29 Mar 2010, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Best of DK.com, Food & Drink, Seoul, Video, 9 Comments

Sampling Samcheong-dong’s Charms

Samcheong-dong’s unique mix of traditional hanok-style buildings, modern art galleries, comfy cafés and excellent restaurants make it a huge draw.

22 Feb 2010, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Best of DK.com, Food & Drink, Historic Korea, Seoul, Video, 6 Comments

Tranquil Seoul in Buam-dong

Buam-dong feels far away from Seoul. Indeed, one shop owner described the neighborhood as, “too quiet for a serious business.” Many hope their peaceful piece of the big city stays that way.

11 Feb 2010, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Gyeonggi, Historic Korea, Jeolla, Seoul, 7 Comments

Celebrating Seollal in Seoul

(Photo from the Seoul Tourism Organization).

Seollal (설날), or the lunar New Year, is the traditional Korean calendar’s most important holiday, along with the autumn harvest festival, Chuseok. Although its origins are unclear, many say the rituals go back to the 6th century. It was during ancient Korea’s Three Kingdoms period when the lunar calendar was first adopted. Today, several Asian countries, including China, Mongolia and Vietnam, all celebrate the lunar New Year holiday.

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24 Dec 2009, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Seoul, Video, 5 Comments

Video: Seoul Snow Jam 2009

This is my fourth winter in Seoul, and while it does get awfully chilly at night, there’s just something about how this city celebrates the season that makes it a fun time to be here. For example, if you walk by the Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong or the Shilla Hotel along Euljiro Street, you can always count on fantastic displays of colored lights, and the other day I almost got run over by a horse-drawn carriage lit up like a Christmas tree prancing towards the Cheonggyecheon (청계천) [video].

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15 Aug 2009, Posted by Matt in Gyeonggi, Historic Korea, 3 Comments

Independence Series: Independence Hall of Korea

August 15th is Gwangbokjeol (광복절) or Korean Independence Day, which celebrates the defeat of the Japanese during WWII and Korea’s liberation after 35 years of oppressive colonial rule.

In honor of the day, let’s head to Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province to visit the Independence Hall of Korea. The extensive complex was opened to the public in 1982, and serves to collect, preserve and display a wealth of data about the Korean civilization, with a special focus on the nation’s early 20th century independence movement against Japan.

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10 Aug 2009, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Historic Korea, Seoul, Video, 11 Comments

Gwanghwamun Plaza: A City’s New Center

The unveiling of a controversial, renovated Gwanghwamun Plaza has created a new centerpiece in downtown Seoul. Long a busy city intersection, what was 16 lanes of traffic is now punctuated by a 19,000-square-meter public plaza.

02 May 2009, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Seoul, 0 Comments

Hi Seoul Festival 2009

When Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup football/soccer tournament with Japan, people around the world saw hundreds of thousands of Korean fans clad in red swarm onto Seoul’s streets. To relive that festive spirit, the city launched the Hi Seoul Festival in 2003.

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