brands, cool cafes and galleries. The shoppers here are well-heeled and the atmosphere is really different from other shopping areas.

Galleria shopping mall in Cheongdam-dong

Insa-dong
Insa-dong is a long street packed full of traditional crafts stores selling traditional clothing, calligraphy brushes and folk crafts etc. There are art galleries, traditional tea houses and street food stalls selling traditional sweets and snacks. It is quite touristy but worth visiting... the most interesting is Ssamziegil, a shoppping mall that sells crafts, ceramics and art work by young local designers, it also has restaurants, cafes, art galleries and even tarot card readings!

Ssamziegil mall in Insa-dong

Other areas like Samcheong-dong, Hongdae and Sinchon etc also offer different shopping experiences, so you can spend days just exploring these areas, the word 'boredom' is probably never used in a city like Seoul!

Contemporary architecture
There are many interesting contemporary architecture in Seoul, a lot more than I expected and even shop exteriors and interiors are unique and full of surprises!