Matt Kelley, Author at Discovering Korea

Gangwon Province Day at the Beach

View over the sea at sunrise with a rocky outcrop to the right of the frame. The sky has some clouds creating a dramatic red, pink, and blue vista.

Korea’s eastern provinces boast a long beautiful coastline dotted with towns and temples. This post covers a Gangwon Province day at the beach.

The Prada Transformer in Seoul

The Prada Transformer, a collaboration of the Italian designer and architect Rem Koolhaas, is a steel tetrahedron on the grounds of Gyeonghuigung palace.

Hiking in Wolchulsan Mountain National Park

A view across a red footbridge towards soft focus mountains at Wolchulsan National Park.

Hiking in Wolchulsan Mountain National Park is a great activity for visitors to South Jeolla Province in search of dramatic views.

The Hampyeong Butterfly Festival in Korea

A painting of a yellow butterfly with black tipped wings on a background of a red flower, with a light blue center.

A small town has become famous for getting buggy as hosts of the annual Hampyeong Butterfly Festival in Korea, a giant expo dedicated to insects.

Seven Best Brunch Restaurants in Seoul

A white plate with various different food, a bread roll, some shrimp, some chicken and soy sauce in a smaller bowl in the center, in the background is a plate with croissant and fruit, on a white place mat on a wooden table.

In order to find Seoul’s best spots for brunch, I scoured all 25 districts with fork in hand. Alas, my list of the seven best brunch restaurants in Seoul!

Jeolla’s Beautiful Seonyudo Island

A blue and white boat, out of the water at low tide, on a shingle beach at Seonyudo Island, Jeolla.

Located off Korea’s west coast, the beautiful Seonyudo island is a tranquil place to ride a bike, walk the beach and admire the scenery.

Yeouido Island is the Manhattan of Seoul

View over a river, with vegetation in the foreground, a bridge to the center and a skyscraper lit up by evening sunshine, reflected in the river. The background is a cityscape and mountains.

Exploring Seoul’s largest island, Yeouido, the Manhattan of Seoul.

Incheon International Airport and the AREX Airport Express

Incheon International Airport and the AREX Airport Express are an efficient combination for travelers to Seoul. Simply hop on for direct access to downtown.

Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival

Each spring, the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival boasts the world’s largest concentration of beautiful flowering cherries on Korea’s southern coast.

Seoul Youth Culture in Edae

A busy street in Edae, Seoul, with pedestrians on the sidewalks and cars on the road. Variously colored shops flanking the road, with signs in Korean lettering.

Among Seoul’s several student districts, Edae surrounds Ewha Woman’s University and is known as a fun neighborhood that caters to stylis young women.

Seollal and The Korean New Year

Yellow, blue and red background with white text 'Korean Festivals' in the center of the frame.

Seollal and the Korean New Year are a joyous time for Koreans and families get together to enjoy wonderful food and to kick off a new year.

The historically weak Korean won and global economic crisis has many Koreans looking at domestic travel destinations instead of holidays in Southeast Asia or the U.S. To meet their needs, this past weekend the Korea Travel Expo 2009 hosted its sixth annual event at the Atlantic Hall of the COEX center in southern Seoul. Nearly 500 …