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How to Visit the Cheorwon DMZ From Seoul: Tunnels, Birds, and History
There is always a point for tourists when they decide whether or not to visit the DMZ. The areas in the demilitarized zone open to tourists center on tunnels North Korea built decades ago in failed attempts to infiltrate the South. The most visited and easiest to reach is the Paju-area DMZ, but it’s also, for my taste, a bit too touristy. The trek to Cheorwon takes more time and thus the experience is completely different. Cheorwon offers something Paju doesn’t: real distance from crowds, a sobering atmosphere, and, depending on the season, one of the best birdwatching destinations in Korea. This guide covers how to get there, what the…
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Korean Cooking: How To Cook Eggplant Korean Style
When you visit a market in Korea, you’ll be able to see easily what is in season and what isn’t. You won’t wonder at all why there is a plethora of garlic side dishes at certain times at restaurants or why there is eggplant, for example. When eggplant is in season you can get bags of the good stuff and after you’ve made eggplant parmesan or something, take the rest and whip up some delicious Korean sesame eggplant (가지무침). This Korean side dish is delicious and a nice treat when eggplant are readily available. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if…
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Things To Do In Mullae-dong: A Guide To The Street Art and Culinary Scene
Want to get off the beaten path in Seoul and find something a little different? A little noisy? A little colorful? Definitely cool? Head to Mullae-dong. An area built around metalworks factories and popularized in recent years by artists that moved south from Hongdae when it got too expensive. I should update that “off the beaten path” line a little, actually, because it’s not quite true anymore. I wrote the first guide to Mullae-dong in 2013! Yes, I’ve been in Seoul for that long… longer actually. Mullae-dong has shifted from off the beaten path to locally known, not quite touristy yet though. In 2025, Time Out named Mullae-dong the 6th…
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Korean Cooking: How To Make Pumpkin Porridge
Pumpkin porridge, or hobak-juk (호박죽) in Korean, is one of those meals I’ve found people either love or hate. It’s not pumpkin soup like my Australian and European friends expect, it’s thicker and more of a porridge. I never had anything except pumpkin pie growing up, so I didn’t try the dish the first time with many expectations at all. Having a daughter now who loves the stuff, I can say I really do too. It can be a bit sweet or even salty depending on how you like it. Pumpkin porridge makes a great breakfast in Korea, or you might see it as a Korean dessert option in a…
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Dwaeji Ggupdaegi: Korean Grilled Pig Skin and Why It’s Worth Trying
No part of the pig should be thrown away! The Mapo district of Seoul is known for its pig skin restaurants and now I understand why there are so many here. There’s hardly a night out for pork on the grill that doesn’t end with some chewy, but also crackled at the beginning if done just right, pig skin, or dwaeji ggupdaegi (돼지 껍데기). Don’t be surprised if you’re out and a friend orders some pig skin for your Korean BBQ night out: (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you…
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The War and Women’s Human Rights Museum: Learn About The Comfort Women In Seoul
There are histories that don’t get told as loudly as they should. The story of the halmoni, Korean survivors of Japan’s WWII military sexual slavery, who chose to call themselves grandmothers rather than accept the term their captors gave them, is one of them. The War and Women’s Human Rights Museum (전쟁과여성인권박물관) in Mapo-gu exists to make sure it isn’t forgotten. I first visited years ago and left unsettled in the way that important things should unsettle you. A recent visit left the same feeling. The museum has grown considerably since it first opened, and what’s here now, the expanded exhibitions, the Memorial Hall, the interactive life records of thirty…
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Gyeongpo Beach: The Most Popular Beach On The East Coast Of Korea
When it’s summer in Seoul, it sometimes seems that the population in the city doubles with the arrival. People that had hidden inside from the cold are out and about and places that seemed like hidden gems are swarming with people. The entire city changes and comes to life and as it does, people also begin to travel far and wide to find places to cool off in Korea. Gangneung on the east coast of Korea in Gangwondo is one of those hot places that everyone wants to head to, not only because it’s beautiful, but also because it’s easy to get to. With Gyeongpo Beach (강릉 경포수욕장) one of…
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Korean Cooking: A Spicy Stuffed Cucumber Side Dish
Are you trying to learn how to make Korean side dishes? Try a side dish at a restaurant and wonder how you can make it? Well, I’m in the same boat. On a mission to learn how to prepare more Korean side dishes as I have a Korean husband, I found a recipe for one of my favorite kimchis often found on the restaurant table in the summer. Get ready to make some Korean cucumber kimchi (오이소박이). This is a pretty easy recipe. I’ve noticed that a lot of Korean side dishes are pretty straight forward to make and it’s more about adjusting to find the taste that suits you.…
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Jingwansa Temple: Seoul’s Mountain Temple in Bukhansan Park
When it comes to visiting a Buddhist temple in Seoul, you have no shortage of options. But Jingwansa Temple (진관사) in Bukhansan National Park offers something that most Seoul temples can’t: the genuine quiet of the mountains, a history directly tied to Korean royalty, and a story of resistance that only came to light in 2009. It’s one of the four major temples in the suburbs of Seoul, the only temple in the city to perform the Suryukje ceremony, and the place where a Korean flag made from a Japanese flag was found hidden in a wall, along with anti-Japanese newspapers from 1919. The temple sits just beyond Eunpyeong Hanok…
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My Korean Mother-In-Law’s First Visit
On my way home from work this afternoon, my husband called and told me his father would be coming to the city to go to a tax office and may possibly be staying the night at our house. Our house? Possibly? Of course, my husband is currently in a van on his way out of the city for a concert, so just me and his dad. This scenario reminded me of the one and only time his mother visited us just before we got married. There are a lot of stories about mother-in-law’s and when it comes to Korean mother-in-law’s, well, the stories aren’t usually that good. To be honest,…
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Korean Cooking: Dried Anchovy Side Dish
Dried anchovies have not always been one of my favorite Korean side dishes, but they have become a staple of my mother-in-law’s side dish shipments and have inched up the likability scale for me. I can’t ever remember my mother cooking with anchovies, so the first time I saw them on the table I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about them. Slowly but surely though, this dried anchovy side dish (멸치볶음) has become one that I look forward to seeing on the table, so I learned how to cook them myself. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase…
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Korean Cooking: You’ve Had Kimchi, How About Kimchijeon?
By now I’m sure you’ve heard of the food most often associated with Korea. That being kimchi. The spicy fermented cabbage side dish is a necessary side dish on every Korean table. Maybe you’ve even tried it. But, have you tried kimchijeon (김치전)? Jeon, or Korean pancakes would be the easiest description, can be made with a variety of vegetables and even fish. There are loads of options for “jeon” as well: kimchijeon, seafoodjeon, squidjeon, or vegetablejeon, among others. Haven’t eaten it often enough, I wondered if it was truly as easy as making pancakes. Looking for a makgeolli and jeon meal, I started with kimchijeon. You can even make…
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When I Met My Korean Boyfriend’s Father For The First Time
There’s only one important man when it comes time to meet the significant other’s family in Korea and that is the father. To me, and I would imagine to most women, the mother was the person I wanted to impress and I had already met her a couple years earlier. I wasn’t very concerned with the father, what father wouldn’t I be able to impress after all? Joking aside though, I was not prepared for how serious meeting him was really going to be or what it meant. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. These funds…
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Gilsangsa Temple: Where to Temple Stay in Seoul
Gilsangsa Temple, located on the southern side of Mt. Samgaksan in northern Seoul, Korea, may not be the oldest Buddhist temple in Seoul, only just registered in 1995, but it offers some great programs for those wishing to learn more about Korean Buddhism. Visit in the spring for some gorgeous views with colorful lanterns in celebration of Buddha’s birthday strung across the courtyards and lining the roads. Or if you’re wondering where you can temple stay in Seoul, this is the place. Learn more about visiting Gilsangsa Temple: (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no…
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Always Living, Seeing and Learning
Last month, we headed to Australia for three days. Yes, you read that correctly, three days. It wasn’t the most ideal trip, but when your younger sister is getting married and your job already gives you four months of vacation, you can’t very well ask for more off, nor can you skip the event. In the end, we felt like it was a great introduction to the country, we met some nice people, and we couldn’t have asked for much more out of the three days available. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no…
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First Meeting: The Korean Women of the Family
Two weeks ago, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law both called to ask what I wanted for my birthday. I’m getting better at telling them what I need, because I’ve realized when left to their own devices they get me things that aren’t me at all either because what they’re giving me is what Korean family members usually give each other, or they just don’t know me all that well due to the obvious language differences. I’m still not sure which is the case, to be honest. I can explain things in Korean until I’m blue in the face, but when it comes to showing my personality, my real personality, it’s a…
