Matt Kelley, Author at Discovering Korea

Daeonsil is Changgyeonggung Palace’s Great Glass House

Exterior view of Daeonsil, a large glass house with white framework, an A frame entrance. In front is a courtyard with a stone fountain leading up to the steps, two large trees flanking the entrance.

Daeonsil is Changgyeonggung Palace’s Great Glass House, a beautiful place dedicated to horticulture.

Musee Shuim and Funerary Folk Art in Seoul

Close up of a carved wooden dragon, with yellow and red scales, multicolored body and wings at Musee Shuim.

Musee Shuim is a Seoul museum that showcases Korea’s funerary folk art – colorful wood sculptures that help the deceased transition into the afterlife.

Northern Seoul’s Dream Forest

Looking up at the observatory in Seoul's Dream Forest, a long building in dark stone, going upwards to a glass area with panoramic views.

Northern Seoul’s Dream Forest was opened in 2009 on the grounds of a former amusement park. Blanketing two large hills it’s Seoul’s fourth largest park.

Yangjae Flower Market in Seoul

The Yangjae-dong Flower Market in Seoul is Korea’s largest flower market and a great place to find cheap plants and everything you need to care for them.

Seoul’s Hyochang Park and Korean Independence

White statue of a Korean man, on a white background, with a red and blue yin-yang symbol behind and four black symbols consisting of parallel lines.

Seoul’s Hyochang Park is more than green space, it’s also a sacred place that inters several of Korea’s greatest leaders and independence heroes.

Culture Station Seoul 284

Exterior of the Culture Station, Seoul, a colonial brick and stone building with a green dome, pedestrians outside and a lamp post to the right of the frame, seen on a sunny day with a few wispy clouds.

The former Seoul Station was reopened in 2012 as Culture Station Seoul 284, a unique cultural venue designed for journeys past, present and future.

Seoul Dongmyo, or Seoul’s eastern shrine, was built in 1599 to honor Guan Yu, a 3rd century Chinese general whose spirit is said to have helped Korean soldiers repel Japanese invaders in the 16th century.

Insadong’s Cheerful Ssamzie-gil Complex

View down a pathway covered by a glass ceiling with wood slats, to the left of the frame is a white wall covered with signs, to the right is green bushes and a glass wall.

Among Seoul’s best places is Insadong’s cheerful Ssamzie-gil complex. The popular multi-level mall is a wonderful art, culture and retail destination.

Makgeolli’s Rice Beer Renaissance

Bottles of rice beer to the left of the frame, with a picture of a woman drinking from a bottle, holding an old fashioned cell phone on a blue background.

After decades out of favor, Korea’s oldest liquor, the delicious rice beer makgeolli, is enjoying a rice beer renaissance!

Remembering the Korean War

Two soldiers raise a white, blue, red and black flag with a soft focus dark background and a building to the right of the frame.

This year marks the 61st anniversary of the start of the Korean War, which took the lives of an estimated three million soldiers and civilians.

Cheondogyo Central Temple Seoul

Inside the Cheondogyo Temple, rows of seats facing an altar, lights hanging from the white ceiling, with sun shining through the curtains on the arched windows.

Cheondoism is one of Korea’s most significant 20th century religions. Located on the edge of Insa-dong is the Central Temple of Cheondogyo. Built of red brick and granite in 1921, it was considered among Seoul’s most beautiful buildings.

Welcoming Seollal and the Year of the Rabbit in Korea

A painting depicting two rabbits, a white one sitting on the ground, and behind it, a black and white one.

This year, February 3rd marks Seollal, or the lunar New Year and the day Koreans welcome the Year of the Rabbit in Korea.