5 Cultural Tips When Visiting South Korea

Travelling around the world is an opportunity to experience how people from other cultures live. This can have a number of affects on you, it can either make you appreciate the culture in which you live or it can teach you that there are aspects of all cultures which you can incorporate into your life to your benefit. Whatever the outcome, you need to ensure that you make an effort to be conscious of other cultures whilst in amongst them in order to appreciate the positive and negative aspects. Below are some tips on how to fit in with South Korean culture:

If you go to visit a Korean friend it is custom to take them a small gift - It is likely that they will offer you one in return, and you should accept it after initially showing reluctance. Acceptance of the gift is a must.

Be sure to remove your shoes - When entering a home in South Korea be sure to remove your shoes. This is a respectful gesture which shows that you appreciate being welcomed into someone’s environment.
Eye contact in a business environment:When conducting business with a South Korean national whose position is senior to yours, be sure to avoid eye contact with them. Making eye contact is seen as a lack of respect for who they are and what they have achieved.

Don’t shake too hard - When we shake hands in the west it is seen as customary to have a firm hand shake as this is seen as a sign of confidence. In South Korea it is offensive to shake hands in a firm manner.

Planning to visit Seoul in Korea or interested in jobs in Korea such as teaching English?

4 of the finest hotels in Seoul

Seoul is one of the largest cities in the world and is home to some 10 million people. The city is the capital of South Korea and is fast becoming a very popular city for tourists to visit with many things to see and do.

You certainly won’t be short of hotels to choose from but today we wanted to highlight some of the most luxurious hotels in the city.

Renaissance Seoul Hotel – Official rating 5* - High speed internet access, close proximity to the city airport and a wealth of luxurious facilities make the Renaissance a firm favourite with the regular Seoul visitor. An ideal choice if you are in South Korea on business.

Grand InterContinental Seoul – Official rating 5* - The Gran is unique in this list as it attempts to fuse Korean tradition with a modern hotel atmosphere. The others offer supreme luxury (as does the Grand) but where the other hotels attempt to bring a westernised and standardised hotel feel to Seoul, the Grand attempts to blend into its surroundings. There are 535 bedrooms and the excellent standards with great on-site facilities make this a perfect choice for business and leisure travellers alike.

JW Marriott Seoul – Official rating 5* - The Marriott is the closest hotel to the airport and is situated right in the heart of the capital’s entertainment and shopping district where you can choose from a wealth of retailers, attractions and of course sample some of the tantalising local cuisine at the many world-class restaurants. The Marriott is the choice for the city traveller that’s visiting Seoul for a short amount of time and doesn’t want to waste precious minutes in taxis going to and from a hotel in the suburbs.

The Ritz-Carlton Seoul - Located in the Kangnam district in close proximity to a wide array of commercial property, the Ritz-Carlton is without a doubt the hotel to choose if you are coming to Seoul on business. It recently earned the highest customer satisfaction rating for a hotel in South Korea, ranking number one for customer satisfaction out of all the hotels in the capital in a study conducted by the Korean Productivity Centre. If your expenses account allows it, consider one of the 47 opulent suites which offer spectacular views across the city skyline.

This was a guest contribution from Rob at Maldives Holidays 2011.

Formula One: South Korean Grand Prix

The Korean Grand Prix is one of the newest events in the Formula One Calendar. This event is set to take place this year, with the racetrack scheduled to be completed by July 2010. The race takes place on the Korean International Circuit, located in the South Jeolla province in the Yeongam County, which is 400 kilometres to the South of the capital, Seoul. The building of this race track cost around $260 million and a result of a collaboration effort between KAVO (Korean Auto Valley Operation) and Bernie Ecclestone.

The first Formula One race at the Korean International Circuit will took place in 2010, with the organisers having received a contract for seven years. There is also a provisional agreement for a further five years, which will ensure that the Korean Grand Prix will take place until the year 2021.

Like with most Formula One Races, the Korean Grand Prix will also take place over a period of three days. The first day of the event will be devoted to two practice rounds. The second day will feature the third and final practice round as well as the qualifiers, which will determine who will take the pole position at the main race. The final day is dedicated to the main race.

The Korean Grand Prix circuit is 5.6kilometres long and the race will have 55 laps. The total distance covered during the course of the race is 300+ kilometres.

My Driving Experience in Korea

On a recent trip to Korea I decided that, in an attempt to maintain my independence, I would hire a car. Driving in a foreign country is always an interesting experience, but driving in Korea really stretched my skills to the limit. It not only tested my driving skills, but also my skills of observation and the extent of my patience. Despite this, I have to say that it added significantly to my experience and I would urge people visiting not to perceive this blog as a deterrent to driving in Korea, more as a preparation aid.

The first thing that came to my attention when driving around Korea was the speed at which cars would wizz around in congested areas. At first it seemed that this was a blatant disrespect for others using the road, but I must admit that although this may well be the case, it certainly hurried the traffic along. What was more concerning was the apparent lack of concern on behalf of the pedestrians. Apparently, whatever was putting people in such a rush was much more important than their safety.

Of immediate apparence when driving a car around Korea is that the rules of the road back home do not apply here, or at least they are not followed as vigorously. Tailgaiting was common, it angered other people when I slowed down as lights began to change and seatbelts are by no means on the top of people’s priority list. I have to say though, the adventures of the road certainly added an extra edge to my visit.....but perhaps that’s just me.

Another place for a crazy driving experience as a tourist is to go driving in Rome, Italy. Korea and Italy from my own experience, seem to offer locations with two of the craziest sets of drivers.

A good Few weeks in Seoul

If has been quite a few very positive weeks here in Seoul with several major events taking place here and drawing in visitors from around the world. Two huge events and wonderful for helping to promote Korea and Korean culture.

Korean F1 Grand Prix - leading up the race there were concerns that the track would be finished and that the circuit would be suitable. F1 is not used to the way in way Korean construction works I think lol :). Things often happen here at the last minute but they do get done and this was the case with the F1 circuit. In the end it was an excellent grand prix, well organised and i think gave an overall good impression of Seoul and Korea.

A few weeks later and we got to host the G20 summit, which saw leaders from around the world descend on Seoul. World press attention and literally hundreds of the worlds media and contingents filled the local hotels and restaurants. This event generated a lot of very positive attention on Seoul.

A good few weeks for Korea on the international stage in the last month!

(Thank you to James Burrows for his guest news above and good luck with his Paris apartments break site). Quick thank you also to our friends from New York Culture who took out for dinner after the Grand Prix. Hope you enjoyed tasking all the Korean dishes and see you again soon.

Korean Food and Garlic Drinks

If you have spent any amount of time in South Korea you will almost definitely already appreciate the extreme importance that food has here. Walk around an area such as Gangnam (Kangnam) and you will see literally a few hundred places to eat. Such a high percentage of people eat out. You will also have noticed that garlic seems to be in almost everything!

Whilst in Seoul it has inspired me to make my own list of the 5 Best Garlic drinks.

1. Honey, Lemon and Garlic drink – This drink is a great remedy for coughs and colds. It is prepared by steeping two or more whole peeled garlic cloves in honey for a couple of hours. The honey is then added to hot water with a few drops of lemon for taste.

2. Garlic Tea – For this drink, one can use any kind of tea, however black tea is recommended. The preparation is fairly simple, with the ingredients being a clove of garlic, one tea bag and some honey. The garlic and the tea are brewed together to the desired level. The honey is then added for flavour.

3. Garlic Smoothie – For people who enjoy vegetable based shakes or even banana shakes, adding one clove of garlic to the ingredients will not only boost the taste, but also greatly increase the health benefits.

4. Tomato and Garlic Drink – For people who like tomato juice, this drink will prove to be much more interesting. It is prepared by adding a clove of garlic to two apples and two tomatoes and blending the ingredients together with a little parsley.

5. Van Helsing – This drink is alcoholic and is prepared by adding some crushed garlic to a chilled martini glass along with a thin slice of onion. On top of this, a martini made up of three parts gin and one part Vermouth is added and the whole drink is garnished with a clove of garlic.

Teaching English in South Korea: Is it safe?

I get asked very often by people wanting to know if it is safe to teach English here in Seoul and other parts of South Korea. Given the constant political unrest between North Korea and South Korea some people ask if it is safe to teach in Korea.

The truth is that since I first came here 10 years ago, there has always been some kind of reasons why people could have got worried and the foreigners teaching here often do worry. The locals though, the Koreans, they are used to it and are never concerned. Japan, China and North Korea are all always potential enemies but South Koreans go about their every day tasks as normal.

If you are thinking to teach English in South Korea my advice is to go. You should be fine and consider the fact that the U.S. military help to defend the border with the North and also the fact that the North Koreans have an army who seem to have very little effective hardware with which to go into battle with the North. Hopefully all will be calm again very soon.

Looking into North Korea

One of my favourite travel photos that I took was in 2002 when I was living in Seoul, South Korea. We took a trip to the Demilitarised Zone (commonly known as the DMZ) and from one area in the DMZ, you can look over into North Korean, to the border town.

The photo below shows a picture of North Korea. Destinations and places such as North Korea can make good pictures due to the unusual and lack of photos of such as place and area.

Best Schools to teach English in, in Seoul

Many native English speakers have taught English in South Korea and there are certainly many good schools, universities and private institutes in which to teach, in addition to being many bad ones.

When you first arrive in Seoul and find a job teaching English it can be very random as to if you get a good school. The issues if you do not include having issues getting paid and having a problem to get your end of year bonus. There are many very good places to teach though and the majority of English, Australian, Kiwi, Canadian and American teachers have good experiences.

Our top 3 places to work in Seoul, South Korea are though:

1. Direct English, Seoul - Teaching 1-to1 and with the chance to work in an area such as Gangnam our personal experiences have been very good with Direct English and they are our number 1 for 2010.
2. Avalon English Institure Seoul.
3. The British Council.

Do you agree or disagree? Send us your comments!
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World Cup 2010: North Korea v South Korea

Both North Korea and South Korea have both qualified for the football World Cup 2010, which takes place in South Africa next summer. December 3rd 2009 though is when the World Cup draw takes place, a date when we will find out who will be in each group in the finals in South Africa.


Will North and South Korea be drawn together? What an incredible game it would in an actual World Cup finals. They have met before and in fact played each other in qualifying having been in the same group. Playing though in the actual finals raises the importance even more and the competitive edge will be even stronger.


Having lived in South Korea for years though, I have found that there is a mutual respect between the teams if anything under the though exteriors, a lot of respect and many South Koreans will quite openly admit that their one big wish in life is to see a unified Korea again. Maybe football is just the beginning?

More about football in Korea.

Korean girls v British girls

I have been living in Seoul, South Korea for 2 years teaching English and a surprising but common question I often get asked by the male students and businessmen are - what are the differences between Korean and English/British girls? And do I like Korean girls.

Well, I like girls no matter from what country as I am sure you all agree that beauty comes in many styles, shapes, colours, sizes and looks. There are certainly a lot of differences between Korean girls and British girls though if I am allowed to generalise (which is how culture is defined).

Korean girls

- Often very slim (sometimes too slim and sometimes nice slim)

-Brought up much more traditionally and often look after the home and cooking (especially on the holiday weekends for large family gatherings - and especially so if your husband is the eldest son).
- Kind and sweet.

- Can turn into Adjumas (scary old women) when they are older.

British Girls

- Not so slim but more to cuddle.

- More liberated and open minded, but more aggresive and want a lot more independance.

- Cost a lot more to feed them LOL :)

Nightlife in Seoul, South Korea (Part 2)

Nightlife and things to do in the evenings in Seoul also can take the form of relaxation. In Japn you have Onsen and in Korea, Koreans love what is known locally jjimjilbang's.

A jjimjilbang is basically a sauna and relaxation centre and there are a lot of these venues in Seoul. They are not always easy to find and if you are a non-Korean speaker or reader and do not have a Korean friend showing you where to go, you will probably never ever spot the jjimjilbang in Seoul.

The brillian thing about jjimjilbang and galbijim are that they have excellent facilities. Accordign to the specific galbijim you go in, the facilities might include a:

• sauna area
• sleeping and relaxation area
• computer/internet area
• place to buy food and drinks.

If you are a non-Korean then you might find people watching you because they are not so used to foreigners in the jjimjilbang and galbijim. Do not be put off though. They are great places ro relax!

Nightlife in Seoul, South Korea (Part 1)

The nightlife in Seoul, South Korea is certainly a little different from what one might be used to in countries such as the UK, USA or Australia for example. With emphasis on singing for example, things are very different.

Singing rooms (known as Norebongs in Korea) are very popular with Koreans and they are rooms which you use just for your own small group of friends or work colleagues. After a few drinks in bar or a meal in a restaurant, heading to a singing room is very common.

A lot of Seoul nightlife, as well as based on singing, is based around food. People often spend all evening in restaurants and other eating establishments and a lot of alcohol is often included. Friends of mine recently sent freight to China and then headed to Seoul and they were within a few hours dragged into a singing room. It's unavoidable almost in Seoul.

More about nightlife and drinking in Korea in the next blog. If you are looking for vacation rentals in Korea by the way, Holiday-Velvet.com I have heard are considering expanding into Seoul.

Seoul and South Korea Events, jobs, news and workshops

Many of you have been asking recently if you can contribute to this blog with your Seoul events, Seoul news, workshops, classes and jobs etc. The answer is yes. We would love to receive your posts and we will add them for free on this Seoul, South Korea dedicated blog.

Just send us your information to:
paul at seoulkoreaasia.com
and we will add your Seoul events, news etc within 48 hrs.

Books on Seoul, South Korea

Just a quick blog to remind you that the book 'Living in Seul, South Korea' if available as an eBook and for sale very cheaply via www.seoulkoreaasia.com

Do not also forget that if you ar looking for information on Teaching English in Seoul, South Korea then there is a lot of info on SeoulKoreaAsia.

Teaching in Seoul, South Korea

Teaching in Seoul, South Korea can be rewarding froma cultural point of view, financial worthwhile if you get into a reasonable school and Korea and other parts of Asia are excellent for travelling and experiening. If you are open-minded and courteous, you will almost definately have a positive and enjoyable experience while living in Seoul and you will find that most Korean people you meet are very friendly, at least that was my experience.

There are several resources for trying to find a TEFL job in South Korea:

• You can about Teaching experiences in Seoul, South Korea
• Type of schools and documentation needed to teach in Korea
• Teaching languages such as Italian & Spanish in Seoul, South Korea.
• You can also find teaching jobs in Korea direct from the ESL cafe.

What city or town to teach in, in Korea, really depends on what you are looking for. If you want to live where there is plenty goign on and lots of opportunities and chances to meet other Westerners, then Seoul is perfect. If you really want to experience the Korean culture then maybe places such as Daejeon, Yongtong (Suwon), Ansan or Ilsan, might suit you.

Seoul, South Korea Travel and News Update

Seoul , South Korea News Updates:

Korean in space: It has been an interesting week here in South Korea with many people extremely proud to see Yi So Yeon go into space as the first South Korean to take this trip. Interestingly also the KFRI (The Korea Food Research Institute) have been working over the last few years in preparation for this moment, i.e. to send tradition Korean foods into space, including Kimchi.

This week the book 'Living in Seoul: A Westerner's Perspective' has also gone into eBook format and is now on sale at £2.99 and is purchasable via PayPal.

Flights to Korea: British Airways have soem good flight prices at this time and are worth checking. Lufthansa tend to be one fo the most consistently good airliens to Korea, flying through Germany.

Do not forget the 2008 Mud Festival in Boryeong in Korea.

Boryeong's Mud Festival - July 2008

If you have are travelling to South Korea this summer, one event you really should make an attempt to visit is the annual Boryeong's Mud Festival. The mud festival is a quite unusual festival and I myself enjoyed visiting the festival in 2004.

There are many attractions including various mud baths, mud massages and other mud opportunities for the visitor. Taking place on Daecheon Beach in South Korea, this festival has gained popularity in many ways because the mud from Boryeong is said to have very natural ingredients which include various minerals and which are thought to be excellent for ones skin.

You can visit the official Boryeong's Mud Festival site and also read up about South Korean festivals.

Seoul International Marathon 2008

Sunday March 18th at 8am signifies the start of the 2008 Seoul International Marathon so now is the time to start thinking about applying and also designing a training plan.

The marathon has continued to gain in popularity over the last few years and in the 2008 event, more than thirty thousand runners are expected to participate. The run takes racers through downtown Seoul and aroudn the city for approx. 26 miles.

You can visit the official Seoul International Marathon website for deatiled information. The run will finish in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium in Jamsil and the marathon and interestingly, each runner will be given a pedometer to record the distance run to stop cheating. Further details can also be found on the Seoul Marathon page on Seoulkoreaasia.

Football (or soccer for Americans) in South Korea

The 2002 Football World Cup which was jointly held in South Korea and Japan, gave the sport a huge lift in Seoul and the rest of South Korea. Up until 2002, football was semi popular, with the domestic K-League already in progress. The 2002 World Cup though generated huge interest in football and this momentum has continued since.

The interest in football in Korea has now increased even more with a few of the major Korean corporations beginning to sponsor English Premiership teams. Samsung now sponsor Chelsea Football Club (who are London based) and also with Korean players such as Park Ji-sung playing for teams such as Manchester United.

Baseball still seems to be more popular and basketball is also very popular in Korea. Want to learn more about football in Korea.
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