23 May 2010, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Best of DK.com, Seoul, Shopping, 3 Comments

Seoul’s Folk Flea Market

This market sells everything under the sun, from Joseon-era pottery and a knight’s helmet to a real tiger pelt. It’s a great place to get one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family.

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04 Feb 2010, Posted by Matt in Gyeonggi, Historic Korea, 5 Comments

Touring the DMZ, Part 1: The Sights

Just one hour from Seoul is a peculiar land of misnomers – kilometers of barbed wire line Freedom Road and block access to the sea, and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the world’s most heavily armed border.

An estimated one million troops stand at the ready along both sides of the 4-kilometer buffer that has divided the Korean Peninsula since a 1953 armistice paused a bloody, fratricidal war. In the 50-some years since, the DMZ has seen occasional flare-ups, an axe murder incident and the discovery of invasion tunnels capable of funneling 10,000 North Korean troops an hour toward Seoul. Yet, in spite of the ever-present danger, or perhaps because of it, the DMZ endures as one of South Korea’s most popular tourist destinations.

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14 May 2009, Posted by Matt in Buddhist Temples, Food & Drink, Gangwon, Nature, 8 Comments

Gangwon Province Road Trip: At the Beach

Last year, my friends Do-hoon and KBS World’s Abby Rhodes took three days to explore Korea’s Donghae, or East Sea. During our three-day exploration of Gangwon Province, , on day 1 we explored the mountains, and on day 2 we explored the sea.

Of course, Korea’s east coast is the first place to see the sun rise here, and many Koreans visit it to make a wish on special days like the lunar New Year. Although our special wish for no rain was already granted, we awoke at 4 am anyhow to see the sun rise at Naksansa Temple (낙산사).

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13 Mar 2009, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Diaspora, Food & Drink, Nature, 2 Comments

The Korean Diaspora: Berlin

diaspora_berlin Searching for a little “seoul” in Berlin, Germany.

I’ve been told frequently that Koreans are the Italians of Asia. The explanation is that both countries are peninsulas home to “passionate” people. But if you’d indulge me in this absurd exercise, I’d like to add that there’s also a Korean-German connection.

First, both revolutionized the dissemination of the written word. In 1455, Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible was printed using metal movable type, a technology used some 200 years earlier during Korea’s Goryeo Dynasty. The “Jikji“, the world’s oldest remaining movable metal print book, was printed in 1377. More recently, of course, both countries were physically divided by political ideologies.

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09 Dec 2008, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Nature, Seoul, 7 Comments

The Cheonggyecheon Stream

Much has been written about the Cheonggyecheon (청계천), the 5.8-km restored stream that magically starts in the heart of downtown Seoul and courses through the neighborhoods of Jongno and Dongdaemun before it meets the Jungnangcheon (중랑천) and eventually empties into the mighty Han River.

Completed in 2005, the restoration of the historic waterway was a major success for then Seoul mayor (now president) Lee Myung-bak. It gave the former Hyundai Construction executive international plaudits and “green” credentials as the Cheonggyecheon (“cheon” means stream in Korean) was regarded by many as a major success in urban renewal and beautification. Beauty didn’t come cheap. The initial price tag was estimated to be 900 billion won (approx. $900 million), but an additional $12 trillion won is expected to redevelop the adjacent neighborhoods into major commercial and residential areas.

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