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A Seoul-ful Winter

Exploring the Hermit Kingdom's Capital City. Seoul is a hidden gem, that slowly unveils itself to the curious and the patient

With a population of over 25 million people (nearly half of Korea's total population), Seoul's metropolitan area is the second largest city in the world, after Tokyo. If you are travelling East this winter, why not stop by and return with very special memories?

Seoul is a younger city than many others in Korea and it only became the official capital after the advent of the Yi/Choseon dynasty (1392-1910). The previous capitals had been Gyeongju for the Unified Silla Kingdom in the South, and Kaesong, now the site of a joint North-South Industrial complex in modern day North Korea, and capital of the Goguryeo dynasty from which we hail the English name Korea.

The city is said to have been chosen, like many other places, because of geomancy, the belief in gods expressing their appreciation through magnetic fields and other divine symbols. In East Asia, this is very closely tied in with the Yin/Yang set of beliefs. Seoul is ideally placed on the river Han, surrounded by mountains and quite close to the sea.

In modern day Seoul, a belief in geomancy and a good compass are also needed for the visitor as orientation is notoriously difficult in this city. There are historically no street names in Seoul . The city is divided into 25 gu or greater districts and subdivisions called dong or neigbourhoods. The Korean government has attempted to initiate street names in the last decade but with mediocre success.

Street numbers are even more confusing as they are organised according to the oldest building on the street and not the first. But be reassured! This is the most connected country on earth and not only does everywhere have the internet but metro stations are also equipped with free touch screen maps and information services.

For the visitor, the metro network is really the best way to move around the city. The system criss-crosses the entire city and is clean, efficient and WiFi is available and free in every wagon (seriously!). It is also very affordable with prices starting at KRW900 (€0.60) and then adding the rest on according to the distance travelled.

But the metro experience can sometimes be daunting especially during rush hour or on busy lines. Another very easy way to travel through the city is by taxi. Unlike many other international capitals (Paris, London, New York), Seoul has understood that providing affordable taxis to its citizens is an integral part of a rising standard of living despite globalisation.

With prices starting at KRW2,400 (€1,60) during the day and KRW2,800(€1,90) at night, it is easy to move around the city. The main problems are communication, as few taxi drivers speak any English at all, and the itinerary to the destination, because of the aforementioned dearth of street names. But never fear! A free translation service is available in most taxis through a municipality-run call centre and the availability of real-time GPS services.

Once the formalities of transport are resolved, a great place to start one's exploration of Seoul is next to the Seoul City Hall. It is just down the road from Seoul station, the main railway and bus terminal, and is at the epicentre of a curious blend of traditional and ultra-modern culture and architecture.

The most eloquent exponent of Seoul's reaching for the future will be at this point, just behind the visitor standing on Seoul Plaza. The City Hall itself is having an entire glass and grass skyscraper added to it which is rising, like many things here, at an impressive rate.

Facing the City Hall is the Deoksugung Palace, a suitably large former royal complex of buildings that show how the court lived until the Japanese domination. Further down the street is a massive bronze statue of King Sejong the Great, the Korean equivalent of Louis XIV in France or Henri VIII in the UK.

Besides being a sponsor of the arts, a keen thinker and an insightful political strategist, Sejong is credited with having ordered his scholars to design an entire new alphabet to increase his country's literacy. This resulted in hangeul, the recognisable 24-character script Koreans still  use today and protected by UNESCO. Thanks to this gift, Korea's literacy rate rose to becoming the highest in the world.

Rising behind the statue and clearly visible will be the Gwanghwamun great gate, which is also the name of the neighbourhood. This gate was destroyed and restored twice since its creation in 1395, the latest of which was 2010. It served as the main gate to the Gyeongbokgung palace and was actually moved and realigned with the original north-south axis of the palace during its latest reconstruction.

Gyeongbokgung is one of the five palaces of the Choseon dynasty that can be found is by far the largest and the most impressive. Walking the grounds with the peaceful mountains on one side and the furious pace of the skyscrapers on the other can literally make it feel like a timewarp but an enriching experience nonetheless.

About one metro station away at Anguk the visitor can come and visit Insadong, the last surviving medieval neighbourhood of Seoul. Between the thirty-five year-long Japanese colonisation and the Korean War, few traditional buildings remain today in Seoul and the functionalism of Korea's architecture until recent years is quite obvious to the eye.

Yet, walking the streets of Insadong, offers a glimpse of what medieval Seoul would have looked like. Between the beautiful modern art galleries, the upscale tea houses and the even more affluent houses, the everyday rush seems to be shut out and cast away as one walks up and down the hilly streets that make up the vicinity.

Returning to Seoul's modern day era, another great way of delving into Korean culture is to explore the myriad of museums that are available across the city. Both the national and local government invest hugely in promoting local culture and heritage which results in museum tours being widely available in English.

Of the museums, two are probably the easiest to say and they are a ten minute walk away from each other. At Ichon, housed in a beautiful modern architectured building looking over Namsan Mountain is the National Museum of Korea. It houses artefacts and paintings tracing the history of Korean culture. At Samgakji, the Korean War Museum offers a stark reminder of how far the South has come in sixty years after the destruction and atrocities it previously witnessed, and gives an idea of what its Northern counterpart may be suffering.

After all this walking and exploring, food would be in order before going out. A brilliant place to enjoy Korean food is around Gangnam station through the diversity and range it offers. It is easy to find a very friendly Galbi restaurant, marinaded beef ribs cooked at the table on gas grills. Once cooked, Galbi is usually eaten wrapped in salad or sesame leaves after being dabbed in sauce.

Food in Korea is always accompanied by panchan which are small side-dishes of vegetables, fish and the omnipresent Kimchi, a form of fermented cabbage in a sweet-spicy sauce which Koreans claim has many health virtues.

A recommendation to the reader is to be aware that Koreans use iron chopsticks, arguably the hardest to use, unlike their Japanese and Chinese wooden counterparts. Though knives are prohibited from the table because of their symbolic value, scissors are permitted and can help cut up the meat and cabbage into smaller pieces.

Finally, the reader can happily explore the many bars and night venues Gangnam has to offer around the Gangnam station again but also around Shinsa and Apgujeong, the very hype and trendy districts where fashion and design meet for all night drinks.

And the best way to finish these late nights out is at the Jimjilbangs, the public bath houses. For below KRW10,000 (€7), customers can enjoy a variety of hot and cold spring baths with full amenities provided and no time restriction. These bath houses are spotlessly hygienic and are segregated by gender but usually offer a common sleeping and relaxing space once dressed in the provided pyjamas.

The city is increasingly becoming a power-hub in Asia in everything from music with K-Pop to finance, design and electronics and is rivalling Tokyo and Shanghai in many ways. Seoul can offer many of its charms in one visit but it is only the city's own magical way of whispering to the visitor to return to discover its many other hidden facets.

by Pascal Goodman