28 Jul 2009, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Nature, Seoul, UNESCO Sites, Video, 7 Comments

Seoul’s Royal Tombs

In June 2009, UNESCO added 40 royal tombs built in Korea over five centuries to its list of world heritage sites. Eight of the Joseon Dynasty’s mausoleums are located within the Seoul city limits.

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17 Nov 2008, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Food & Drink, Seoul, Shopping, 7 Comments

Garosugil – Sinsa’s Tree-Lined Street

There’s a habit among some to equate parts of Seoul or Korea as the “fill in the blank” of Europe or America. I’ve always found these comparisons ill-fitting. Also, why should Korea describe itself only in reference to somewhere else? For better or worse, Korean cities always feel more like Korea than Manhattan or Naples, and a lot of people (myself included) prefer it that way.

But in a nation as homogenous as this one, I can imagine it’s fun for the locals to pretend they’re somewhere else. A case in point is the popular Garosugil, in Gangnam’s Sinsa-dong neighborhood. The street officially known as Dosan-daero buk 5-gil (도산대로 북 5길), has become a trendy place for 7,000-won lattés and foreign cuisine. And to be fair to the friend who introduced Garosugil as “Europe in Seoul”, there does seem to be an affinity for faux-French.

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