Autumn in South Korea in 2023 - Part 1 of 2

 Autumn in South Korea in 2023

(Travel Story Series @ Hon Too Fang 2023)

In Oct/Nov 2023, my wife and I joined 16 others, mostly seniors, on a 13-day tour to this country in East Asia. This is a straight-forward travel story. 

Info: South Korea the country

The Republic of Korea has an area of 100,000 sq km (a third of Malaysia) and a population of 52 millions. It is ethnically homogeneous, with 95% ethnic Koreans. In religion: 56% no religion, 28% Christians and 15% Buddhists.

The recorded history starts with the Three Kingdoms Period (1st century BCE to 7th century CE). The key dynasty is the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897). Korea was ruled by the Japanese from 1905 to 1945. In 1948 Korea was split into two countries, North Korea controlled by the communists and South Korea a democratic republic. The two sides fought the Korean Civil War from

1950 to 1953, finally agreeing to a border near the 38th parallel.

South Korea is now a constitutional democracy. The executive is the president elected directly by the people. Administratively South Korea is divided into nine provinces and eight self-ruling cities. The biggest city and capital is Seoul with 10 million people, followed by Busan (3.4 million) and Incheon (2.9 million).

South Korea is a major international technological powerhouse, with an educated and highly skilled workforce. It's economy is the 14th largest GDP in the world by purchasing power parity term.

In value, the industry sector contributes 39% of the GDP, and services 59%. The key manufacturing sectors are electronics, telecommunication equipment, automobile, chemicals and shipbuilding. The famous brands include Samsung, LG, Hyundai.

In 2019, pre-Covid, more than 17 million foreign tourists visited South Korea. Tourists from mainland China made up about 40% of all international tourists, followed by those from Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. There were some 400,000 Malaysian tourists that year.

Now we going touring, in the order of the actual itinerary 

Info: Seoul
Our first stop is Seoul. Seoul, officially Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea, with a population near to 10 millions. It forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area, which also includes the Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi Province. The Seoul Capital Area has a population of 24 millions.

Flight and arrival
We flew with Air Asia flying from KLIA 2 to Incheon Airport, taking about six hours and 15 minutes. It was a night flight so we booked the premium flatbed seats for a better environment to induce some sleeps. From the Incheon Airport we took the subway and a short walk to our Noble Hotel in central Seoul, passing a street with trees in autumn colours. Shown an escalator exclusively for luggage at a subway station, the first time we encountered such a facility.

Bukchon Hanok Village 
Our first sight is the Buchon Hanok Village located near our hotel. Hanok means “traditional” Korean homes. This place called Bukchon was originally home to high-ranking government officials and nobility so the renovated homes are rather nice. Good tourist crowd too. 

Gyeongbok Palace

Gyeongbokgung or Gyeongbok Palace (景福宮) was the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), home of the royal family and the seat of government. It is located in the heart of central Seoul. It is the largest of the five grand palaces built by the Joseon kings.

It was first built in 1395, rebuilt in the late 19th century. During the Japanese occupation from 1905 to 1945, more than 90% of the buildings were systematically destroyed. However, since the 1990s, the palace complex has been gradually restored to its original form.

The gates

Gwanghwamun (光化門) is the main and largest among the eight gates of the palace, last restored in 2010. The 2nd photo shows the 3rd gate, Geunjeongmun (勤政門). The other photos show part of the vast palace ground after the 3rd gate and part of the perimeter wall of the inner palace.

Geunjeong Hall

The most important building is the Geunjeongjeon (勤政殿). The name means "hall of diligent governance". This is the throne hall for coronation ceremonies, and where the kings would formally grant audiences to his officials, gave declarations of national importance, and greeted foreign envoys, etc.

The present building is dated to 1867. Constructed mainly of wood, the hall sits on the center of a large rectangular courtyard, on top of a two-tiered stone platform lined with decorated balustrades.

The interior is rather lean. The only major furniture is the red throne at the center, with a big fold-able screen behind. The king is represented by the sun on the screen. Shown also a vessel, one of a few items on display, and the view of the external timber wall and ceiling of the corridor.

Other buildings and places

Other buildings shown include the Sujeong Hall (修政殿) and the Gyeonghoe Pavilion (庆会楼), the former an executive office of the king and the later a banquet hall cum religious ritual venue. The next photo shows part of the royal garden and lastly, from a distance, the National Museum, within the palace ground, which we did not visit.

The palace is of course a top tourist attraction. Shown some one-day Koreans: foreigners on rented Korean costume known as “hanbok”.

Gwanghwamun Square

This is a public area near the main gate of the palace. At the center of the pedestrian-only square are the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin. King Sejong was the 4th king of the Joseon Dynasty, whose greatest accomplishment was crafting the Korean Hangeul script. Admiral Yi Sun-sin won decisive naval battles against the Japanese in the late 16th century.

Insadong

Near to the Gwanghwamun Square is the Insadong business neighbourhood. A notable building here is the S-Samzigil Shopping Mall, a small 4-storey open-space mall with award-winning layout design. The shops sell mostly arts and crafts items and souvenirs. The 1st two photos show this niche mall. 

Cheonggyecheon Stream

Another attraction in this area is the Cheonggyecheon Stream, an 11 km restored waterway with fountains, manicured footpaths, pruned flowerbeds and conveniently located benches along the riverside. There are 22 bridges

along the way, each with a different design.

Gwangjang Market

Gwangjang Market is one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in South Korea. We were here at mid-morning, mostly at the food section. See how much chilli (or dye) used to prepare the dishes, 2nd photo. The last two photos show the most popular food stall: wantan noodle, long queue for a seat.

The most popular food sold, or food with the most stalls, is the crispy golden pancake. We had breakfast here: bibimbap of course. Bibimbap literally means “mixed rice”, a very common and popular Korean dish. The side dish is kimchi, the signature Korean salted and fermented vegetable dish, typically with cabbage as the main vegetable. And, to our delight, it is free refill for kimchi.

Namsan Park

Mount Nam or Namsan is a 243 m high mountain in central Seoul. One could reach the park at the top by cable car but we took the local bus instead. Located here is the 236-m tall YTN Seoul Tower aka Namsan Tower, a communication and  observation tower. We didn’t go up though. Shown beautiful autumn scenes at the park, and a group photo for ladies.

Also an old pavilion and a row of old chimneys to generate defence signals. The most amazing sights are the so-called love padlocks, covering many rows of fencing. A love padlock is a padlock that couples write their names on and

lock it onto a fence or gate or similar public fixture to symbolize their love.

Namdaemun Market

We came down from Namsan Park and had lunch at the Namdaemun Market which is another huge local market place. Shown pig trotters and big ginseng-like roots sold by the roadside. Not sure if it is a species of the real ginseng.

Myeongdong

After lunch we visited the pedestrian-friendly zone in Myeongdong, the famous shopping and fashion district. Shown street scenes and workers starting preparation for the opening of their food stalls a few hours later.

There are several shopping malls here. We went inside the classy Lotte Departmental Store for a short look around. Even their washrooms are decorated with a Monet!

Lotte World Tower

Lotte World Tower is a 123-story, 555 m skyscraper located at the Gangnam area, the richest district in Seoul. It was the 5th tallest in the world when it was completed in 2016. The main observation floor is located on the 118th floor, at a height of 478 m. It features the World’s highest indoor glass floor. Shown the tower at a distance, an “upward” view of a corner of the main shopping podium and two views of the city landscape taken from the observation deck through the glass floor. It was a very hazy day, the last two photos have been

“de-hazed” digitally. See the thin “blades” of the apartment blocks.

Seokchohosu

Nearby is this small lake and recreation park. Also shown a monument of the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, located between the lake and the shopping mall.

Starfield COEX Mall
The COEX Mall, developed in 2000, has the World's largest underground shopping mall. The main attraction, to the non-shopping tourists like us,

is the Starfield Library with the multi-level book racks.

Gangnam Style Monument

In 2012, the Korean singer Psy recorded his hit song “Gangnam Style” and it became a world hit. The song parodied the lifestyle and class markers associated with the nouveau riche (new rich) of the Gangnam region. Psy’s iconic gesture is overlapping his fists in the horse-riding dance. A statue dedicated to the hit song was erected in front of the COEX Mall in 2016.

Nearby are other artistic sculptures.

Bongeunsa (奉恩寺)
This is a Buddhist temple located near the COEX Mall, founded in 794. What we see today are buildings constructed mostly between 1941 and 1982. Shown the main gate, guarded by four Heavenly Kings, each 5 m tall. Shown two of them, the king of the east, Dhatarattha (持国天王) and the king of the west, Virupakkha (广目天王). On the doors are paintings of other lesser guardians, two shown.

The main hall of the temple complex is called Daewoongjeon (大雄殿), with statues of the historic Buddha (Sakyamuni) flanked by two other Buddhas. 

The 23-m tall statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, was completed in 1996. It is a very popular place for prayers in the evening with the statue and the surrounding under flood lights. The base of the statue is decorated with figures of guardians, one shown. The platform has many Buddha statues in niches

and is well decorated with colourful lanterns.

This temple is an approved place for temple-stay, where one has the incredible opportunity to stay overnight at a Buddhist temple and spend some time living as a monk. One could take part too in ceremonies not open to the public.

Noryangjin Fish Market

Noryangjin Fish Market is an extensive farmers’ fish market in Seoul. It was established in 1927 and moved to its current location in central Seoul in 1971.

There are many shops but not many customers in the late afternoon. All kinds of sea food, and many are unusually huge in size. The prawns are almost

a foot long (with a phone for comparison), even the mussels are huge.

We were supposed to have sea food dinner here. We could pick the sea food and bring it to the restaurant on the next floor to cook. But after being quoted

RM 400 to 500 for a crab, 1st photo, everybody’s appetite for crab disappeared. And at the restaurant we did go in, the quoted charges were higher than that in the menu. We ended up finding dinner elsewhere. Sea-food became see-food. Nevertheless we did enjoy a basket of deep-fried tiny crabs and prawns as titbit.

For dinner we had Korean BBQ instead and it was certainly a good choice. Very juicy thick chunks of beef and pork, in a place packed with customers.

Korean Folk Village

The Korean Folk Village is located in Yongin, a satellite city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. It is a commercial set-up to showcase elements of traditional Korean life and culture.

Shown general views of the area, with thatched-roof houses for the commoners and walled and tiled-roof houses for the aristocrats. Over 200 traditional houses dated to the Joseon Dynasty are found here, some said to be

real houses originated from different regions and re-located here.

Shown are decoration and furniture/equipment displayed

in the houses for commoners.

There is a museum with a good collection of exhibits. Shown drawings

depicting milestones in one’s life and wax figures performing everyday chores.

Of course such cultural shows would have live dance performances. 

And lastly some interesting shots: colourful hanging strips of cloth, fences with written petitions, an old temple and four pretty maidens.

Info on Suwon

Suwon is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province. Suwon lies about 30 km south of Seoul. The population is close to 1.25 million. Samsung, Korea's largest company by revenue, is based in this city.

Hwaseong Fortress

Hwaseong is a stone and brick fortress of the Joseon Dynasty that surrounds the centre of Suwon City. It was built in the late 18th century. The massive walls are 5.74 km in length, and follow the topography of the land. The height varies from 4 m to 6 m. The walled inner city is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We started at the north gate cum main entrance, the Janganmun. The gate, topped with a 2-storey wooden pavilion, is protected by a

semi-circular wall, 2nd photo.

East of the gate and at the back of us in the 1st photo is the North-East guard platform and observation tower. The other two photos show the structures of the gate viewed from the top of the wall west of the gate. 

The two photos below show the track on top of the wall towards the west gate. Not easy to walk here because of the uneven surfaces. 

There is this Western Archery Platform with the pavilion newly re-constructed in 2007. Also located here is the Crossbow Platform, last photo.

Among other pavilions we crossed path is this one housing the Bell of Filial Piety. The bell would toll on the hour from 10 am to 6 pm, to remind people on the Confucian virtue of filial piety. 

Soon we reached the end of the re-constructed part of the city wall. We had to detour down to town, via a very steep decline, to the south gate or Paldalmun. Took us about one and a half hours for this tour of the fortress.

Had tasty Korean fried chicken for dinner nearby the south gate.

Changdeok Palace

Changdeokgung or Changdeok Palace (昌德宮) is the 2nd of the five grand palaces built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). It is located within a large park a few hundred meters from our hotel. This is the most favoured palace of many kings. The buildings were heavily damaged during the Japanese occupation (1905-1945). About 30% of the existing buildings were pre-Japanese, others re-constructed during the 1990s. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

There are three entrance gates. Shown the 2nd gate called Jinseonmun (进善门) and its main door. After the gate is the vast 1st court, 3rd photo. Looking in: to the left is the door to the throne hall and going straight is the inner court. The last photo shows one of the eight scholar trees near the 2nd gate, said to be several hundred years old.

The Injeong Hall (仁政殿) is the throne hall of the Changdeok Palace, used for major state affairs like the coronation of a new king and the king receiving foreign envoys, etc. The last photo shows the Injeong Gate leading to the hall. 

The following show some buildings in the inner courts: king’s office as well as his residences. The buildings are mostly locked up. Can’t see anything inside. The last photo shows long queue to buy tickets to enter the royal garden.

We did not enter because of the lack of time.

Some beautiful settings in the inner court, probably the recreational areas.  

The friend is James from Kedah.

An intricate timber grain pattern and three old lock sets.

A few shots of a certain corner of the public park where the palace is located.

It is late autumn.

Info on Sokcho

Sokcho is a coastal city located in the northeast of the Gangwon-Do province, population around 83,000. The city is a popular gateway to the Seoraksan National Park.  

Seoul to Sokcho
It was a three-hour bus ride and we stayed at the Chungchoho Guest Hotel, with two giant Korean pears at the front court. To showcase how Korean women look like? The real ones are much slimmer, really! The more surprising thing was a washing machine in our room.

Seoraksan National Park

Seoraksan National Park in Sokcho is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, valued for its floral and fauna diversity. It covers an area of 164 sq km and includes over 30 granite peaks, the highest at 1,708 m.

It was drizzling lightly for most of the day while we were here. Plans for short hikes to view famous peaks or waterfalls had to be abandoned due to the danger posed by the slippery tracks. Taking cable car to the top for any panoramic view was not a good idea too as the atmosphere was too misty to offer any great views of the surrounding. So most of us just roamed around the base of the park, still a big area to explore. Shown typical scenes. The 1st photo shows the hazy view of the mountain, with limited sight distance. 

Sinheungsa Temple

The Sinheungsa Temple inside the park is said to be the oldest surviving Zen Buddhist temple in the world, first built in the 7th century and has undergone many rounds of renovations. It was originally built to honor the 7th century monk Wonhyo, whose work was fundamental in Korean Buddhism.

The temple complex includes a 14.6 m tall bronze statue of a seated Buddha, known as Tongil Daebul (Great Unification Buddha). It has become a symbol of the future reunification of North and South Korea. It sits atop a 4.3 m high lotus pedestal. Contained within the hollow statue are three pieces of the Buddha's sarira (舍利子), pearl-like remains collected after his cremation, gifted by the Myanmar government. Do note that this statue is rather recent, completed only in 1997, with cost funded by public donation.

The main hall in the temple complex is the Geukrakbojeon Hall, rather small but well decorated. External walls are painted with murals, timber structures well painted too while the interior is dominated by the gilded statue of

Amita-bul (Buddha of the Western Paradise) joined on either side by bodhisattvas. The statues are dated to 1651.

Shown other buildings, including a fierce-looking Heavenly King at the main gate and a cleansing pool.

Older buildings are decorated with murals and paintings. Shown one painted on wood and one on plastered brickwork. And two beautiful door fasteners.

Some interesting patterns formed by the decorative wood panels.

Autumn season
And autumn is in full swing, or more like ending soon.

Gangneung
Gangneung is a coastal city about 60 km south of Sokcho, population about 215,000. We took the inter-city bus for an overnight transit stop here on our way to Andong. This place is famous for its coffee culture, being one of the earliest cities in Korea to embrace coffee when it was introduced to the country in the 1930s. We had a stroll on the Coffee Street next to the coast, had dinner here too.

End of Part 1 of 2