There are so many fun things to do in Korea! South Korea is a very popular destination for teaching English. It is also a great place to just visit on vacation. Either way, there are many amazing things to do there. There are definitely way too many things to mention in this post, but I will try to document a few of my personal favorite things to do in Korea!
Cultural things to do in Korea
One of the most obvious reasons to go to Korea is to indulge in amazing (and relatively healthy) food! There are so many Korean staples that it is hard to highlight the best ones here. No trip to Korea is complete without eating at a galbi restaurant. Galbi is the Korean word for “rib” and typically refers to beef short ribs. However, these restaurants have many other types of meat.
Also, at these restaurants there is typically a grill in the middle of the table. Ordinarily you cook the meat yourself. However, sometimes the waiters will do it for foreigners who haven’t yet mastered the technique! You will also have to sample kimchi, which is probably the most famous Korean dish. It’s spicy fermented vegetables and usually consists of radishes and cabbage. Some people hate it; some people love it (side note: I love it). Regardless, it is essential that you try it.
Korean media, including K-pop and Korean dramas, have long been popular all over Asia. In the last few years, however, their popularity has grown overseas in North America. In fact, K-pop artists now regularly tour in Europe and the US. Also, many people watch Korean dramas online. If you are already a fan, then I don’t need to convince you how awesome it is to be in the mecca of Korean media. If you aren’t already a fan, then this is a good opportunity to get some exposure to Korean music and television!
Winter Olympics
South Korea is hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Pyeongchang is in the Northeastern part of the Korean peninsula and is nestled amongst many snow-capped mountains. Accordingly, it is a great place to host all kinds of winter Olympic sports. Combining the Olympics with a trip to Korea is a great way to experience an interesting country through the lens of an extraordinary event. It’s also fun to get wrapped up in the spirit of the games and root for your home country! The atmosphere in Pyeongchang and the rest of the country will be electric!
As I said before, these things are just the tip of the iceberg! Korea is a unique and diverse country, despite its small geographic size. There are countless festivals to attend and cities to visit. It is also a great place whether you visit in the summer or the winter. Korea is a peninsula so there are many beaches to visit. However, it is also very mountainous so hiking and skiing is common. Finally it doesn’t matter if you’re just in Korea for 1 week or 1 year. Either way, you will never run out of amazing things to do in Korea!