Travel in Seoul FAQ

The K-popped! Trio visited Seoul in November 2008. Since then we’ve been getting many e-mails and queries about planning a holiday in Seoul. Where we’d love to answer each and every e-mail, we’ve compiled a list of posts about our Seoul Holiday for your convenience.

WHAT TO DO
• Our visit to 63 Building
• Lotte World
• Sunday Service at Yoido Full Gospel Church
• The Trio treks (sorta) to N Seoul Tower on Namsan
• One night in Samcheon-dong
• Locks of Love at N Seoul Tower
• Noryangjin Fish Market
• Having a cuppa at the Coffee Prince Café
• Watching a movie in Seoul
• Beautiful autumn sites in Seoul
• Nanta cooks up a storm for the K-popped! Trio


FOOD
• Where to eat Jjajangmyeon in Seoul
• Tosokchon and their famous Samgyetang
• K-popped! Trio tries Korean street food

* Halal Dining: Itaewon is where the international community is in Seoul. You can find halal restaurants (mostly Paskistani and Middle Eastern restaurants) and the mosque here. Insadong, a more bohemian district, has many vegetarian restaurants.

SHOPPING
• Shopping for Korean Celebrity Merchandise
• Dongdaemun Market
• Buying CDs in Seoul

TRANSPORTATION
Getting around Seoul is easiest by subway. They have a very large but simple and organized system. Learn more about Seoul’s metro system by visiting the Visit Korea site.

ACCOMMODATION
• Staying at Doulos Hotel
• Seoul, here we come!

*If Doulos is over your budget, a list of links that will lead you to other discount accommodation for further research can be found at the bottom of the linked posts.

ISLANDS & BEACHES
We didn’t go outside of Seoul, but if you’re interested in visiting South Korea’s coastal areas, this post might help start your research: Beaches of South Korea.

Have a great time in Seoul!

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Our visit to 63 Building

If you are a tourist, like us, be sure to grab one of those
guide maps to help you navigate around the building

All of a sudden I have the urge to blog about our travels. So here's an entry on 63 Building in Yeouido Island, Seoul.

We visited Yeouido on a cloudy Sunday morning last autumn. K-popped! Trio took the subway from the heart of Seoul (Jongno-3-ga stop) to Yeouido. First we attended service at the biggest church in the world, Yeouido Full Gospel Church. Here in Yeuido is where most of the broadcasting stations are located. The MBC, SBS and KBS buildings are all in this area. After church, we walked along the tree-lined sidewalk taking in the beautiful autumn scenery and visited Noryangjin Fish Market and 63 Building (63 빌딩).

We opted to take a cab for the short journey to 63 Building because it
started to drizzle. Cabs in Korea all have very sophisticated gadgets,
like what you see in this one...equipped with GPRS & Tmoney payment sytem.

Daehan Life Insurance 63 Building is more well known as just 63 Building. The skyscraper which stands 249 meters (817 feet) high is the 3rd tallest building in South Korea, and it overlooks the Han River.

Rooster & Liz in front of 63 Building

Walking to one on the entrances of 63 Building

63 Building is a suitable place to take your kids out on a family outing. I'm sure couples love going on a date at the observatory at nights too.

There's lots to do at this building. On a Sunday afternoon, we saw many local folks with their families simply enjoying the day.

Main attractions at the 63 Building are:

• SKY DECK (top floor observatory with a splendid view)
• SKY ART (the highest art museum in the world)
• SEAWORD
• IMAX THEATER

Tickets for the entry to SKY ART will include SKY DECK. A ticket for all three (Observatory+Aquarium+IMAX theater) costs 26,000 won (adult) | 23,000 won (teen) | 20,000 won (child).

We didn't go for any of those because the queue that day was just too long.

There are also lots of options for food at the 63 Building. From fine dining at the luxurious Buffet Pavilion which offers 200 varieties of worldwide cuisine, to Lotteria - a Korean fast food joint to the classic European-style cafe Beans & Berries, there's surely something for every palette.

We opted to have lunch at the Food Court and ordered a giant bowl of Bibimbap (a couple's dish because it's meant for two. So romantic!) and a bowl of cold soba noodles. Both really yummy. Sigh, i miss Korean food.

Top: Giant bibimbap
Bottom: Cold soba noodles

Other places we visited in Yeouido (Yoido):
Beautiful Autumn sights in Seoul
Noryangjin Fish Market
Sunday service at Yoido Full Gospel Church

More stories of our trip to Seoul

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Where to eat Jajangmyeon in Seoul?

Where do you find a decent bowl of Jajangmyeon in Seoul?

When we went to Seoul, we really wanted to taste Jajangmyeon.

Jajangmyeon or Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) is a dish made up of noodles cooked in black bean paste. It's unique to Korea and no other "black noodles" can substitute it. Although we do have noodles cooked in dark soya sauce here in Malaysia called "Hokkien mee" and you also have "konloh mee", it is simply not the same!

Jajangmyeon is a popular dish and is
often featured in Korean dramas.
In Coffee Prince, Yoon Eun-hye and the late Lee Eon
had a Jajangmyeon eating competition in the first episode.

However, Jajangmyeon is not served at Korean restaurants (it is also difficult to find it on the menu at Korean restaurants here). We remember our Korean language teacher telling us that Jajangmyeon is a popular dish at Korean - Chinese restaurants! So yeah, go to a Chinese restaurant when in Seoul for a taste of this dish.

We found this Chinese restaurant at Co-ex mall and the noodle is actually quite delicious. They provide a pair of scissors so you can cut the long strands for easier consumption. The black bean paste is called "chungjang".

It is also customary for singles to partake in Jajangmyeon on Black Day (April 14th).

Ye-won Chinese restaurant at Co-ex mall, Seoul

A bowl of Jajangmyeon cost 5,000 KRW (about USD5)

Ahh...finally Liz, Orchid and Rooster get a taste of Jajangmyeon

Mix it all up, cut noodles with scissors provided, and dig in!

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Shopping for Korean Celebrity Merchandise

Fancy drinking from a Rain mug? Check out
the other choices you have in the background...
mugs of your favourite Korean star

One evening, when we were walking along the streets of Myeongdong in Seoul, we came across a shop selling Korean celebrities' merchandise. From CDs to calendars to mugs, the store had all sorts of paraphernalia of your favourite stars! I remember seeing lots of Bae Yong-joon, Hyun Bin, Super Junior, Won Bin, DBSK...etc. But be careful, everything in this shop is shockingly overpriced!

I can't believe i walked away with a set of Rain post-it pads for RM20 though! In retrospect, i should have brought a Rain mug back instead. Ah then i could drink from a Bi mug everyday!

This is the street in Myeongdong where we found the shop

Check out the packaging for this post-it pad set of Korean star Rain (Jung Ji-hoon)

The little booklet unfolds to reveal four different types of post-it pads.
Each with a Rain stamp at the bottom.
It makes a great gift.

Lots more to explore in the store...

More stories of our trip to Seoul

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Dongdaemun Market

SIGHTS OF SEOUL

Dongdaemun Gate is also known as the Great Eastern Gate.
The historical gate was built in the Joseon Dynasty.

We still have so much to share from our trip to Korea. On Pepero Day last year, K-popped! Trio ventured to Dongdaemun in Seoul.

Dongdaemun means "Great East Gate" and it was so named because it was a major eastern gate in the wall that surrounded Seoul way back in the Joseon Dynasty. Dongdaemun is a.k.a. Heunginhimun (Gate of Rising Benevolence). We were there at Dongdaemun one sunny autumn morning.

Besides being a major landmark in Central Seoul, Dongdaemun Market is also located here. You will find large wholesale market for shoes and textile in this area.

The wholesale shoe market is a huge
attraction at Dongdaemun Market

On one side of Dongdaemun Station is a long row of shoe shops. Shoes ranging from women's pumps and stilettos, men's leather shoes, sport shoes to bright pink furry boots can be found here. The shoes are mostly made in Korea or China and are not the branded kind you find in high end department stores.

Price is reasonable and could be a steal if you have good bargaining skills. We didn't dare try to bargain nor did we walk away with a single pair between the three of us. Although there were thousands of pairs displayed (or piled up in some cases), we didn't find any that caught our attention.

The other side of Dongdaemun Station houses shops selling textile ranging from towels, quilts, blankets, bed sheets, hair accessories, yarn, ribbons, buttons etc. We also saw many stores selling fake fur in the shape of round furry balls or long fur stoles.

Liz and Rooster checking out the fake fur shop

At the Dongdaemun Underground Shopping Center, you will find more shops. This is the place to order your tailor-made hanbok (Korean traditional dress) if you so feel inclined to bring it home with you.

Order your hanbok from Dongdaemun Underground Shopping Center.
Many seamstresses wait to serve you at their little shops.

Colourful accessories (scrunchie) for your hair.
It was so cheap! 10 of these for a mere KRW1,000 (around USD1). Ten!
In retrospect, i regret not bringing some back for family and friends.



Kitchen hand towels (designed in Korea, made in China) on the left.
Fluffy bath towels on the right. You will find them aplenty at Dongdaemun.



Buttons of every size, design and colour...



Korean made sequined flowers and accessories at Dongdaemun Market

Read more about K-popped! in Seoul

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Buying CDs in Seoul

Rain's first album Bad Guy is difficult to find here in Malaysia

Being a Rain enthusiast, i wanted to own every single album he released (okay, the major ones). So prior to my trip to Seoul last November, i purposed in my heart to look for Rain's first album Bad Guy.

It is possible to buy one of his more recent albums from the music stores here in Malaysia. But i could not find the very first album anywhere!

Here's a look at our (Liz and Orchid's) Rain CDs. Yes! We made our collection complete by buying Rainism (5th album) and Bad Guy (1st album) in Seoul.

Our Rain Albums - clockwise from bottom left:
It's Raining, Bad Guy, Rainism, Running Away From the Sun,
Rain's World Special Edition, Rain's World

We bought Rainism at one of Seoul's largest and most popular bookstore. It is called Kyobo Book Center or Kyobo Moongo (Korean; 교보문고) and it is located in Kyobo Building at No. 1, Jong-ro 1 Street, Seoul. You can find most of the latest releases in this store and also a wide range of Korean music. We were so excited to see such a wide selection of Korean music at the store. We ended up purchasing JYP's Back to Stage album here as well. Rainism cost KRW15,500 while Back to Stage cost KRW13,500.

Now this other CD store that i will tell you about is really a gem which we discovered. Firstly, the CDs sold here were the cheapest we found! Yes, even cheaper than the CDs at Kyobo Book Center. This CD corner is located on the top floor of Migliore building in Myeongdong. The ajumma manning the store was really really friendly.

I was very excited to find Rain's first CD - Bad Guy here. As soon as i saw it, i grabbed it off the shelf and held the CD close to my chest and let out a huge happy sigh. The ajumma noticed this and asked Liz and myself if we were Rain fans. In our limited Korean, we said "네" (yes). She then went behind her cashier counter and popped in Rain's lastest CD Rainism and played it over the speakers for us. She was also enjoying the music and bobbed her head up and down to the beat.

Buying CDs at Migliore building, Myeongdong (Seoul)
At this store, Rainism cost KRW13,500 (the cheapest i'd seen)

We loved this CD shop because of the cheap price, friendly ajumma who provided good customer service plus, you can find older albums here. I saw Rain's Road for Rain DVD here too. Liz bought Fly to the Sky's Recollection album (13,800 won) at this store.

If you know of a place near your area where you can purchase Korean music CDs, do share by adding a comment in this entry.

More stories from our trip to Seoul

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Lotte World

Sure, we were in Seoul last year (November 2008), but we’re not done blogging about it yet!

During our trip, the Trio reserved a full day for fun at Lotte World to get in touch with our inner child. Gee, I haven’t been to an amusement park in over a decade. The last time the 3 of us went to one together was Pesta Port Dickson back when some of you reading this blog were still crawling around in your diapers and drooling all over the place. If you know Pesta PD way back then, you’d remember what crap it was.

Adventure Land in Lotte World.

Orchid planning which rides we should go on first.

Lotte World is divided into two sections – Adventure Land (an indoor park) and Magic Island (an outdoor park). Start your fun in Adventure Land and make your way to Magic Island then come back to Adventure Land by 9pm to catch the laser light show before leaving Lotte World.

Traditional dances and other performances at the open theater in Adventure Land.

Liz in Rooster on the carousel.
Hmm, looks like we're the only unaccompanied minors on this ride. ;p

One thing I noticed in Seoul - every bare wall must be inked!

So we joined in as well. While in Rome, do what the Romans do, right?
Note to self: pack good quality markers on next trip to Seoul.

Rooster loves sideshows because they don't make her puke.

Lotte World's impressive laser light & fire show begins every night at 9pm.

I wouldn’t recommend putting Lotte World in your “must do” list when you visit Seoul unless you really want to. We put it on our list because, hey, we’re on holiday and we’re going to have fun!

What we spent:

• Full day pass for one adult and entry to all rides: KRW31,500
• Lunch at a burger stall: KRW25,000
• Dinner at the Lotte World food court for 3: KRW12,000. Big portions and great for sharing.
• Snacks: KRW1,000/box of really yummy buttered roasted squid.

Getting there:
From downtown Seoul metro, take the Green Line and stop at Jamsil station.

Click here to read more entries of our 2008 Seoul vacation.

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Sunday service at Yoido Full Gospel Church

Merry Christmas everyone! How are you celebrating Christmas this year? Since you're here at K-popped!, allow me to reminisce about the time the Trio went to the Yoido Full Gospel Church on Nov 9 :-).

It was a lazy Sunday morning when we dragged ourselves out of bed to make our way to Yoido. Apart from visiting Yoido Full Gospel Church, we had other plans such as checking out the 63 Building and later, heading down to the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market :-).

A friend suggested that we visit one of the many broadcasting stations, such as KBS, SBS and MBC which were all located in the area. But on that day, we decided against waiting in line for a show as the sights and sounds of Yoido beckoned.

Get me to the church on time!: OK, OK we were a
little late getting there.

We started our journey at Jongnosam(3) -ga, as we were staying at the Doulos Hotel. Happily, we hopped onto a near-empty subway. Sharing the subway car with us were two African men, who were still on the subway when we got off at the Yoinaru station.

The K-popped! Trio then walked the rest of the way to church. It took us about 10 to 15 minutes of walking/ sightseeing as Orchid and Rooster were eagerly snapping pictures along the way.

Balcony seats

The Yoido Full Gospel Church was HUGE. We made a beeline for the information counter and asked the man for directions to the 11am service. He escorted us to the English section for foreigners. We were given headsets to listen to the English translator as the service was fully conducted in Korean.

Aids: The notes and bulletin we received

Guess who we saw at church? The same African men who were in the subway with us! How did they get there so fast? Did we get off at the wrong stop :-P?

The Trio were seated at one of the balconies, sandwiched between the African men (on our right) and a white guy (on our left). Ah, such a "We Are the World" moment - a Caucasian, three Chinese and two Africans - attending service in a Korean church. I live for moments like these :-).

Anyway, we later learned that the guys, who beamed into church ahead of us, were studying in Seoul and attend service at the church every Sunday.

Music fills the air: Churchgoers singing along with the choir

The church was packed and had an orchestra hall-like feel to it. The pipe organ was HUGE and the team of people serving (ushers, choir, AV team) were many. The ushers were an interesting sight to behold as the men were smartly dressed in white jackets and black pants while the women were in their white and dark blue hanboks.

Personally, it was an amazing experience to attend service at Rev. Cho Yonggi's church, which Encyclopedia Britannica cites as the church with the world's largest congregation.

Since we attended the 3rd service of the day, we missed founder Rev. Cho's message. He spoke in the 2nd service. Instead, we sat in for Senior Pastor Rev. Lee Young-hoon's message on True Thanksgiving :-).

Leaving church

After service, a friendly usher invited us to an introduction of the church through a video screening for foreigners. We kindly declined...I would have gone if we were in Seoul under more permanent circumstances, but since we were only passing through, we turned the offer down.

As we were leaving, the ushers – both men and women – stood at the landing of the staircase and bid everyone coming down the stairs farewell...complete with mini-bows! Kewl.

Outside the Yoido Full Gospel Church, we saw the crowd waiting to get in for the next service. The ushers had to prevent them from coming in and let us leave first. Man, I've never seen so many people so eager to go to church before! I'm impressed.

On guard: Ushers (in black and white) letting us leave first before
allowing the crowd attending the following service in!

Do you trust me?

This incident would probably not happen in Malaysia.

So it was after church and Orchid and I needed to go to the ladies. The church-leaving crowd was heading to Hotel Lexington, which was located opposite the church, so we followed. True enough, there was a line at the ladies' toilet...all churchgoers (question: the church doesn't have toilets?).

Annyeonghi-gyeseyo!: So long, friends...
don't miss us :-P

The washroom started to empty and since I was still waiting, a Korean ajumma who just stepped out of the toilet asked me – a total stranger – to hold her handbag so she could wash her hands. And she took her own sweet time to do it – lathering up her hands, looking for paper towerls, drying her hands on paper towels and such.

Hey Lady, you know I could be nicknamed Super-Fast Hands back home, slip my hand into your purse and help myself to some of your Korean won right? Or run away with your handbag...but then again I wouldn't get far as the crowd trickling into the hotel might pummel me to death real quick. Thou shalt not steal, no?

I'm really surprised at the trust Koreans have for strangers. Take for instance how in Seoul, people don't think twice about leaving their belongings unattended when taking photos. You DO NOT do that here in Malaysia, where leaving your handphone on the table in a restaurant is a no-no - even when you're seated next to it!

In Malaysia, old and fragile-looking ajummas are actually capable of fleecing you. Heh, you've been warned ;-).

On that rather sour note, here's wishing you a very happy holiday. Oh don't worry, there's still much good in the world...like that Malaysian girl who didn't rip off an old lady at Yoido's Lexington Hotel on Nov 9 when she had half a chance :-P.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all! Bring on 2009!

Tired of Chirstmas stories?:
Then check out the K-popped! Trio's stories on their recent trip to Seoul!

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Tosokchon and their famous Samgyetang

If you have to try Samgyetang, then you have to try it at Tosokchon.

Samgyetang (삼계탕): Chicken ginseng soup. A whole spring chicken
stuffed with glutinous rice, dates and gingko nuts boiled in a herbal ginseng broth.

Every restaurant has a their own unique Samgyetang recipe. Tosokchon is liked by so many because their Samgyetang broth is rich, flavourful and simmered to perfection.

While in Seoul, the K-popped! Trio met up with Seoul Sista twice. On our second meeting, Seoul Sista took Liz and I to Samcheong-dong for some comfort food. During the first meeting, the Trio were whisked to a Hanok style restaurant for some darn good Samgyetang.

We met Seoul Sista in Myeongdong one evening. Almost immediately she asked us what foods we’d like to try. Upon hearing “Samgyetang”, Seoul Sista clapped her hands and went, “AH! I know just the place!”

I’m so glad I have friends who love food just as much as I do. ^_^

Arrival: Seoul Sista leads the Trio into Tosokchon.

Tosokchon's samgyetang is extremely popular among the locals and visitors alike. The restaurant is also a favourite of the previous South Korean president, President Roh Moo-hyun.

At night, the exterior of Tosokchon is non-descript. A neon sign brought our attention to the modest entrance of the restaurant. As we entered the establishment, Tosokchon was anything but modest. In fact, it looked like a small Hanok village to me.

Restaurant or village?: The interior of Tosokchon is huge.
Come to Tosokchon in the Summer and battle hordes of customers for
a bowl of their famous Samgyetang.

Traditional: One of Tosokchon's many Hanok style dining rooms.
The ondol floors are pleasantly warm and comfortable during the colder months.

We sat down on the warm ondol floors and got comfortable. While we waited for our meal to arrive, we were served pots of very nicely made radish and cabbage kimchi. When we were served, the Trio were shocked to see that Seoul Sista had ordered FOUR cauldrons (well, they looked that big to me) of samgyetang.

Eating Samgyetang: You're given ginseng wine with your bowl of Samgyetang. Either drink it, or add it to your soup. First, eat the chicken, dipping the stewed meat in a salt and pepper seasoning if you wish. Discard the bones in the steel pot provided, then stir the remaining glutinous rice in the broth and eat your Samgyetang like congee.

The samgyetang was very good and nothing was left to waste. I guess those bowls weren't that big afterall. :)

In traditional Korean medicine, it is believed that the best way to fight off the summer heat is to eat foods that will heat you up. In other words, to fight fire with fire. Perhaps there is some truth in that, but I found samgyetang perfectly fitting for the cold as the next day (and the day after) I was walking around Seoul in November in just a shirt. Imagine what ginseng would do to me in summer!

Trio moment: A toast to great food and great company!

The bill:
Samgyetang at Tosokchon: KRW15,000 per bowl

We ordered a bowl each, which seemed enormous but we were able to polish off our bowls. The restaurant also serves other items which, I've been told, are also very good.

Getting there:
Stop at Gyeongbokgung station on subway Line 3 and leave the station at Exit #2. Tosokchon is a 5 minute walk from here. The restaurant is well-known and locals should be able to assist you with directions.

Restaurant website: http://www.tosokchon.net

More K-popped! Trio in Seoul posts:

• The Trio treks (sorta) to N Seoul Tower on Namsan
  
• A sexy game of Billiards
  
• One night in Samcheong-dong
  
• Locks of love at N Seoul Tower
  
• Noryangjin Fish Market
  
• Having a cuppa at the Coffee Prince Cafe
• K-popped! Trio tries Korean Street Food
• Watching a movie in Seoul
• Staying at Doulos Hotel
• Beautiful Autumn sights in Seoul
• Nanta cooks up a storm for the K-popped! Trio
• Watching Rain on TV everynight in Seoul
• Pepero Day is celebrated on 11.11
• Happy Pepero Day!

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