©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd “All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!” TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET Get the right guides for your trip PAGE PLAN YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT 2 Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions YOUR TRIP to help you put together your perfect trip Welcome to Korea .......... 2 Map .................................. 4 Welcome to 13 Top Experiences ........ 6 Korea Need to Know ................. 14 First Time ........................ 16 If You Like ........................ 18 COUNTRY & CITY HEALTHY TRAVEL PHRASEBOOK Month by Month ............. 21 Yin & Yang Ancient & Modern The blue and red circle at the heart of the Academics9 still quibble over whether the The original South Korean Á ag neatly symbolises not Land of the Morning Calm (a term coined • 4 only the divided Korean Peninsula, but by © ARTHUR / IMAGES GETTY THOMAS travel writer Percival Lowell in 1885) is also the Á uid mix of ancient and modern an accurate translation of the old Chinese aspects of the country o՘ cially called characters by which all of Korea was once Comprehensive Itineraries ........................ 23 the Republic of Korea (ROK), where the known. Dive into Seoul, the powerhouse • vast majority of visitors to this part of the of Asia’s third-largest economy, and calm world will spend their time. South Korea is the last thing you’ll feel. This round-the- is a dream destination for the traveller, an clock city is constantly on the move, its Adventurous engaging, welcoming place where the ben- ‘work hard, play hard’ population the epit- • eÀ ts of a fully industrialised, high-tech na- ome of the nation’s indefatigable, can-do tion are balanced alongside a reverence for spirit. Founded on centuries of tradition Outdoor Activities .......... 27 tradition and the ways of old Asia. that manifest in the daily pageantry of the changing of the guard at meticulously re- constructed palaces, or in the chants of a Regions at a Glance ....... 33 shaman on a hillside, Seoul is nonetheless 23 33 Itiner- Whether you’ve got a week or a month, these itineraries provide aries a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? r e g i o n s Head online to lonelyplanet.com 5 SFL CHOICE / ALAMY © ALAMY / CHOICE SFL Looking for other travel resources? /thorntree to chat with other at a travellers. G y e o n g g i - d o glance & Incheon G a n g w o n - d o NORTH Seoraksan Islands 333 Hiking 333 KOREA National Park Sokcho •#•# History 33 Skiing 33 DMZ & Chuncheon É Art 33 Quirky 33 Panmunjeon •# •# Gangneung É É •# Seoul #_ •# Jeongdongjin CHINA #_ •# Island Escapes Misty Hwaseongul & •# Samcheok Scores of islands Mountains Daegeumgul •# Haesindang flaking off like Seoraksan National É Park crumbs into the Park abounds with •# EAST SEA Hahoe Folk (SEA OF JAPAN) West Sea make for gorgeous vistas Village S e o u l perfect escapes of mist-shrouded Gyeongju History 333 from the Seoul– crags that rarely WEST SEA •# Food 333 Icheon urban grip. fail to stun. The (YELLOW SEA) •# Seokguram Shopping 333 Try historic Gang- valleys are full of Busan hwado or laid-back quiet temples, hot •# Muuido, which has springs and hiking gorgeous beaches. trails. Historical Landmarks Historical Sites Hit the Slopes # Given how thoroughly it was trashed The DMZ splitting Host of the 2018 – during the Korean War, it’s no small North and South Winter Olympics, miracle that so many of Seoul’s historical Korea is a must-see, Pyeongchang’s SOUTH SEA (EAST CHINA SEA) landmarks remain. A number of them as are the Unesco Yongpyong and •# Jeju-do JAPAN are meticulous reconstructions, but that World Heritage– Alpensia ski resorts doesn’t diminish their significance or listed fortress walls aren’t the biggest impact. surrounding the in- in the world but ner core of Suwon. they pack in tonnes Food & Drink of family-friendly Artistic Places Seoul is the best place in the country to options like inner- The pottery town of sample the full range of Korean culinary tube slides. delights – from hot kimchi stews and Icheon draws in sizzling street snacks to the delicate and ceramics lovers; The Unknown beautifully presented morsels that make Heyri near the DMZ up a royal banquet. DMZ border is a se- Peek into North rene village packed Korea at the north- Shoppers’ Delight with small galleries; ernmost point At all times of the day or night there’s see something dif- along the DMZ at always somewhere to shop in Seoul. The ferent in the exhibi- the Goseong Unifi- teeming markets of Dongdaemun and tions at Incheon cation Observatory, Namdaemun are must-do experiences, as Art Platform or the or go deep under is cruising the boutiques and department sculptures of An- the zone itself in stores of Myeong-dong or ritzy Apgu- yang Art Park. the Second Infil- jeong and Cheongdam. tration Tunnel in p 92 Cheorwon. p 38 p 118 LONELYPLANET.COM APPS EBOOKS MAGAZINE GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP PAGE For travel information, Location-based Guidebooks For travel stories, UNDERSTAND Learn about the big picture, so you advice, tips & digital guides for the street for your reader inspiration & ideas 335 chapters lonelyplanet.com/mobile lonelyplanet.com/ebooks lonelyplanet.com/magazine KOREA can make sense of what you see population per sq km Korea Today .................... 336 KOREA UK USA History ............................. 339 ≈ 30 people Lonely Planet in numbers gate war with China, defeating it in 1895. After another eca e of im erial rivalry over Korea, Japan smashed Russia in ightning nava an The Korean People ......... 359 CO land attacks, stunning the world because a ‘yellow’ country had defeated a ‘white’ power. Korea Today Joseon Royal Japan was now in a secure position to realise its territorial am itions 70 12 100,000,000 190+ Court Culture by Shin Myung-ho with regard to Korea, which became a Japanese protectorate in 1905 an (2004) details a colony in 1910, with the acquiescence of all the great powers. It was a Changes of Guard the facts about strange colony, coming ‘late’ in world time, after most of the world had In the Korean Kitchen .... 363 the unique Confu- been divided up, and after progressive calls had emerged to dismantle Succession issues have dominated the Korean peninsula of late. In Octo- languages spoken seconds pass Lonely Planet guidebooks countries covered cian royal-court the entire colonial system. Furthermore, Korea had most of the prerequi- ber 2011, Park Won-soon, a former human rights lawyer and independ- lifestyle. Based on ent candidate, was elected Seoul’s mayor, ending a decade of right-wing primary sources, sites for nationhood long before most other countries: common ethnic- the superbly illus- ity, language and culture, and well-recognised national boundaries since political domination of the capital. trated book gives the 10th century. North of the border, Kim Jong-un was hailed the ‘great successor’, by our writers between posts sold, and still counting by a Lonely Planet a human context Japan tried to destroy the Korean sense of national identity. A Japa- following the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011. Lit- to the now-empty nese ruling elite replaced the Korean yangbann scholar-officials; Japanese Architecture & Arts ........ 373 palaces. tle is known about Kim Jnr, the third in the family dynasty that has modern education replaced the Confucian classics; Japanese capital and expertise were built up in place of the Korean versions – Japanese talent ruled the repressive single-party state since 1948; even his birthday (1982–1984?) is unclear. North Korea analysts have since scrambled to on our Thorn Tree guide for Korean talent; and eventually even the Korean language was replaced uly 2012 with Japanese. ident Lee interpret scraps of news from the secretive country, such as the public Koreans never thanked the Japanese for these substitutions and did g-bak made appearances of Ri Sol-ju, officially acknowledged as Kim’s wife, and The Natural not credit Japan with creations. Instead they saw Japan as snatching ationally Kim’s promotion to the rank of marshal, making him supreme com away the ancien regime, Korea’s sovereignty and independence, its in- ed apology mander of the army. travel forum digenous if incipient modernisation and, above all, its national dignity. r several No such dynasties can be forged in the democratic South, where Presi- Most Koreans never saw Japanese rule as anything but illegitimate and bers of his y, including dent Lee Myung-bak served out his five-year term of office and was re Environment ................. 378 other and laced in an election in December 2012. 1894 1895 JON VINCENT ONG / JOVIJOVIJOVI / GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES GETTY / JOVIJOVIJOVI / ONG VINCENT JON Peasants rise up in the Queen Min is assas- Donghak Rebellion. sinated at Gyeong- The rebels are de- bokgung palace. feated but the Joseon Posthumously named court responds with Empress Myeong- the Gabo Reform, seong, Min is consid- abolishing slavery ered a national heroine STAY IN TOUCH among other sweeping for her reforms and changes. attempts to maintain Korea’s independence. » Gyeongbokgung Palace (p39) lonelyplanet.com/contact AUSTRALIA Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Victoria 3011 twitter.com/ %03 8379 8000, fax 03 8379 8111 lonelyplanet ISBN 978-1-74179- 918- 7 99625 Paper in this book is certified USA 150 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607 facebook.com/ against the Forest Stewardship %510 250 6400, toll free 800 275 8555, fax 510 893 8572 lonelyplanet Council™ standards. 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