Activities in South Korea
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FEATURED
Seoul History and Culture Small-Group Tour
3 hours 30 minutes (Departs Seoul, South Korea)
by Viator
Uncover the fascinating history and culture of Seoul on this half-day walking tour of the city. See charming Korean houses in a historic village, learn about…Not LP reviewed
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Ahnkook Zen Centre
Buddhist teaching in English every Saturday from 2.30pm until 4pm.
reviewed
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Spa Lei
Sorry fellas, this one is just for the ladies. Spa Lei is a luxurious spa providing excellent services in an immaculate, stylish environment. There are earthy tones of brown, grey and orange using a range of materials including stained wood, marble and rock. Joseon-era furniture, candelabras towering over gilt mirrors and winding vines add an antique touch. The saunas include the much-loved pinewood one, and you can hop from saltwater pool to ginseng, mineral and rose baths. The restaurant and café have patios. Staff are helpful and are used to dealing with foreigners. From Exit 5 go straight and take the second turning on the left. You’ll see Spa Lei in the basement to…
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Scuba Diving
Diving off Seogwipo is surprisingly good with walls of very colourful soft coral, 18m-high kelp forests (March to May), schools of fish and the occasional inquisitive dolphin. Diving here always surprises first-timers because it's a mixture of the tropical and temperate - rather like diving in Norway and the Red Sea at the same time! Visibility is best from September to November but is around 10m at other times, and water temperature varies from 15°C to 27°C.
A recommended dive operator is Big Blue, which is run by English-speaking Ralph Deutsch, a genuine diving enthusiast. A day's diving includes two dives, all equipment and a guide. Diving is from a boat and the…
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Yoo’s Family
Housed in a hanok,Yoo’s Family offers practical demonstrations of Korean culture in a convenient location. Lessons include the traditional tea ceremony, print-making from carved wooden blocks, Korean cooking and dressing up in hanbok (traditional clothing). A minimum of two persons is required. Tea was a luxury drink in the past and involved a complicated ritual – it is polite to use both hands. Young green-tea leaves, picked in April, are the best (and most expensive). There are lots of photo opportunities and the teaching style is informal and relaxed.
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Chunjiyun Spa
Popular with locals and Japanese tourists, this spa is compact and cosy, offering the essentials – a pinewood, jade and clay sauna as well as green tea, ginseng and mugwort hot baths. An extra W82,000 covers a body scrub, oil massage and cucumber facial. With salmon-pink walls and posters of Korean celebs, it can feel as if you’ve stumbled into a teenage girl’s bedroom, but staff are helpful and speak a little English. From the subway exit, take the second alley on the left. It’s in the basement of the building with ‘Sunshine’ written on it in red letters.
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Meditation Arui Seon
Meditation Arui Seon, based in a hanok (traditional house), offers beginner and advanced meditation, breathing, stretching and other exercises designed to de-stress, relax and improve your mind and body. Students say their lives have been greatly improved. The aim is to unlock ‘gi’ or energy paths. Courses in English cost W20,000 for two hours and include tea. Highly recommended if you want to delve into ideas about health, and improving mind and body awareness and focus.
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United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations, the US military’s entertainment wing, organises tours for American troops, and civilians from most countries are welcome to come along. Twice a week the USO runs the best tours to the DMZ, Panmunjeom and the Third Tunnel. Other all-day tours include the historical and unspoilt island of Ganghwado (US$28) and white-water rafting excursions (US$49) out in the wilds of Gangwon-do. In winter, skiing trips are organised.
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Travel Story
Tom and Suji at Travel Story speak English and hire out bicycles (per day around ₩5000) and cute Taiwanese scooters (per day around ₩250 to around ₩300) which can take two people. The scooters range from 50cc to 125cc and insurance is another around ₩5000. A scooter is a cool and convenient way to tour Jejudo. Telephone and they will pick you up from the airport or ferry port.
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Jamsil Baseball Stadium
Watch South Korea’s best players slug it out at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. There are three Seoul teams in the eight-team Korean League and two of them – the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins – play at Jamsil, so games are held there nearly every evening during the March to October season, except for the summer break. Matches are well-attended and have a good family atmosphere. They usually start at 6.30pm.
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Buddhist Institute English Library
Besides the extensive library, the institute organises dharma talks, group and meditation study and lectures on Buddhist beliefs and practice. The teachers are Korean and Tibetan Buddhist monks who speak English. They offer a wonderful opportunity to study Buddhism seriously in an Asian context at beginner or advanced level. Teenagers have their own classes.
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Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch
The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch organises brilliant tours to all parts of South Korea, usually at weekends. Its website has the busy schedule. Non-members are welcome to join, and all tours are led by English speakers who are experts in their field. The tours are reasonably priced, usually W30,000 to W50,000. The society also organises lectures twice a month.
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Tours from Mipo Wharf
Mipo Wharf, the small wharf at the eastern end of Hae·undae beach, is home base for two ocean tours. The 50-minute circuit runs around Gwang·an Bridge. An 80-minute tour-shuttle service to the Coastal Ferry Terminal in Jungangdong departs Hae·undae every 90 minutes. On the return trip, departures from the Coastal Ferry Terminal start at 10.30.
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Daekuk Subsea Company
Daekuk Subsea Company operates well-established and popular 30-minute submarine tours down to a depth of 30m around Munseom island, which has coral and fish dressed up in carnival colours. Tours run at least hourly and reservations are advised.
The same company also runs sightseeing boat tours around the port and nearby islands, which last an hour.
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Han River Ferries
Take a trip from Yeouido pier to any of the Han River ferry piers or take a one-hour round trip back to Yeouido. The four other piers are at Yanghwa, Nanji, Ttukseom and Jamsil. A concert boat (adult/child W16,000/8000; from 7.30pm Tue-Sun) leaves from Yeouido pier and includes a BBQ buffet and live music.
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Seoul Culinary College
Korean cooking courses in English start at 10am and 2pm on weekdays at Seoul Culinary College. Book one week ahead, no minimum number. The one-hour kimchi course costs W60,000, while the two-hour courses cost W80,000 to W100,000. The price includes a lavishly illustrated Korean cookbook.
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Hoki Taekwondo
A 1½-hour introductory programme at the War Memorial & Museum gymnasium usually starts at 10:00. The best thing about the programme is that you have the opportunity to break a 2cm-thick wooden board. Longer courses are also possible. Contact Hoki first before turning up at the gymnasium.
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YBM Sisa
Korean classes (maximum size 10) for all ability levels cover grammar, writing and conversation. Ten-day courses (W115,000) are held in the evening, 20-day courses are held during the day. Lessons last just under two hours, and courses start at the beginning of each month.
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Yeolgigutema Park Ballooning
Rise gently into the air with Yeolgigutema Park Ballooning. Although the balloon stays tethered to the ground, it doesn't operate when Jejudo's notorious wind is blowing.
The balloon site is not on a bus route, so take a taxi or walk .
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Hidinck Pool
Named after a Korean hero, the coach of Korea’s 2002 World Cup soccer team, this is an expensive but very pleasant pool parlour, up on the 4th floor. It’s mainly dangujang (four ball) but there is pocketball (pool), too.
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Panmunjeom Travel Centre
In this tour to the DMZ, you'll have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to question a defector from North Korea with help from an interpreter. The tour costs around ₩580, but doesn't include a cross into the DMZ at Panmunjeom.
reviewed
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Soul of Seoul Small-Group Walking Tour
3 hours (Departs Seoul, South Korea)
by Viator
Discover the history, culture and food of Seoul on a walking tour of this bustling metropolis. Journey back to the past and visit Buddhist temples, historic…Not LP reviewed
from USD$39.00 -
Small-Group Korean Night Food Tour
4 hours (Departs Seoul, South Korea)
by Viator
Experience the fascinating culture of South Korea in one of the most authentic ways possible – through its local cuisine! On this 4-hour food tour, learn all…Not LP reviewed
from USD$87.99 -
Experience Seoul: Korean Beginner or Intermediate Cooking Class
2 or 3 hours (Departs Seoul, South Korea)
by Viator
During this small-group cooking class in Seoul, gain a unique insight into Korean food culture by learning the secrets to creating the country’s most popular…Not LP reviewed
from USD$64.99 -
Seoul History and Culture Small-Group Tour
3 hours 30 minutes (Departs Seoul, South Korea)
by Viator
Uncover the fascinating history and culture of Seoul on this half-day walking tour of the city. See charming Korean houses in a historic village, learn about…Not LP reviewed
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Hyundai Asan
Hyundai Asan runs tours to Kaesong and to Geumgangsan in North Korea. The North Korean government is famously unpredictable, so these tours may be altered or not running at all.
reviewed