Korea House: Seoul’s High-End Culture Complex
Ten minutes up the road from the popular Myeongdong shopping district and set near the Namsangol Hanok Village and Pildong mural streets, there’s a driveway that leads up to Korea House (ํ๊ตญ์์ง).
I was lucky enough to attend a beautiful afternoon tea thanks to the Visit Korea Committee and I can’t say enough about this high-end traditional experience in Seoul. If you’re staying in Myeongdong, it is an ideal place to have dinner or tea and see a performance. Read on to see why.
Enjoy a luxury dining experience in Seoul, Korea at Korea House. A traditional meal and performance, too:
- How To Get There
- Basic Info
- Finding Korean Culture
- Luxury Traditional Korean Cuisine
- Beautiful Performances
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How To Get There
Address: 10 Toegye-ro 36-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (์์ธํน๋ณ์ ์ค๊ตฌ ํด๊ณ๋ก36๊ธธ 10)
Directions: Go out of Chungmuro Subway Station, exit 3 or 4 and you’ll make a u-turn of the exit to find the street that leads to Korea House in the middle of the two exits.
Basic Info
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 12:00pm ~ 3:00pm; 6:00pm ~ 10:00pm
Days: Closed Mondays, Lunar New Year, and Chuseok
Finding Korean Culture
Korea House is operated by the Cultural Heritage Administration and is dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional Korean culture through Korean cuisine, experiences, and performances.
From the moment you step through its doors, you’ll be transported back in time by the exquisite architecture of the Hanok, or traditional Korean architecture. After enjoying the wooden structures, take a seat to sup on some very enjoyable meals that will provide you the opportunity to learn more about Korean history and culture.
Luxury Traditional Korean Cuisine
One of the main highlights of Korea House is its luxury traditional Korean cuisine. Having the experience of dining here is not merely a meal but an entire experience complete with a performance.
If you’re a tourist in Seoul, or a resident and you have family visiting, I highly recommend having a meal or tea set here. It’s a fabulous experience.
Royal Desserts at Kohojae
For my experience, we stepped in the doors to be greeted and ushered into Kohojae. In the space, you’ll notice that there are both traditional floor seating options as well as tables with chairs if sitting on the floor isn’t for you.
Kohojae offers an exclusive opportunity to enjoy royal desserts with tea. This premium brand, meaning “a home for those who appreciate the old,” provides seasonal tea sets made with the finest ingredients from each season.
At the front of the space, you can see all four seasonal sets to see how it changes throughout the year. The dessert tray is provided with a little booklet that details the food that is provided.
We enjoyed the winter course with green tangerine tea and yuja danji, braised ginseng in a sweet sauce, gaeseong juak, ddeok, or rice cake, and sesame puffs. Note the subtle flavors and artistic presentation that characterized the royal courts of the past as you dine.
How To Book: You can book this experience on Catchtable
A Full-Course Korean Dinner
Hanjeongsik is a full-course Korean meal. At Korea House, the meals are prepared by top chefs using premium ingredients, each dish meant to reflect the opulence of royal Joseon-era cuisine. While I haven’t eaten here, I can say after the tea set, that I’d definitely try the lunch or dinner sets.
How To Book: You can book a table on Catchtable
Beautiful Performances
Korea House offers a variety of performances that bring to life Korean folktales through dance and music. I’m not sure if the tea time always includes a performance, but because we visited through the Visit Korea Committee we got to see a beautiful performance in Kohojae.
From looking at past photos, it seems usually, there are performances in a performance hall, or sometimes, even outside in the courtyard. One of the most popular shows is the tale of “Sim Cheong,” a story of filial piety and sacrifice.
While we had a shorter ten minute or so performance, the performance included with dinner is a one-hour performance that features eight traditional acts, ranging from fan dances to dramatic drum performances. I can say if it’s anything like the performance we enjoyed, it would be fantastic.
At the end of the performance, don’t miss the chance to take photos with the performers in their gorgeous Hanboks.
If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the beauty and tradition of Korean culture with a luxurious touch, Korea House is a perfect choice. A combination of beautiful Hanok, gorgeous Hanboks, and premium ingredients to make delicious Korean cuisine and desserts means it’s an all around experience perfect for tourists and visitors in Seoul.
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