-
Acorn Caricature: Seoul’s Nostalgic Answer to the Photobooth
I started noticing this cute little whimsical caricature studios popping up all branded the same and started wondering where these sort of nostalgic photobooths got their start. If you have spent any time scrolling Seoul travel content lately, chances are you have seen one of their caricatures. They are hand-drawn portraits, a little exaggerated like your favorite caricatures from younger days at carnivals and festivals, a lot charming, and usually captioned with someone gushing about how fast it was done. That is Acorn Caricature (도토리 캐리커쳐) and also recognized on Instagram as Uncles Painting. It has become a favorite souvenir from Korea among not only tourists, but locals are also…
-
Why Is Everything So Sweet? 11 Korean Foods That Surprise Foreigners
Coming to Korea, I thought I knew how to spot sugary food. I certainly didn’t expect so many Korean foods to be sweeter than the versions I grew up eating. I grew up in the United States, after all. We practically invented neon-colored cereal, frosting that glows in the dark, and desserts so sweet they make your teeth hurt just looking at them. Suffice to say, I thought I knew what to avoid. In Korea, however, it isn’t usually the brightly colored desserts that catch me off guard. It’s the perfectly innocent-looking savory foods. The garlic bread. The sandwich. The pizza. The salad of all things. Foods that have absolutely…
-
Sulwhasoo Perfecting Line Review: Veil Primer, Tinted Cream & Cushion Airy
I’ve been using Sulwhasoo for over a decade now, and it wasn’t until I hit my later thirties, heading into my forties, that I really understood why so many Korean women swear by this brand for the long haul. I’ve seen Sulwhasoo products sit on my mother-in-laws bureau for years. I’ve written before about how much I love the First Care Activating Serum VI and my consistent trips to the gorgeous House of Sulwhasoo in Bukchon, but until recently, I’d never actually tried anything from their makeup lines. I’ve always been strictly a skincare girl with this brand. That changed when I signed up for Sulwhasoo’s supporters program here in…
-
Share with Homeless: How To Help Seoul’s Homeless Community
Every other Sunday, just outside exit six of Yeongdeungpo Station (영등포역) in Seoul, a group of volunteers gathers to hand out food and treat Seoul’s homeless community with respect and kindness. I saw firsthand what a difference this makes, not just for the roughly 180 people who show up around 5:00pm for food and supplies, but for the volunteers themselves. Seoul’s homeless population is aging and increasingly out of sight, and it’s easy to walk past without ever wondering where people go for support. Tourists often remark that there are no homeless in Seoul, but that’s just not the case. Romank and Jan, the two organizers behind Share with Homeless,…
-
The Underwater Tomb of King Munmu and the Yangnam Columnar Joints: A Gyeongju Add-On
Most people heading to Gyeongju are going for the tombs, the relics, the sites with history from 1,000 years ago, but there is a coastal stretch of Gyeongju that I like to add whenever there’s time and a part of it has history dating back millions of years! Worth the Gyeongju detour are: the underwater tomb of King Munmu (경주 문무대왕릉), a submerged royal burial site believed to hold the remains of Silla’s 30th king, and the columnar joints in Yangnam (양남주상절리군), a series of hexagonal volcanic rock formations formed millions of years ago as lava cooled and cracked. Neither site takes long to see, but a trip to the…
-
Gamcheon Culture Village: A Guide to Busan’s Rainbow Hillside
If you’ve ever searched for things to do in Busan, Korea, you’ve undoubtedly seen photos of a hillside of homes in pastel colors. Covered in murals, the Gamcheon Culture Village (감천문화마을) has blown up over the last decade into one of the most touristed places on the southern coast. Cute, quirky, colorful. It’s a stop that will make you smile as you wander thanks to the artistic flare that’s been added over the years, but it will also make you sweat, so be prepared. Beyond the light blues, pinks, and yellows, what actually makes Gamcheon different from a lot of Korea’s “Instagram famous” spots is that it’s not a manufactured…
-
One Year After Cosmetic Surgery in Korea: The Honest Update Nobody Talks About
You might think that by the time a year has passed after cosmetic surgery, everything has settled, healed, and resolved itself neatly. And in many ways, it has. But there are also things I’m still noticing, still adjusting to, and still thinking about that I wish someone had told me beforehand. If you read my original post about my experience with genioplasty, elasticum, Accu 2 Part, and submentoplasty at AB Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul, you already know the week-by-week recovery story. This is the chapter that comes after. A year on, I want to be honest with you in the way that only time allows. Not just the results,…
-
The North Korean Human Rights Museum in Seoul: Small But Impactful
In Jongno-gu, Seoul, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (북한인권정보센터) is the mind behind bringing to light the freedom of expression violations in North Korea through an educational space that is open and welcoming to all. What brought chills and a deep sense of authenticity to the museum for me were the real testimonies from North Korean defectors describing harsh imprisonment conditions, backed by decades of human rights research conducted since the early 2000s. Reading and hearing these documented human rights violations left me feeling transported somewhere else entirely, speechless, and more than a little frustrated. Get ready to explore the North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall in…
-
Doseonsa Temple: Seoul’s Most Sacred Mountain Retreat in Bukhansan
You might think you’ve seen Seoul’s best temples just by visiting the famous ones downtown. Jogyesa Temple and Bongeunsa Temple are certainly the easiest ones to get to, but tucked inside the folds of Bukhansan National Park, about an hour from the city center, is a temple with so many stories to tell. Doseonsa Temple (도선사) is a Buddhist temple in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, founded in 862 AD, it’s the largest and most historically significant temple complex on the mountain. I’ve visited a lot of temples across Korea, but this one I got to explore with Professor David Mason, an expert on Korean temple culture, so not only was it fulfilling,…
-
Bulguksa Temple: The Heart of Korean Buddhism in Gyeongju
Bulguksa Temple (불국사) in Gyeongju is the most famous Buddhist temple in Korea. I first visited Bulguksa in 2006, the year I arrived in Korea. I had no real context for what I was seeing then, just a sense that this place was extraordinary. I’ve been back twice since, and each visit has given me something new. The more you understand about Korean history and Buddhism, the richer every detail becomes. Bulguksa Temple sits on the western slopes of Mt. Tohamsan in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom. Along with the nearby Seokguram Grotto, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, one of the most…
-
Korean Folk Village in Yongin: The Perfect Day Trip from Seoul into the Joseon Dynasty
There are two types of folk villages in Korea, authentic, lived-in villages where some residents still call the old homes their own, and recreated villages built specifically for visitors to learn, engage with, and experience Korean history and culture. One is not better than the other; they are just different and offer different things. I bring this up because one of the most well-known examples you’ll come across when searching is the Korean Folk Village (한국민속촌). Broadly and simply named, it is exactly what it says it is, but for history lovers, it might not quite be what they’re looking for. The Korean Folk Village in Yongin is a recreation…
-
Museum Kimchikan in Insadong: Learn About and Make Kimchi Like a Local
You might think kimchi is just a side dish, something that appears in a small bowl beside your rice without much ceremony. I’ve heard people say they tried kimchi once, didn’t like it, and that was that… little did they know how many kinds of kimchi there are and oh how much there is to try. Spend an hour inside Museum Kimchikan (뮤지엄 김치간) in Seoul’s Insadong neighborhood and you’ll walk out knowing what you really should know to appreciate this little side dish on the table that means so much more than people realize. Kimchikan is Korea’s first kimchi museum, and it’s far more than a quiet gallery of…
-
Chunpoong Brewery: Where Thousands of Years of Makgeolli Meets the Future
Chunpoong Brewery (춘풍 양조장) isn’t your average brewery. It’s part living museum, part high-tech fermentation lab, part cultural gallery, and part bar, all wrapped into one thoughtfully designed building in central Jung-gu, Seoul. “Chun” (춘) means spring, and “Poong” (풍) means breeze. Together, they carry a hope that Korean makgeolli will drift out from the confines of history and into the wider world and they want to make that possible with the use of AI. You might think you know makgeolli, sometimes called rice wine when translated, made with just three simple ingredients: rice, water, and nuruk (a Korean fermentation starter). That milky, fizzy rice wine you sipped at a…
-
Sammilsa Temple: What To Find in the Hidden Mountain Hermitage Above Jinhae
You might think Jinhae is just a cherry blossom town. And yes, in the spring it puts on one of the most spectacular floral displays in all of Korea. But nearby above the city in the slopes of Jangboksan Mountain, there’s a quiet little temple that has nothing to do with petals or festivals but it’s worth taking a detour for. Whenever I travel in Korea, I always look up what temples are in the area. Often they sit on nearby mountains with great views and that’s how I found Sammilsa (삼밀사). Not only were the views what pulled me in, but the faces of 500 stone statues beckoned as…
-
Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang: The Best Indoor Activity Near Seoul for Kids (and Car Lovers)
You might think a car showroom sounds like the last place you’d take your family for a fun day out. I wouldn’t call myself a car lover by any means, but I’m telling you Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang (현대모터스튜디오 고양) is very cool and fascinating. This is one of those places where kids are captivated, adults are impressed, and everyone walks out having learned something they didn’t expect, we did anyway. It’s a theme park for car lovers and an approachable glimpse into mechanics. If you’re planning a day trip or looking for a rainy-day indoor activity, this one belongs at the top of your list. Located near KINTEX in…
-
Is Hello Kitty Island In Jeju Worth Visiting? (An Honest Review)
Let me be upfront with you: Hello Kitty Island in Jeju (헬로키티아일랜드) is really for two types of visitors: die-hard Hello Kitty and Sanrio fans, and families with young children who adore the characters and want a dedicated indoor play area to burn off energy. If you don’t fall into one of those camps, you’ll likely find it a bit light on substance. At its core, this is a photo-op experience dressed up as a museum, and there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you know what you’re signing up for. Spanning three floors of Hello Kitty themed exhibits, a pink café, and a gift shop, it’s great if…
