Matt Kelley, Author at Discovering Korea

Six Great Seoul Cafes

Close up of a white cup emptied of coffee with a small heart shape in the bottom made from frothy milk and chocolate powder.

Love coffee? So does Korea. To satisfy your need for a cup of joe, here are six great Seoul cafes that treat making coffee like an art.

Fall Color at Gwanaksan Mountain in Korea

Fall Color at Gwanaksan mountain in Korea shouldn’t be missed! The peak, which forms Seoul’s south border, erupts into beautiful colors each autumn.

Celebrating Chuseok in Korea

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

Celebrating Chuseok in Korea is an annual affair where millions of Koreans return to their ancestral homelands. For the Seoul-bound, a list of activities!

Seoul Jungang Traditional Market

A food vendor's stall at Jungang Traditional Market in Seoul, various vegetables and meat produce in plastic bowls, with a glass cabinet and red Korean writing. A woman in the foreground inspects the wares.

Seoul Jungang Traditional Market has hundreds of vendors who sell grains, housewares, meat and produce as well as yummy snacks from portable food stalls.

Yangsuri: Where Two Rivers Meet

Soft focus view of Yangsuri River with hazy cloud in the background and grass in the foreground.

Located in Gyeonggi Province, Seoulites know Yangsuri as a convenient and romantic getaway — the perfect place for a day-trip or weekend escape.

The Iconic 63 Building on Seoul’s Yeouido Island

The Iconic 63 Building on Seoul’s Yeouido Island was once the tallest building in Asia. Today it remains perhaps the most beautiful of Seoul’s many towers.

Songgwangsa Temple is Korea’s Buddhist Jewel

Looking across a stone courtyard at the ornate Songgwangsa temple, with turquoise shutters on the windows, ornate painted wood carving under the roof eaves and the traditional curved roof. Korean lettering in gold above the entrance door.

Located deep in South Jeolla Province, Songgwangsa temple is one of Korean Buddhism’s “Three Jewels,” or most important temples.

Haneul or Sky Park in Seoul

Two large sculptures of bugs in grass and wildflowers next to a stone sign with Korean lettering at the end of a footpath, with long grass in the background at Haneul park, Seoul.

Formerly a massive landfill, Haneul Sky World Cup Park in Seoul is now one of the city’s largest green spaces and a wonderful place for rest and recreation.

Seoul Fringe Festival

During Seoul’s hot summer weeks, a seasonal highlight is the always funky Seoul Fringe Festival, which takes place in the trendy Hongdae neighborhood.

Seoul Tapgol Park and Korea’s Independence Movement

Close up of an ornate door, with turquoise carving on either side of red wood with slightly rusty metal locks and latches.

Opened in 1897, Seoul Tapgol Park was one of Korea’s first Western-styled parks and the site where Korea’s Declaration of Independence was read in 1919.

Gwanghwamun Square as Seoul City Center

A large multicolored flower carpet as part of Gwanghwanun Square, circular plantings of different colored flowers with stone walkways down either side, with pedestrians, against a backdrop of a large building and a mountain in the distance.

When 16 traffic lanes were converted into a 19,000 sq.m public plaza, the renovated Gwanghwamun Square became a controversial centerpiece in downtown Seoul.

Seoul Metro’s New Gold Line 9

Close up of a city map showing a metro line, and a red pointer with white text. The background fades to soft focus.

Seoul Metro’s New Gold Line 9 adds 25.5-kilometers of rail track to one of the world’s largest and most-used urban public transportation systems.