Technology. This is probably the major association people have with South Korea. Home to Samsung, LG, and the supposed fastest internet in the world, Korea has firmly cemented itself as a global technological leader. But there’s something else that Korea would like to be known to the world as.
A damn good place to travel.
Often overshadowed by its more popular east Asian neighbors, China and Japan, Korea is often forgotten about by people traveling the region. In fact, I don’t think many people realize Korea is a place you’d want to visit at all. When I first started talking about teaching here many people were perplexed as to why anyone would want to step foot on this peninsula. Heck, a large number of people didn’t even know what part of the peninsula was home to those crazy commies.
In an effort to combat this lack of knowledge, the Korea Tourism Organization has launched several initiatives over the past few years to try to encourage foreign visitors. From sending K-Pop stars to countries like France and Japan in hopes of luring visitors with glitz, glamour, and carefully choreographed dance routines to offering discounted train tickets and free buses for foreign nationals, it is evident that Korea wants to shed its image as a place deemed not worthy of a visit.
Which brings us to the questions, is Korea a good place to travel? Should you travel in Korea?
The answer is not a simple yes or now.
Korea is a gorgeous country full of natural beauty. The country is covered with mountains creating dramatic backdrops and plenty of opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to hike and ski. Being a peninsula, Korea has a large coastline. Small beach towns dot both sides of the country, offering fantastic places to get out of the city, enjoy a swim, and sample fresh seafood. Jeju Island, Korea’s largest island, was recently voted one of the world’s new seven wonders (but not without some controversy) and the island has been nicknamed the “Hawaii of Asia” because of its volcanic origin and beautiful beaches.
Mureung Valley
Seonyudo Island
Besides beautiful scenery Korea also has a rich history and culture. Prior to the Japanese invasion of the earlier twentieth century Korea was ruled by a series of emperors. Thus, there are many palaces and royal sites displaying dazzling ornateness in a uniquely Korean manner. Buddhist temples tucked away into mountains provide an educational experience about the religion, as well as a quiet escape. Visitors can also check out a hanok village to see traditional Korean architecture, look at (or even wear) Korea’s traditional clothes, the colorful hanbok, and indulge on many of Korea’s tasty culinary treats that are vastly different from other Asian cuisines.
Changdeok Palace
Sudeoksa Temple
Making travel between cities easy and convenient, Korea has a well connected and easy to use rail line. And because the country is so small (about the size of Indiana) you can get from north to south on the KTX, Korea’s version of a bullet train, in about 3 hours. For those cities not served by rail, there are a variety of bus options that are also incredibly inexpensive.
From that it would seem that Korea is a dream destination. In many ways it is, but only if you can get there and find a place to stay.
Which brings me to the two major pitfalls of Korea’s quest for more international tourists: the lack of English and the lack of online reservation options.
I’m not a language imperialist, far from it. I agree that learning a few words of the local language is both useful and polite, but the reality is that English is the universal language of travel. Most foreign tourists who want to travel to Korea don’t know Korean and unfortunately for them, there are often a lack of English options.
For example, I am currently trying to book a summer trip to Ulleungdo, an island off the eastern coast. To get there I need to take a ferry. All of the information on where the ferry departs from and how much it costs is conveniently presented in English on the Korea Tourism website. But the only way to make a reservation is by calling the port, where they only speak Korean, making it impossible to do myself.
Amazing English signage in Busan
In addition, outside of Seoul options for accommodation are limited to love motels or small guesthouses. Rarely do these places have an English speaker employed rendering it extremely difficult to book a place to sleep in advance.
(Note: The tourist hotlines will answer questions and give directions, but they cannot assist you in booking any sort of accommodation or travel.)
English speakers and interpreters wouldn’t even be an issue if more of these places had an online presence. Smaller businesses are often without a website or any sort of online booking system which makes it necessary to call. And speak Korean. Also, there are many online booking systems, such as the one for the express bus services, that only accept Korean credit cards which makes pre-booking impossible for visitors.
Korea is the hot bed of technology, yet lacks the online capabilities necessary for a prosperous tourism industry. And they spend billions of won a year on English education, yet lack the multilingualism expected in a leading international destination.
Would I recommend Korea to travelers? Definitely. Without a doubt. No questions asked. Yes.
This is a beautiful country with limitless opportunities to explore. Green tea fields, flower festivals, majestic temples, and a rocking nightlife, to name a few. There really is something for every traveler here.
Will Korea become a leader in the global tourist industry? Not without some significant changes that allow easier accessibility for foreign visitors.
Can Korea do it? Of course. And I hope soon more of the world will be eager to explore this enchanting country.
Have you traveled to Korea? Did you find it easy or hard? Would you recommend Korea to other travelers? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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Certainly agreed. My boyfriend’s parents came to visit recently and wanted to go to the Yeosu World Expo – I think we can agree that’s something that should be easy for international visitors. But they never built places for tourists to stay except for one hotel entirely reserved for visiting dignitaries. They never updated the English version of the website to include simple information like how to get there on the train. As you mentioned, it’s impossible to book a bus in advance without a Korean credit card. Kind of disastrous for a world expo if you ask me! They were able to go but rather annoyed at the difficulty. I find it baffling how Korea is so advanced in some areas and so far behind in others – such as online tourism information.
I’ve heard that Yeosu has been a disaster, especially regarding accommodation. The whole thing sounds rather ridiculous and poorly planned. I was thinking of going down there, but now I’m not sure I want to deal with the headache. I’m glad they were able to go, though, and hopefully they were able to enjoy the experience once they were there!
Having been a Korean travel blogger for over four years now, my predisposition is biased in the extreme. To be honest, I am pretty sure that my travel style has been affected by the way things work here. Because making reservations on line is difficult (even with some language abilities), I have resorted to buying my tickets at the station itself, or going down to the bus terminal a couple weeks in advance. That’s pretty rare, however, as most times it’s not necessary to get tickets or reservations ahead of time.
What the country lacks is, for the most part, is an understanding of how people from other countries need or want to get information. The lack of English (and more distressingly, Chinese) isn’t for one of resources. Virtually every major festival has English, yes, but rarely enough to help a person enjoy the entire experience.
This could turn into a post of my own… Thanks for the idea
I agree that it has changed the way I have to travel. It is pretty rare that reserving seats on buses ahead of time is necessary, usually only on holidays or particularly busy weekends, but I like the assurance of knowing that if I want to go to Gyeongju this weekend on the bus, I can. And not have to go down to Express Bus Terminal and pick up the tickets.
I think, and hope, that Korea will soon realize how 21st century travel works and come around. I didn’t even think about Chinese, but that is a great point. Thank you for the comment and your experiences!
I definitely think it’s a place worth visiting (though I didn’t think so before moving here)! I really love the southern part of the country. Jeollanam-do is so scenic! I’m slowly making my way around the country.
Audrey | That Backpacker recently posted..Things About Korea That Make Me Chuckle
I agree, I had no desire to visit Korea before I came but now I’d recommend it to just about anyone. I’m hoping to make my way around more of it before I leave in 7 months. Good luck to you on your travels
TOTALLY agree! I was just talking to Johnny about this while we were in China. I totally don’t see Korea as a tourist destination for all the reasons you have listed. Now that I live here, I realize how great it is (and having awesome coteachers DEFINITELY helps), but if I was a traveler, I’d be SO frustrated.
Johnny and I needed to take the airport limo from Bundang. After receiving 5 different times and bus stops, I took it upon myself to PHYSICALLY go to each bus stop and see if they had times/stops listed. When I finally thought I had it figured out, the bus didn’t even stop at the designated bus stop. I was so beyond frustrated. Even something as simple as having very clear signage and times for the airport buses would be SUCH a great help for travelers. (and also having these buses available 24 hours).
Sheryll recently posted..My Three Favorite Travel Moments – The Travel Blogger Relay
It is so frustrating. Something like taking a bus, which I’ve done a million times without failure in other countries, becomes an issue here. I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be if you didn’t speak or read any Korean. Tara and I talked about this a million times on our trip. For the casual traveler (ie not English teacher living here), traveling in Korea would be HARD.
I lived in Korea for 5 years, and I loved it there! …and if I still lived there I would definitely recommend that people come and visit. Many people did visit me there and they loved it!
That being said, there is a reason it’s overshadowed by Japan and China–those places have lots more to offer. I guess Korea is kind of an acquired taste–like kimchi! It’s sort of sour and difficult to eat at first, but after a while you take it in by the bowlful!
Ryan recently posted..Running in Thailand
Love the comparison! I agree, Korea is a fantastic place to travel. People just need to get here first, and then they will see.