14 November 14, 2021The Sunday TimesTravel Asia
Top, Gyeongbokgung Palace
in Seoul; a statue at Haedong
Yonggungsa temple in BusanI
n case you hadn’t noticed, South
Korea is having a moment. Or
rather, a decade. K-pop’s Psy
introduced us to Gangnam back in
2012, but since then the Korean
cultural wave — known as hallyu — has
only gained momentum, with the
country’s music, beauty products, tech,
TV and food winning fans worldwide
(Nigella is obsessed with gochujang chilli
paste). But no amount of bibimbap rice
bowls via Deliveroo or binge-watching
Squid Game can substitute for the real
thing. It’s true that you can’t go right now
(there’s a 14-day quarantine for visitors
vaccinated outside South Korea) but it’s
a visit worth planning for.
The country’s compact geography and
efficient transport links mean it’s possible
to pack the highlights into just a week,
beginning and ending in Seoul. If you’ve
seen the Oscar-winning film Parasite
you’ll already know the South Korean
capital mixes the gritty with the polished.
Market stalls overflow with pungent
fermented kimchi; designer shopping
boulevards are frequented by pop stars.
Despite the crammed neighbourhoods
and skyscraper sprawl, though, Seoul is
green at heart. There are seven main
mountains, but it’s the 262m-tall
Namsan, bang in the urban centre,
that draws Seoulites for autumn hikes
and spring cherry blossom.
Base yourself to the north of Namsan,
close to the historic Insa-dong district
(Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun has room-only
doubles from £76, shillastay.com). Besides
sights, the area has lots of metro stations
— letting you zoom around the city for
about a pound a time. The local must-sees
are the two vast palaces, Gyeongbokgung
and the Unesco-listed Changdeokgung.
Korea’s royal family is largely defunct,
but these opulent complexes, in
photogenic jade and red, give a sense of
their former power (as will various
K-dramas; the Joseon royal court is a
favourite topic of the genre).
Mind the Instagrammers at
neighbouring Bukchon Hanok Village,
with its traditional tiled-roof hanok
houses, and stroll Insa-dong’s cute main
drag, cluttered with cafés, galleries and
craft shops. Dalgona, the honeycomb
candy that was so central to one Squid
Game episode, scents the air, but
khultarae, a delicate hand-pulled honey
treat, is just as delicious.
Nearby is Ikseon-dong, with its trendy
warren of bars, clothing shops and food
stalls. Basically, it’s a hanok village with a
millennial touch. You needn’t go far for
things to get more “real”. Further east is
Dongdaemun, a sprawling market that
sells everything from traditional hanbok
robes to car parts. Inside Gwangjang
food hall, the locals’ lunch spot,
workers balance on heated benches
to down crisp mung bean pancakes,
kimbap (Korean sushi) or tteokbokki
rice cakes (as eaten by Gi-hun and
his daughter in Squid Game). Join
them for an affordable feast.
Seoul is Korea’s beauty capital,
and the city’s main shopping
district, Myeong-dong, is your go-to
for thrifty sheet masks and serums.
And department stores such as Lotte
(home to a café with sweet dalgona
coffee, the lockdown 2020 trend). For
big-ticket buys, however, you need
Psy’s stomping ground, Gangnam.
The name translates to “south of
the river”, but Gangnam — Seoul’s
contemporary corner — is a
byword for swish. On Apgujeong
Rodeo, the upmarket clothing
strip, follow a walking trailKOREAN W
South Korean
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how to enjoy
the real thing,
says Alicia Miller
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