VISITING KOREA

[Guest COREAN]

some random tips:

- if you're new to korea then take the subway or taxi. don't take the bus (except airport bus) unless you're familiar with the line or traveling with someone who knows it. i'm korean and i got lost using the bus too many times. there's nothing worse then getting off at a different stop, walk around thinking you got off at the right one and realizing you're in the middle of nowhere.

- try and experience everything. you're in a different country for a reason. the food looks nasty? suck it up and try it. it might become you're favorite dish. don't stay inside your room all day surfing the internet or watching pro starcraft games on tv.

- only applies to koreans: if you can speak korean then SPEAK IT. seriously.. you can avoid so many negative things by not speaking english. for example you avoid getting stares, avoid confrontations from insecure, drunk koreans, don't get ripped off, get better service from bars/night clubs etc. i have no idea why so many gyopos get the idea that they will be treated like kings because they can speak english.

- don't give eye contact to people trying to sell you things in markets. they will try to drag your richard simmons in with ajumma strength lol

- just because soju is $1 a bottle doesn't mean you should get drunk off your richard simmons every night.

- avoid itaewon like the plague. i have TONS of bad experience from there. plus there's absolutely nothing to do there. you want to do shopping? go to dongdaemun, namdaemun or myungdong. seriously.. drunk GI's, koreans, shady nigerians, russian hookers doesn't sound very fun. plus all the gi stabbings always happen in itaewon lol. the only positive thing about itaewon is that they probably have the best non-korean food in korea.

- get yourself a cell phone. you can rent one from the airport for pretty cheap. incoming calls = free

[Guest vsbreathlessvs]

Hey guys,

I'm going to Seoul this July for a week. What are your recommendations for things like cosmetic, shopping..? I'm in desperate need for a make-over, especially my skin since i have some acne and acne scars. Do you guys know any place where I can get a skin peel? Thank you for your help!

Muahz

[Guest geruhjima]

ooh, when you say skin peel, please tell me you don't mean chemical peel? your face will look like someone took a flame to it.

[Guest neon_buildings]

myeongdong is a great place to shop. lots of cool stores and stuff. sorry, don't know any good skin places. lol.

even though its not really a shopping place...i recommend for you to go to the seodaemun prison. it's very educational...and a little creepy... its a prison where the japanese kept korean freedom fighters. some stuff there is very graphic...so keep that in mind

[Guest hyunie_star]

you can go to 이대 if you want cute cheap clothes

and yea 명동 is really good.

[Guest DaViviCode]

I'm going to Seoul next month...20-27 May

any festival or anything recommend?

what kind of cloth i should wear there?

I heard it's spring??

and where's JeonJu? Is it close to Seoul?

I mean should i go there? anything interesting?

[Guest clee]

well i went to korea in May last summer & it was still a little chilly at night. i thought it was going to be so hot & i packed like all my summer clothes like tanks and stuff but no one was really wearing anything like that in May. & i really didn't take any sweaters with me either.

[Guest IckyVicky<3dongbang]

WOW i've been reading all ur posts and

going to korea sounds kinda scary ^__^

But if i were to go to s. korea as a 19/20 year old would

it be too scary and unsafe to go by myself?

Safer with friends?

And when u guys say dress korean,

i imagine the traditional korean clothing.

I thought koreans didnt dress that different

from americans.

[Guest -+@r_lOve]

maybe if my dream will come true i'll go there for the first time in my life. never been to korea so sad. and im krn too dats 13 yrs old .

[Guest juki_love]

i was reading the last few pages .. and sounds scary if you don't know how to speak korean and speak english all the time ><

i went there with my korean friend so i guess i got around ok~

and her friends all tried to speak english to me esp. her guy friend "

but yea i dressed in a korean way and this shop owner thought i was korean at first but then i started tugging on my friend's jacket i was like what's he saying ><

i don't think it would be that scary if u went with a friend who might not be korean either...

but i dunno how i will get by when i go again next yr ><

hopefully i'll know a lot more korean by then^^

[Guest Freshh]

question: what if you take korean but isn't very good at it

would it be better to speak english? b/c i'm pretty sure people'll think you're retarded anyways for speaking korean with an accent or say things wrong

[Guest js89]

Does anyone know if Seoul is, generally speaking, a safe place?

As well, does anyone know where the filming location for Full House is?

http://english.tour2korea.com/02Culture/TV...2_6&konum=1

this link will show you how to get there and where the filming location is ! and also, this website has other filming locations for other famous k-dramas!

loads of useful informations ! : http://www.tour2korea.com

[Guest xocutiex]

hello~

i live in america and i am visiting korea over the summer (- about a month i think) and i haven't been to korea for about seven years! so i dont particularly remember much about seoul.

so if any of the forum readers could tell me hip places to go in seoul, i would appreciate it! =]

i am looking for cool places to shop, eat, and do etc!

[Guest devylann]

i'm going late june to july so i've been reading these suggestions... i'm still loooking for a ticket and a place to stay. any opinions on hostels??? i was thinking about getting them since imma be there for a week...

[Guest devylann]

when r u going?? imma go late june to early july. not sure yet but... we can meet and hang!! lol... seriously.. bc this will be my first time there. i've been doing a lot of research.. so here are a few things i found:

shopping:

like most ppl mentioned, apgu edae myundong are all good places to shop around. my favorite stores are all in apgu since they have such a good variety of stuff there. my favorite stores there are the parasuco denim brand store as well as that jeans store that is in place of that old von dutch store. also for those of u guys who like urban wear you can find some gooood stuff in apgu. just walk around the alleways and you'll see a lot of stores like the ones you see in japan.

clubs:

basically you have three different types of clubs in korea

1. the regular clubs (the ones you encounter in the states

2. the night clubs (aka booking clubs)

3. hostess bars

as you can tell, as these numbers get bigger, it attracts a more older crowd. if you just want a good time with your friends or just to enjoy music, then you should just go regular clubbing. if you're looking to hook up or find that special someone, a korean night club (#2) would be best. if you're an old business man looking for some fun, go to #3

as for #1, there are soo many different types of clubs out there. like you have your trance clubs, house clubs, hiphop clubs, etc.... but since most asians from the states like to dance to hiphop, ill list down mostly hiphop places.

hongdae:

nb: this place is one of the oldest hiphop clubs in korea. except the nb in hongdae is VERY crowded/small and its filled wtih a lot of ugly guys. guys if you are alone or with just a group of guys, DON"T go there cuz you wont be getting any action. girls, if you like the attention sure you can go but if you really hate random ppl tryna grind with you, then you shouldnt go here

harlem: this used to be my favorite club last summer. its a bit more spacious than nb. it has a first floor and a basement. the guy to girl ratio is pretty good there. its more foreigner friendly i think...

catchlight: its a new hiphop club around the area. its pretty spacious i must say. ohhh i just miiight be able to get a job as a dj there for the summer. so if i do get it and you're in korea, be sure to drop by!

qvo: this is another one of the more popular hiphop clubs in the hongdae area. it has a HUUUUUGE dance floor, probably the biggest one in that area. and its relatively new and spiffy looking. except the music is a bit weird there.... but if you think about it, korea plays really shitty hiphop music at clubs anyway. the girl to guy ratio here is pretty good too.

there are a lot of other hiphop places out there but the ones above are the more popular and hot spots in hongdae

kangnam

there are three big clubs in this area

1. nb

2. harlem

3. brooklyn

on the weekends, nb and harlem here are connected so you can go back and forth between the clubs. also its quite convenient that these two places are right next to each other. harlem is pretty damm big so you'll have a lot of space to do your thang and what not. nb is a bit more crowded than harlem at all times, but more girls go to nb.

brooklyn is right by exit #7 of the subway station so its pretty convenient to go to during rainy days, or when you're just feeling too damm lazy to walk. the only problem is that not too many ppl go. so if you want to throw like a party for your friend, then its good to bring all your friends there cuz you can easily fill that place up with just your friends and not feel sketched out. also the interior there is pretty nice i must say. i wouldnt recommend going there if you're not going in a big group.

apgu

nb: this is the newest addition to the nb chain. i havent been there yet but i heard its pretty crappy. its pretty small and what not. but if you're in the apgu area drinking and feel like dancing, you should check that place out

there are some clubs in the shinchon area but they're not even that great and its gonna be crappy there anyway.

celeb sightings~ hahaha you'll have fun........looking.

lmao i know shin hyesung from shinhwa was in kyochon chicken - shinchon jeom o_o

i actually went out there to see him XD it was..interesting.

oh..err..i know a lotta celebs go to yeondae (yeonsei uni)..i know dongbangshingi went there for their vacation drama and i know suju tagged along...but good luck getting through 10,000 fans. o_o and yes, i do mean literally.

next time you're in korea i recommend soo noraebang

that place is ..wow.. o_o its like real high class norae bang and updated a lot ^^ but it's kinda expensive..

i think like 20,000 won (about $20 usd) for one hour. o_o

for food, i think when you're right in front of eedae (the university) just go straight down, pass t-hous and i know there should be like some japanese place on your way down..it's really good haha =] try their donkkassu and udong :]

i know theres a red mango (IT'S A MUST.) like..right infront of the front of the the university (eedae) and it's not that hard to miss lmao..

if you saw it omgosh i was like right up that hill it was on...i was in those apartments. >_> the ones that are right by the university..lucky apartments? =]

why am i such a stupid head and didn't notice this earlier....T___T

if you're looking for shopping i think you should go to t-hous which is a nice place to go haha

or tangle..they have real nice clothes for good prices ^^ although quality isn't best...but still.

if you've ever been to that little intersection with a lot of stores around it and basically theres just this...circle in the middle and theres a shoe store by the circle and then a lotta path choices, theres some good shopping there as well.

clubbing? >_> i'm only 14 in korean age so don't ask me XD but...i would be careful..at night my hakwon teacher got like..ALMOST stabbed..and she got a cut by her eye..o__o;; she was alone at night..so i would be careful <3 NEVER go alone...-shudders- lotsa creepy people.

if you want some ... nice...guy watchings, go to lotte mall and look for young plaza..oh my oh my. =]

and i know theres a lotta nice looking guys in the lotte mall in the 7th? 8th? floor..where the sports/childrens section is =D

i know i saw one celeb in shinchon...(minus hyesung.) i dunno who he was, but i was going to noraebang with my friends and i saw this guy filming something..o_o some drama or cf, i dunno but it had something to do with a car, and him driving it. and people just huddled around it..>_>

transportation..AHHH XD

taxi drivers DO scam you. they DO take the long way so you pay more...that is if they can tell you're a foreigner..i recommend subways, but then again, it's only if you really know where you're going...i suggest you have someone with you as well...you never know. buses..they can be..err...confusing at times, but overall they're not bad..they're like america's metro buses, just..i guess "nicer" people. o_o but good luck, cause theres a buncha traffic..

if you want good shopping, go to the malls..although it's like HECKA expensive.. >_>

if you want okay and fair prices, go to like..gangnam, dongdaemun, namdaemun, all listed above. =]

롯 대백화점..(lotte) is like..soo expensive but sooo pretty..>_> like i said, go to young plaza..thats wehre all the err...students middle school - college pretty much hang out. o___o but then again 롯대백화점 (lotte) is pretty..expensive. like...really...don't go unless you ahve lotsa money..>_<

i know if you go to galleria, the SM building is real close to it..you might get lucky? o_o well..like..you gotta be real lucky...

as far as i know, gangnam/apgu area = more likley to spot celebs..

[Guest iNNOCENT*]

my friend and i are going to korea this summer and we need a place to stay.

i saw the pics for namsam guesthouse and they looked pretty crappy o_o

does anyone know a cheap nice hotel??

[Guest juki_love]

^ maybe you can find some here: http://www.asiarooms.com/

but they don't get as inexpensive as namsan gueshouse or other guesthouses~ it doesn't look that bad does it ><?

[Guest devylann]

my friend and i are going to korea this summer and we need a place to stay.

i saw the pics for namsam guesthouse and they looked pretty crappy o_o

does anyone know a cheap nice hotel??

okie i was talking to another soompier and she said there's this apt like hotel... it's pretty cheap and looks real nice. well, i dunno bout cheaper than a guesthouse or hostel but nicer than some hotels and may be less... u can check it out... we might get that place in kangnam... looks real nice... www.nicerent.com

[Guest farmerdork]

my friend and i are going to korea this summer and we need a place to stay.

i saw the pics for namsam guesthouse and they looked pretty crappy o_o

does anyone know a cheap nice hotel??

Don't stay at lotte hotel in Seoul. before i went there which was a really last minute trip my mom and i looked up the hotels there and i was like how about lotte hotel. So we went to the website and there were like no pictures on the room so we were like okay...so we were like oh well just book it. so when we arrived at lotte hotel like the lobby was really nice but the room SUCKED it was soo small, old, and it smelled really weird i was like thinking no wonder they didnt show pictures so my mom hated the room so she called the people to tell them we want an upgrade to a bigger room. but the bigger room still was small. but grand hyatt in seoul was okay but the bathroom was small. sorry that was a really long story of my experience

[Guest iNNOCENT*]

^ maybe you can find some here: http://www.asiarooms.com/

but they don't get as inexpensive as namsan gueshouse or other guesthouses~ it doesn't look that bad does it ><?

this one is ok. they actually had cheap hotels and it had good reviews (:

okie i was talking to another soompier and she said there's this apt like hotel... it's pretty cheap and looks real nice. well, i dunno bout cheaper than a guesthouse or hostel but nicer than some hotels and may be less... u can check it out... we might get that place in kangnam... looks real nice... www.nicerent.com

the price isn't too bad but they require like thousands of dollars for deposit o_o!!

*oh and does anyone know if there are student monthly passes for bus/subway?

i'm going to be riding at least one of them everyday so i think it'll be better for me to get a monthly pass if they have one