South Korea

You won't know until you try. I say go for it and spend your free time before the trip studying basic travel phrases and social etiquette..

>>1173363
youre right. i think no matter what i would have a good time. even if i cant get around great just going around the core of the city could be fun. im told a lot of people speak english in seoul, at least enough to help tourists

>>1173367
I bought the Lonely Planet phrasebook for Persian when I went to Iran. It helped me out a lot. Surely they have a Korean one as well.

Think of it this way: would you rather spend your free time at home browsing 4chan?

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3MB, 3264x2448px

>>1173360
I went there during the summer for about two weeks by myself and had a great time. I definitely want to go back some day. I meet up with some people from couchsurfers and had a blast with them. Otherwise I hung out with some people from the hostel.

Definitely go for it.

Going to korea for 6 months without learning Korean

Do you intend to learn it at least? Whats the point of doing that...

>>1173488
sorry, i meant to say that ive been planning it for about 6 months . I will probably only go for a week or 10 days

>>1173383
this is the best point ive seen so far, i think ill be going

Be sure to brush up on your Starcraft 2 skills if you wanna impress the ladies...I kid.

Find your local places that sell Korean street food (food truck is something close American equivalent) cause they're fucking amazing

Dude, just do it. You're going to have a sick time regardless, far more fun than you would have at home. Fuck saving money or anything now, you'll be making 2-3 times as much in a few years (assuming you're at college or something).

Anyway, on the topic of South Korea. Where's a good spot to stay in Seoul? I'm looking around Seoul station at the moment. I figure it's pretty central although from what I can gather, Seoul doesn't have a centre

>>1173598
there seem to be a lot of well prices hoels and guest houses near jongmyo shrine. it seem to be as close to the center of the city as you can get. im using booking.com and they have a cool map that shows you all the places in the area

You'll get around fine. The hardest part will be ordering food. I went to Seoul with my mom who is Korean. It was definitely nice to have her their to talk to people, but I got around on my own just fine. All the young people seem to speak english more or less. Definitely hit up Hongdae. There you will find American college girls, homemade street liquor, outdoor performances, bars, all kinds of shit.

>>1173360
>going to worst Korea
It's basically the pleb's Japan, its only selling points are the hiking and having the best food in Asia.

>>1173360
Just Go! Why do you think you're getting "cold feet"? Because you might not like it?

Seoul is a great place. Very vibrant place. No matter what it's a new country with it's own culture. 100% worth it. You're young and have the time. JUST GO!!!

>>1173839
okay im gonna go! people keep telling me i wont regret it so im just going to do it!

Why 6 months only in korea. Get cheap one way last minute flights on skyscanner. Book hotels last minute on booking.com. Stay in seoul until it gets boring. Move on south by train to busan, stop on the way. Fly to japan, fly to hong kong. Its actually cheaper that way plus you get unlimited freedom. Language etc is no.problem.just get a sim card and internet. Google will solve literally everything.

>>1173961
i meant ive been thinking about it for six months. but i am going there to see if i would like living there. i want to look into the whole teaching english thing that a lot of americans do

>>1173400
in the hostels are there lockers and stuff were you can keep your things?

Not OP, but how cheap is Korea? Any cheaper than Tokyo? Seoul would definitely be one of my destinations, so how much should one expect to spend for a 2-3 week stay?

i wish u a nice trip. Where r u gonna stay?

>>1174712
It's definitely cheaper. I went to both Japan and Korea this summer and Korea is much cheaper. I paid for a hostel in central Seoul for eight days as much as I paid for one for three days in Hiroshima.
Clothes, transportation and entry tickets etc. is much cheaper there. But I think food is about the same but you can find slightly cheaper places for lunch in Seoul. I found a bibimbap buffee that sold it for 5000won and that amount would just get you something cheap at a gyudon place in Japan

be careful at the airport when you get a taxi. there are lots of fucking taxi drivers who will rip off travelers. i recommend it's much better to use the subway or the express bus terminal. believe me i'm korean.

>>1174413

That's standard for most decent hostels. Check their website or email them to confirm if you're that worried.

>>1174740
i was wondering about this. i have no idea how im going to get from the airport to my hotel/hostel

bump

i dont know how to get from the airport to the hotel. any tips?

>>1173631
No way S.Korea has better food than hong kong.

Hi, OP. I'm 25 and I'm going alone to S. Korea in december for 2 weeks. I wish I could stay longer but I can't because of work.

All I'm gonna say is: don't be fucking stupid and don't even hesitate. It might be scary because of the language and shit but you'll be fine with english. Also, you're younger and you're going there for 6 fucking months. You can't even imagine how jealous I am. Go for it, because time flies and you'll spend your life regretting and when you become my age you'll get stuck with jobs and shit just like I am right now and it will be too late. I know you can travel whenever you want, but being 19 and having that kind of free time won't happen again.

Sorry for my english.

Good luck and travel safe.

udont need to worry about language. Most of Koreans can understand English.

>>1176013
here u r
http://www.airport.kr/pa/en/d/index.jsp

>>1176023
thanks man! im definitely going! and to clear things up im not going for 6 months thats just how long ive been thinking about going, my bad for wording it poorly. but thanks for what you said it really has me thinking

>>1176026
thank you so much! im not sure what any of this means. i dont live in a city with much public transport and ive never traveled like this before. but ill try to figure this out

To OP.

Since you're heading to Seoul. Don't bother with the taxi's. If worst comes to worst, take the airport limosuine bus or whatever they call it. It gets you into Seoul in like 30 minutes and is cheap. OR take the subway which is also good, and is the cheapest option but will take an hour to get to Seoul.

If you don't mind where you stay, go to a kimchi guesthouse, they're cheap, dirty, and the people are all out going there. They have lockers from the ones that I've stayed in (Hongdae, Dongdaemun, Gangnam). Dongdaemun is in an old red light district filled with burnt out hookers, so if you're into smoking meth and karaoke while getting wristies, you're good.

Hongdae is probably the best place to go hangout at. Gangnam is a meme, it's filled with cafes and is in a rich area but Gangnam itself is mostly filled with cram schools. Itaewon, isn't that great and looks like an old part of Korea compared to the newer and nicer places that is filled with multicultural places that don't make great stuff kek.

Touristy areas: Basically they're all around the Jungno district. i.e. Jongmyo shrine, Anguk, Changdeokgung palace, Cheonggyecheon river, Gwangjang markets for Bindaetteok, Seorak mountain for hiking, Hangang (the big river).

You could venture out of Seoul and head to Busan for a few days, since Busan is definitely a different taste of Korea compared to Seoul. Other than that, enjoy your 10 days.

>>1176051
thanks a lot for this, its very insightful. i will be saving this so i can look at it later when the time for the trip finally arrives

>>1176015
Maybe if you like famine food

Hello Op and others

Ausfag here, however im Asian, I plan on going for 2-3 Months however I am planning on Trekking from Seoul to Busan, stopping at every Jimjilbbang at each town, I never dealt with Winters worse than Australias but ive been told to keep my head and hands covered, will I Survive? serious question

>>1177083
op here, i haven't been there ever but ive been researching the winter so i know what to expect and all i know its that it snows and it is COLD. like super cold

>>1173360
Holy shit dude I've been wanting to do the same thing for a while and am also 19. What did you plan for yourself to do once you get there?

23 y.o. Belgian here. Booked impromptu ticket to Korea as well yesterday. I'll be there from 4th-15th november. Lemme know if any of you guys want to hang out. I've been to Korea regularly and can show you around.
I'm very happy with my decision! Glad you came around as well!

>>1177153
things i want to go to or do:
Namsan Tower
Seoul Museum of History
National Museum of Korea
Insa-dong Art Street
Changdeokgung Palace
Hongdae (Hongik University Street)


besides these things i want to go out to eat at a bunch of those little cozy cafes. i want to go to a few teas house and maybe my korean friend that lives in the US says i need to go to a bath house so ill probably try that as well. my main goal is to just see what its like to live there and to observe that life style. besides all the touristy stuff that is

>>1177281
man i wish i knew one of you guys when im going. im going late december

>>1177410
Korea is a huge metropolitan with literally infinite possibilities to have a blast. It's best to have a local show you around, because you can easily get lost in the more mainstream shit.
My personal best memories of Korea involve grilling some meat, flushing it down with gallons of soju together with other Koreans and taking our drunk asses for a stroll in Hongdae.
Bummer we can't meet up! But you should take a hostel in Hongdae or Itaewon. Those are the places the youth hangs out, so you will definitely meet some people round those places!

Now is not a good time to travel there, Anon. They're in middle of a political crisis, with mass protest all over Seoul locking everything down.

A literal fucking shadow government was discoveref there, with the president and several others being under the thumb of a influential businesswoman.

I'm not even kidding. You might want to wait six months or so.

T:Somone who works in a embassy at South Korea

>>1177470
Europoor here. Why don't we hear anything about this in the news?

>>1177471
It IS on the news.

>>1177486
Not in Belgium.

>>1177511
Belgium's got its hands full with its own politics

>>1173360

I found korean people to be aloof and not so friendly.

As a first time traveller I'd recommend thailand, pattaya for a first travel abroad, just not exactly right now as their king just died.

Going late december as well for 2 weeks Had to brows /pol/ to know bout that political scandal.

I'm still going anyway, It might be a mess but I don't have holidays that often.

Just go dude. An experience is an experience, good or bad.

>>1177643
this mentality makes me love this board so much

I know this is sort of a shitty thing to say, but can I recommend visiting Japan instead?

The culture has similar northeast asian roots, but simply much more distinct and interesting. The people there are also much kinder and the cities are cleaner and more visually interesting. Every neighborhood in Korea sort of looks the same whereas that is definitely not the case in Japan. Japanese food is also much more refined and interesting, based on centuries of tradition and technique like French or Italian cuisine whereas Korean food is pretty monotonous: put it all in a pot with spicy sauce and garlic and call it a day.

There was the distinct sensation of being in a magical place when I was in Japan, like I was visiting some place radically different from where I came from (US).

Korea on the other hand was sort of an ugly country in terms of the landscape and the cities and the people repelled me with their cold attitudes. As opposed to the magical feeling I got in Japan of being in a completely different place, Korea struck me to be a more crowded, dirtier version of America with Asian people, little more than a giant Chinatown. The sheer monotony of the place got on my nerves after a while. Korea is just not a very interesting destination. Even when I got out of Seoul, I was pretty disappointed by how bland the nature was compared to the jaw dropping forests you can see in Japan.

Japan is more expensive but it's worth every penny. Whereas I feel South Korea, even though it's cheaper than Japan, is not worth the money at all. If you have a specific interest in kpop, go to one of the concerts they have in North America every year. As far as actual tourism goes, it doesn't hold a candle to Japan or China.

>>1178208
Japan is more tourist friendly. I disagree about food though. Japanese food is as bland as baby food.

>>1173360
avoid hotels. you will meet people in hostels. better experience that way.

>>1178208
Say whatever you want, but the korean food is like 100 times better.

>>1178240
>>1178280
How jaded and undiscerning are your pallets? Korean food is literally
> cook meat on grill, sometimes with spicy sauce and garlic
> stuff covered in spicy sauce and garlic
> stuff put in a big pot of either weak broth or broth with spicy sauce and boiled for a while
> kimchi lmao

It's stimulating but there's nothing remotely interesting about Korean food if you know anything about cuisine. The whole country's cuisine is literally the plebbest food in all east and southeast asia if you know anything about flavor profiles and cooking technique. There's nothing to it that suggests the intricate flavor harmony Japanese food and even certain regions of Chinese food has achieved over centuries of refinement and sublime technique.

>>1178304
Japanese food isn't that great m8.

>breaded fried pork in brown sauce
>raw tuna
>seaweed
>scrambled eggs

Wow its fucking nothing. Japanese food so massively fucking overrated. I love Japan and it's certainly more interesting and better to visit than Korea but this food fellating has to stop.

Korean food isn't "refined" or delicate but it is certainly hardier, tastier and more satisfying than Japanese food.

T. Tokyo resident of 7 years

>>1178306
We can agree to differ on the cuisine but we can definitely agree that OP's travelbucks is better served going to Japan right? Much more pleasant country, 100x better sights and scenery, 100x deeper and more interesting cultural heritage. Japan also has better international food. OP can find Korean food in most large Japanese cities anyway if he really wanted to.

>>1178208
>>1178309
>>1178306
If you haven't booked your tickets yet go to Japan OP. I worked for a travel company until about a year ago. Japan is one of those countries that customers would visit over and over again once they've had a taste of it. It is that magical. I've never had a repeat customer for South Korea and the few people I've talked to about it said that it was just an overall unpleasant and bland place to be. Korea doesn't really seem to have a unique culture of its own you can't get in Japan or China.

>>1178359
Spaniard here. Visited both countries and I'd definitely would go back to Korea again, even though Japan has obviously more variety. Korea was still enjoyable. Does Japanese people pay you for this Japan vs. Korea freakshow?

As for the food, japanese food is really overrated. Korean food was nothing too special either. Plus, it's spicy as fuck. Stop being so hysterical over food because I'm pretty sure you eat crap in your own countries anyways, at least both of these countries has more variety than US or some parts of Europe. Nothing beats spanish food though ;)

Still, the best option is to figure it out for yourself and visit both countries if you can. It's kinda absurd saying those things in a thread about Korea.

>>1178369
desu...i kinda agree with the anon above. Korea is about the blandest country in Asia. I wouldn't blow the money for a transpacific ticket just to go there. Japan is definitely worth it though. I don't have a desire ever to go back to south Korea but I've already been to Japan 3 times and counting.

Hey OP also 19 year old guy here. Travelled to seoul during end june early july and it was a lot of fun. Also booked a ticket for the 21st of december to go again as i felt i didnt see enough. A couple tips i have are 1. Go stay at a hostel. Shit loads of backpackers a good one is inno hostel in hongdae will stay there again. Its cheap and the staff often joins to club same with the backpackers.
2. Go clubbing if thats your thing but look out it might look cheap but there is this shitty tipping thing where they ask you when you buy a drink to put the remaining money in a tip box. It isnt bad but it will cost a lot if you order a lot
3. Definitely go to busan I couldnt go last time but i will go this time.
4. Dont worry about going alone it will also be my first time alone but if you go to a hostel you will meet people to talk to on the first day. Dont worry about approaching them backpackers love to meet new people.
5. Inno hostel has parties 2 times a month where you can meet up with local people and travellers so you will have a fun time for like 15000 won with unlimmited drinks and food.

>>1179231
ive been trying to find good places in hongdae so i will most likely stay at this one. thanks for the tips im really excited

>>1179446
Michigan pub house hostel is amazing as well.
I arrived there all by myself, being all skittish like a stray cat. But I got welcomed with open arms. the bartenders love getting drunk with their customers and I met some amazing people there. Very sociable atmosphere and definitely recommendable if you are travelling alone!

Just to provide another opinion about the whole visiting Japan vs Korea thing.

I've visited Korea numerous times now and I'm currently living in Japan. As for the food argument, I'll say that the food quality is honestly pretty even. Japanese food is pretty great, but there isn't a huge variety in flavors. A ton of the food here is fried, and they don't really use any spices for seasoning. Basically every dish just has like soy sauce, mirin, and sake. And they cover a lot of stuff in kewpie and bulldog sauce. The base quality of the ingredients is great though, and because of that they don't need a lot of seasoning to bring out flavors. Unfortunately it also means that there isn't too much variation.

Imo Korean food is great too, and has a lot of spices and seasoning done to it, but like Japanese food, it still uses a certain key few seasonings (chili paste, chili powder, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, etc). Regardless, I still think Korean food has a lot more variety in the types of dishes. My con of Korean food though is that because a lot of the dishes focus so much on heavy seasoning, it dilutes the flavor of the actual ingredients. Meh. Oh also in my experience Korea has better/more international restaurants.

As for tourism, it depends entirely on what you want. From my experience, Korean people are friendlier and warmer, while Japanese people are more polite while being cold. Koreans are louder imo, and Japanese cities tend to be cleaner.

Japan has more cool shit to look at, and straight up is a prettier country. Japan also has better historical stuff. That being said, Korea has a better nightlife, and better partying. Koreans are also more "American" culturally, so they're more open to talking to strangers and hanging out with foreigners. Also overall Koreans straight up speak English more fluently than Japanese people do, and I felt that Korea was actually more foreigner friendly in terms of public transportation, museums, etc having English. Will continue:

>>1179542

Continuing:

Japan is only really foreigner friendly in Tokyo imo, and like maybe Osaka to a lesser extent.

Imo if I were to try to make an analogy, I'd compare them to places in Spain (another country I love). Japan is like Barcelona, with amazing food, culture, and absolutely beautiful things to view. Korea is like Ibiza. There's not really things that are unique to that place in the world, but its a great place to play around.

I'd say that if you're trying to get the whole "travel the world, see new exciting things" experience, go to Japan. A lot more is unique about it compared to the West, and it's just a more interesting country imo. However, if you just want to party and meet people and get some experience abroad (not necessarily super far from your comfort zone), then go to Korea. Korea is honestly just a super young country and it shows. It doesnt feel particularly different from America. I do love both countries equally though.

Hope this helped (:

>All this Japan bullshit

K weebs can fuck off now.

Maybe the dude wants to go Korea, Jesus.

>>1178208
>>1179542
>>1179544
>>1178567

anon, go to Japan. You won't regret it. There's nothing in Korea you can't find in say, Ibiza, like one of the anons posted. Korea is just a sloppy boozefest with Asian people, basically a giant Chinatown as the other anon pointed out.

Korea is basically China with Samsung and plastic surgery. Korean people also spit in the streets and will push and shove you – just like Chinese people.

Japan on the other hand, is a civilization unto itself, one of the great cultures of the world. Visiting Japan is a life changing experience, Korea is just a giant hangover.

Hi OP, I'll be studying in South Korea for 4~5 months starting late Feb 2017 and I am currently looking into the possible places I could visit. So far, aside from Seoul and Busan, Sokcho and Jeju seem like places I should visit.

I found Sokcho while writing a report on the South Korean public transportation by just finding a place high up north, but it seemed like a quite fishing village. I believe wikitravel had an article on the place, looked pretty fancy.

The only thing I am worried about while traveling is the difference in communication (formality) and of course how people will look at me as an extreme aryan looking guy (high blond, blue eyes).

So far I have discovered a bunch of things while hanging around with South Korean exchange students; When planning stuff, keep on mentioning the date/time/place. If you forget to do so they seem to just assume times/dates.

korean women are also the ugliest out of all asians. they do have good bodies though. the ones that are attractive ALL have plastic surgery. Japan or China for travel and actual culture. Korea for the easiest most desperate girls in Asia and boozing. impossible not to get laid there if you're white.

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I'm flying to visit my gf who is working in Korea.

She told me to bring condoms because the ones there might be a bit too small.

>>1179590
It's why whites have such an easy time getting laid in Korea. It's been proven Korean men have the smallest penis size in the world.

>>1179590
Not kidding i did have a problem with the condoms there they are smaller so do indeed buy them before you go

>>1179598
To be honest the whole whites getting laid easy thing is blown out of proportion. Ofcourse as a foreign dude you get more attention but believe me you wont score 8 or 9/10's just because you are white. Ofcourse if you know how to aim for the 6s and 7s its easier. Also girls in itaewon are more open to it.

>>1179598
>>1179602

Jeez, feel bad for them... I got a 20 pack, should last the weekend. Hopefully.

>>1179604
Luckily I have zero interest in Korean girls, that "honorary Aryan" meme that was thrown around /pol/ is a fucking joke.

>>1179610
If anything, it's the Japanese that are counted as 'honorary Aryans'...Koreans are far less civilized.

>>1179604
There are no 8s or 9s in Korea unless you're blind to obvious plastic surgery. Koreans are the ugliest race in the orient. Good bodies though and they put out far more than any other Asian race. Put a bag over that shit and pump and dump.

>>1179612
Either you havent been to korea or they arent your type at all. Believe me the girls in korea can be amazing just walk the streets of seoul and you see some beauties.

>>1179624
Plastic surgery can do wonders m8

>>1179627
That whole plastic surgery thing is quite a meme most of them do the double eyelid thing or something small still its a fact that they often do plastic surgery but still the girls look great either way.

>>1179629
You can tell the 8+s there wouldn't be that way without surgery because why else would they have such low self esteem and put out to white guys like nowhere else in the world?

>>1179630
when your country is literally 99.9% korean anything different is worth getting wet over

ok you weebs can say japan is better than korea and i agree, no discussion here

but to say korean women are ugly... you fucking retards need to leave your mom's basement

>>1179598
>>1179602
>>1179610
>>1179612
>>1179624
>>1179627
>>1179629
>>1179630
>>1179633
>1179633
>>1179670

Jesus fucking Christ. MOOOOOODS!!

>>1179552
>Japan on the other hand, is a civilization unto itself, one of the great cultures of the world. Visiting Japan is a life changing experience, Korea is just a giant hangover.

t. Ken-sama

>>1179544
op here, thanks a lot this really did help. im definitely looking for the social experience just how you described. where i live im pretty much a total shut-in(imagine that). so i think going to korea and trying out the night life could be really fun for me. im sure japan is fun and i would like to go someday but i dont think its what im looking for right now. thanks for all of the info!

OP when is the exact date you are going

>>1179728
yeah no problem! i'd say that korea is a better choice when youre younger anyways, as its a lot more socializing and active things, as well as that its a little bit cheaper than japan.

japanese history and temples isnt going anywhere so you might as well go when youre older and have a bit more money saved up~

make sure to do your research and find out the cheapest options. ive definitely found airbnbs that are both nicer and more affordable than hostels. also you probably wont run into any problems as a white guy, but rule of thumb is you generally dont want to be drunk when youre by yourself in a foreign country. have fun!

>>1179571
If you're white, nobody is going to care about the formality of your speech. Just the fact that you can communicate through words is enough for them to be impressed. You get a free-pass basically for being a foreigner.

If you're in a more rural area people might stare at you as they walk by but its nothing bad or really out of the ordinary.

>>1179731
havent booked yet

>>1179750
>dont want to be drunk when youre by yourself

noted, also if i were to book an airbnb how i have trouble meeting people? people keep saying they met other at hostels. would i be fine finding groups at bars or something?

>>1179814
Airbnbs in korea demand that you are atleast 21 i think because the places i wanted to book said they couldnt accepte because of my age

>>1179821
ohh yeah that might be a problem. i hadnt realized airbnb had an age requirement. hostels are still completely fine, its just that you might not get a private room, or bathroom, etc.

as for meeting people, the internet is a great resource. in my experience, reddit and meetup.com are both pretty useful

>>1179824
If you want to go cheap dont worry about the room sharing thing you arent there to spend your day in a room eitgerway just get a bed on a 4 man sleepingroom

>>1179750
I am actually worried about the assumptions when talking to Koreans. Like I stated planning stuff seems to be impossible for a low context direct guy like myself in combination with a high context Korean.
Planning must be just the tip of the iceberg for the communication differences. Perhaps someone could share their experiences with the common miss-communications?

>>1179866
Dude you worry way too much.
Just open your self up to the people in the hostel just say hi and where are you from and start a conversation. Try talking to people who are also travelling alone in that hostel they are also often trying to make friends. Dont worry about safety either i saw koreans sleeping on park benches with their phone and wallet on their stomach while being passed out drunk alone. Ofcourse be reasonable and think normally if something looks fishy dont do it. Clubbing is also great again just go with hostel people you will get some game if you dont look like a trainwreck. Also the guys there in clubs can be fun too as they randomly hang out or talk with you if you show you are a nice dude and your having fun. Think of it like this.. You travel alone no one knows who you are so dont worry too much and have fun but be respectful thats a given

>>1179874
You are right as is
>>1179868

Perhaps I haven't much to worry about so I over-exaggerate the small things.

>>1179876
You are a foreigner staying there for a while. You really dont have to understand all the smart details of the ettiquete there but if you are worried just watch some youtube videos so you have some small basic details. But beleive me nothing to worry about never ran into any problems

>>1179715

Don't come crying to us "weebs" when you encounter an ugly (the country itself, not necessarily the people), uninteresting country, just NOT FUN country with no culture of its own.

Why would you go to a country which was owned by China for a thousand years then owned by Japan? Why not go to actual China or actual Japan? Not just a bootleg knockoff of these two countries?

The nightlife thing is overrated too. If anyone tells you that the nightlife in Seoul is any better than the nightlife in Hong Kong or Osaka they are insanely autistic.

And in those places, you can get nightlife AND culture/history. Just to hammer the point home, there is NO SUCH thing as Korean culture. Korea was a province of China for a thousand years. Go to China if you want Chinese culture.

Korea fucking sucks dude. By no means (assuming you are from the US or Europe) should anyone spend around a grand on an airplane ticket to go there. The only real 'travellers' Korea gets are people from China and SEA that go there for duty free shopping and plastic surgery. Or Korean Americans. That should tell you everything you need to know about it as a travel destination. It's a fucking dump. Don't come crying to us when you realize you could have spent your money on a ticket to Japan, China, Vietnam, or Thailand, all of which are 100x better than Korea for traveling.

>>1179950
OP dont listen to this guy. If you want to go to korea just go. Its fun either way you are still young. And korea is really fun

Lived there for 5 years and married it. The wife is nice thank you much.

Advice: get the fuck out of Seoul. It is fun for nightlife and everything but the rest of the country is sadly overlooked. Jeolla is where it is at for food. It is worth it to train to Meokpo and pick a ferry to some random islands and stay in a pension/minbak over night. Gyeongju is also cool if you are into history. You can check out some big old royal burial mounds and then had over to reservoir area and rent atvs for like 20 bucks for a couple of hours of off roading. Busan has some killer sea food on a small beach in the southern end of town on a little island called Yeongdo. The beach is a pebble beach and is lined with tents selling and cooking seafood. Alcohol is also at the ready with the ladies that run the little joints. Busan also has Yeongungsa which is fairly unique temple wise in Korea in that it is on the sea. Most of the temples are pretty much the same. Tongdosa just north of Miryang has some cool little hermitage and smaller temples in and around the biggest one. Any temple should be visited in the evening around sun down as it is less busy and you get to see the monks do their thing. Drums, chants, etc. It is pretty cool. Eat your face off too. There are reasonably priced restaurants everywhere. The dirtier the back alley the better.

>>1179950
Did you used to teach English in Korea?

>>1179950
>Why would you go to a country which was owned by China for a thousand years then owned by Japan?

And why not? One thing does not exclude the other. You can still go there and have fun.

>The nightlife thing is overrated too. If anyone tells you that the nightlife in Seoul is any better than the nightlife in Hong Kong or Osaka they are insanely autistic.

Ok, then. Who said otherwise? Same as the previous answer, just because they have a better nightlife it doesn't mean you can't have a good time in Seoul. I've been to Seoul twice and I'd definitely go there (but I'd definitely avoid some places as well).

>Just to hammer the point home, there is NO SUCH thing as Korean culture

There is no such thing as 100% culture, my friend, and you should definitely read a history book because Korean has a culture of its own, like it or not, Every country has influences from other countries, even China. And by that logic, people wouldn't visit the US and it's the second most visited country in the world.

I guess you're mad at Korea for whatever reason, and I don't really care. I just don't understand all this hate Korea gets on the Internet. I mean, it's obvious that Japan is overall a better country, but all this extreme hatred seems just like some kind of twisted propaganda.

Sorry for my ESL. I'm Spanish.

>>1179995
Maybe you have a lot of money but a grand is lot to some of us and we want more out of our travelbucks than what a cultural wasteland can offer. Especially when Japan offers so much, much more and is only slightly more expensive. Believe it or not, America has developed its own culture after independence from the U.K. What in the world has Korea ever come up with that they didn't copy from Japan, China or the US? Absolutely nothing.

>>1179950
korean are a chinese knock off? well where do you think japanese people migrated from?

>>1179950
been to korea.
its a nice place and i dont know why you have such a hard on for op to go to japan.

>>1180058
op here, i think its would be nice. im not looking for some crazy new world experience. im just trying to go out on my own and meet some people and have a good time with them. just scared ill go and not find people and sit in my room waiting till its time to fly home

>>1180002
You sound like a sore loser. Let people go wherever the fuck they want, idiot.

Guys im also going to south korea in december it is my second time but i have a feeling i missed so much last time.
Are there any places/ food / whatever you reccomend? My stay is from the 22nd of dec. Till the 5th of jan. I was wondering if there is anything to do during christmas and new year. Solo traveller aged 19 btw

>>1180099
Pretty much the same as you. Going from dec 26 til jan 13. Any suggestion for new year would be appreciated.

>>1180100
Do you already know where you are staying?

>>1180104
No idea. I'd like to go to Gyongju for sure, but I still have to organise my schedule. A few days in Hongdae, maybe hiking in Seoraksan... I don't know. How about you?

>>1173360
when i was your age i always wanted to go to japan, i had friends that wanted to go too. several years later we made a plan to decide to go together,i didnt want to go alone because i was scared but i was going to go no matter what because i felt ive waited too long. in the end everyone backed off and i went alone. best decision ive ever made especially with google maps and the internet at the palm of your hand. i shouldve went years ago alone...i plan to go to skorea in 2017. im tellin you do it now man, itll definitely be worth it dont wait as long as i did

>>1180108
Not OP here but i already went to korea once with a friend now i want the freedom and challenge of going alone. But thanks for the motivational words haha

>>1180107
Im probably staying for a week in seoul at inno hostel in hongdae as i know the owner of the hostel and he gave me a discount. Also i will go to busan with a local friend there. But its not fully planned yet

>>1174738
thinking about staying in hongdae

bump

im super stressed out now. ive never planned a trip and i feel as if im running out of time. i dont really know where and how to exchange money once i go. dont know how ill pay people. dont have anything planned to do once im there, just a couple ideas floating around. any tips are appreciated. all the feedback so far has been great and ive learned a lot but i still need guidance

>>1180573
Mastercard is accepted everywhere and if you domt have mastercards there are loads of international atms who take every card (mainly in english)

>>1180573
If you take up money from the atms it auto exchanges the money check your bank for the costs also 90 percent can be paid by card and keep some cash for the other 10 percent

>>1180573
Finally you can use the visitkorea site for ideas on what to do during your trip. This in clmbination with tripadvisor and youtube should be more than enough

>>1180044
because traveling costs money and you get about 100 times your worth for the money going to Japan than you do in South Korea. You get a prettier country, nicer people, no shoving and spitting in the streets, superior culture & history, just overall a more pleasant experience...what more do I have to say? Literally no reason to go to South Korea. Anyone who speaks highly of South Korea as a travel destination I guarantee you has NOT BEEN TO JAPAN.

>>1180669
Dude maybe the guy is a fan of the entertainment of music or whatever. He has multiple times stated that he really wants to go to korea. Why try to paint it in such a bad way like its trash. Some people like me love it a lot and ofcourse japan is also a great place but korea also has its charm.

OP if you decide to stay in hondae at inno hostel maybe we can hang out a bit its certain im staying there till the 1st of jan. Whatever you want

>>1180669
The weebs on this board are the fucking worst. Just STFU and go suck your shinto dicks somewhere else.

>>1180669
Are you monitoring this thread 24 hours to say that every time you can? I feel bad for you, dude. I mean it. Get some help.

I'm a solo traveller too and I'm going late december til jan 13. I'll stay a few days in Hongdae I guess. We could arrange an autistic meeting somewhere.

>>1180722
sure why not I know one of the workers at the hostel im staying at and will probably go to the club a few times. as long as you guys aren't completely next level autistic we can hang out if you guys want. how old are you/where from?

>>1180669
Dude, give it a rest. You are galactically autistic faggot.

>>1180722
op here, i would be down

>>1179746
came back to check up on OP. wtf is this argument going on here?

I literally just got back from Osaka last night. Personally, I prefer Japan to Korea, but theres no denying that Korean nightlife is better than Japan. Also Korean girls dance better, straight up truth. OP enjoy your trip to Korea, it's tons of fun. Make some friends that you trust to take care of you if youre drunk, and dont carry around too much cash.

>>1180669
This honestly, the only good thing about Worst Korea is the food, and there are Koreans in Japan who can cook so there's literally no reason to every go there unless it's to get a comfort woman. Fuck Korea desu

>>1180852
fuck off samefag

>>1180852
>>1180669
You know how autistic you sound samefag?

Korea would be a fine place if it wasn't for all the Koreans.

>>1180856
>>1180903
Not a samefag actually. How does it feel that more than two people agree a country you've likely never been to is a waste of time? Get off your high horse and stop defending one of the most universally disliked countries in the world. Have you seen the Anthony Bourdain Korea episodes? He just looks like he's so, so bored and wants to be in Japan instead. And this is an SJW that generally loves Asia that we're talking about.

>>1180926
I've been there. It's a nice country.

I'll send you a postcard when I go back, don't worry.

le "SJW" argument

autism at its finest

>>1180926
>one of the most universally disliked country
you know there is a world outside of 4chan?

>>1180991
If anything, Korea and Koreans are less disliked on 4chan than they are in the rest of the world. Truly a dispicable race. They have to claim that Confucius is korean and constantly shit on japan (who brought Korea out of the dark ages) because they have literally no accomplishments in art science literature, anything in their entire history. Yet they can't just accept their place and be humble. They have to constantly go around telling everyone that they are the best without anything to back it up.

>>1180926
>sjw

found the weeb

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>>1181000
>claim confucius is korean
literally a hoax made by 2chan
>hate japan
okay but does that make korea hated by everyone?
if funny how you talk about koreans having nothing anything to back up when you gave me to two most retarded reason why korea is most hated. heres something new ill post real facts BBC poll: Germany most popular country in the world - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104. but you'll probably wont even admit its cuz your an autist weeb faggot.

>>1181085
Why wouldn't it make Korea hated by everyone? Japan is one of the most admired countries in the world. Most people that know about Asian affairs cannot be more tired of Korea's constant hatred of Japan, which spent vast amounts of resources to bring Korea out of the dark ages and protect it from being dominated by Russia or the US.

>>1181090
>Being this much of a weeb

This started as a thread where someone wanted travel advise

>>1180724
24 years old. From Spain.

I'm staying at Inno for 2 days (from dec 26 til 29). We could meet at Inno with OP or anyone travelling in full autistic mode.

ITT: People that haven't been to Korea claiming it is a worthwhile travel destination.

It's not. Get off your high horses and thank me when you decide to visit Japan, China or Vietnam instead.

>>1181244
Been to korea in july def. Worth it

>>1181245
have you been to Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, or any other Asian country?

>>1181256
I've been to several cities in both countries(japan/korea). They're both enjoyable.

I hate people that come teach ESL in a shitty hagwon and then tell everyone korea sucks. Maybe the guys bitching here aren't like that but they're sure posting like they're salty ESL teachers that got a shit job instead of a good one.

I've had friends who have those kinda jobs, they were so negative and miserable to be around, we don't hang out anymore.

Then I have friends with non-shit jobs here and they really enjoy what Korea has to offer.

I've met the coolest and kindest people in Korea. Busan is my favorite place. The street markets, food, shopping, drinking culture, performances. Girls. Also island hopping in Tongyeong.

what up nigs

do you know any good place for concerts? mostly indie bands (punk, hardcore, whatever)

>>1181672
hey nig, i hear hongdae is good for indie shows

>>1181672
there's no indie scene, or music scene that's not k-pop, to speak of in Korea. Koreans are highly conformist and completely uncreative as has been amply shown by their lack of historic achievements. Go to Japan if you want that kind of stuff.

>>1181685
This bait is real

>>1181685
>hurr durr MUH WEEB FANTASY WORLD HAZ MORE TEMPLEZ

I know lots of nice korean bands, I was just asking PLACES for concerts you weeb faggot


>>1181681
where exactly? is skunk hell still alive?

guys that are travelling to seoul during end of december and early january are you only hitting up seoul or also other cities? want to get out of seoul after a week or so already got busan planned with someone i know locally but i was wondering if there were any other good locations to visit during this winter period.

>>1181672
found a fb page but its not really clear if its still around. still i want to go to more places like this this time i go to korea. last time i went with a friend and he is not into stuff like this so its pretty cool to go to things like this.

>>1181699
I found this place called SPACEMOON and it looks pretty cool. Mostly for punk, indie stuff in general. Check it out.

>>1181698
I'm gonna stay in Seoul until new year. Then I'll go to Busan and maybe to Gyeongju. Gyeongju looks really cool for a day or two.

Any suggestion would be appreciated. I haven't planned anything solid yet.

>>1181701
my plan was pretty much the same stay in seoul till january first and then head out somewhere else.(busan) and maybe some other place. seoul is already big a.f so enough to do. my ideas so far included hiking and stuff like that. also the night life is great so will go clubbing a lot more and you have some great places listed on the koreatravel website.

In Korea now, arrived on Friday.

So to go back on things;

- women are a mix, some are crazy beautiful others are complete hounds
- men are super effeminate and seem quite submissive
- we've been approached by no less than 3 weirdos spouting god related shit to us
- Korean food is great but you better like spicy stuff
- public transport is incredible
- forget about buying ingredients for western style cooking (cheese for example)
- the camera market is fucking overpriced but they have nice shit, stick to eBay
- second hand clothing market isn't and you can score HUUUUGE DEALS


Otherwise breddy gud

>>1181718
Where did you find good deals got like 1 k to spend on good clothing but dont know where

>>1181720
There is this market in the middle of the city, it's roofed and shaped like a cross, it's massive. Tucked away in one of the arms is a staircase that leads to a second hand clothes market.

I have no idea what it's called.

I'm currently living in Japan and I'll be in Seoul for the weeks on either side of New Year if OP is trying to meet up (fucking go dude, get on a goddamned plane and live a little). I'm hoping to get a bunch of travel buddies together and rent a house and throw a party or two...

Obviously South Korea has best food in Asia

Small question to pose to the thread while it's up:
Does anyone know if I'm less likely to be admitted into Best Korea with an American Passport if I have a South Korean entry stamp?

I'm trying to swing a China-DPRK-Russia trip next June and don't want to get locked in coal mine for the rest of my life because I shoulda visited the South second...

>>1181884
Most of the guys here including me will stay at inno first would be nice to hang out and drink together and shit. You cant enter north korea after entering south korea i think the stamp will restrict you but not 100% sure

>>1181890
we should definitely hang out. If I see a bunch of weird foreign dudes at Inno I'll assume it's you guys.

>>1181884
Hey anon, I found this:

>Visa-free entry from South Korea

There is one place in North Korea that can be visited without needing any kind of North Korean visa:

Joint Security Area (often called by the misnomer Panmunjom), the jointly controlled truce village in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, has regular one-day bus tours from Seoul for a list of restricted nationalities - see Panmunjom article for details.
{Until 2009, visa-free - actually, special group visa - tours were possible to two other places in North Korea — however, all travel from the ROK to these DPRK locations has been terminated as a result of the 2008 killing of South Korean tourist Park Wang Ja by a DPRK soldier in 2008. (All assets held by the former South Korean operators of these tourist facilities in the North were seized by the DPRK régime in 2011.)

The two tours, that have been suspended until further notice, were:

Kaesong (Gaeseong) - was open to day-long group bus tours from Seoul organized by Hyundai Asan.
Kumgangsan (Geumgangsan) - was accessible by group bus tours from South Korea organized by Hyundai Asan. There were daily buses from Seoul to Hwajinpo, the marshalling area for tourists, who then went by special buses through the DMZ to Kumgang. Tours were normally 2 days and 1 night, or more appropriately for foreign travellers, 3 days and 2 nights.)
Both locations were accessible to Americans, South Koreans, and most other nationalities}

>>1181884
>>1181890

Regarding North Korea. You can still go there and they really won't care. I went there with an American currently working as an English teacher in South Korea and had done so the past five years. As long as you're not a South Korean national there's no problem.

>>1181884
op here, lets all hang out in seoul then go to best korea together. what could go wrong?

flight tips? my flight will be about 13 hours

>>1173360
>6 months in a country even more racist than Japan
You'll be back within a month.

>>1182063
Get drunk and sleep.
Get an aisle seat so you can just walk around.
Get something to support your back and some reading/work.

>>1173360
sup OP. I'm from Cali too. I went to SoKo around Feb. of this year. It was the best travel experience of my life. Granted I had a friend there who was fluent in Korean, but I got around just fine by myself a couple of days.

Obviously Seoul is where it's at. But there's nice nature surrounding the city as well.

I'm a big starcraft fan, so I went to a couple of matches (might not be going on while you're there though.

>>1181959
Super helpful thanks. I assumed it wouldn't be a problem but apparently Best Korea won't notify people about visa denial or acceptance until the day before you actually enter.... My fiancee is absolutely opposed to my visit and I'm not even gonna tell my mother but I'm absolutely set for it.
When did your friend travel to DPRK? I know some stuff got a little tense after the joint factories most recently closed last year or so... (I follow East Asian history and politics like a nerd so that's a big driver for the visit).

>>1182047
I don't expect or frankly want to enter DPRK with people I don't know well. I can only trust myself not to fuck up and get thrown in jail.

That being said, if you or anyone else I'm the thread really want to meet up around NYE let's figure something out :P

so what dates are you guys staying at inno?
anyone interested in clubbing?

>>1174740
Bus ticket will be about $10 and take an hour, subway will be about $4 and take the same time but it's a bit more difficult to navigate at first. Download a subway app that plots routes for you, though, and you'll master it in a couple of days. The subway system is absolutely top tier.

>>1181762
Interested if anyone has a clue what he's talking about. Do you remember the area it was in (Sinchon, Hongdae, Namdaemun)?

>>1182683
Think he meant dongdaemun not sure tho. Its split in 2 with a normal retail place and a wholesale place i think its where he gets the deals

>>1182557
Just 2 days atm, from dec 26 to 29.

And yeah I'd be down.

>>1182742
Sorry, I meant 27 to 29.

>travelling to Japan Jr.

I take Adderall for ADD and I'm a pretty useless piece of shit without it

it's a controlled substance in korea but i've read online you can get the KFDA to give you an approval form

emailed the address provided on their website no response, any ideas?

>>1180209
>koreans are a little closed, probably the most closed in asia
lmao who hurt you

>>1183260
Koreans wont approach foreigners by themselves but if you show that you are open to meeting them they are great. Super fun people.

>>1183266
You're kinda wrong.

I've had koreans approach me often. Young or old. Anytime of day. Moreso if they're drinking.

Korean has got to be the ugliest, most grating language I have ever heard. Simply awful to listen to. I would never go to Korea for that reason alone.

>>1183481
I find Korean one of the most beautiful languages. You have some fucked up ears. Their hangul is also so scientific and mathematical, its insane. Go educate ur self

>>1183332
Same here, I was approached everywhere. When I was alone. When I was with my brother, they approached him and ignored me. It ranged from asking for my KakaoTalk to just trying to give me directions (I didn't need) to taking pictures, or just ahjummas trying to chat with me in Korean/teach me a few words...

I just got accepted by a language school in Busan as a volunteer. How long shall i stay in Korea in general, i'm thinking about around 50 days.

I have no idea about what to expect though, i've never been to Korea and have no idea about it. I will go in late December so i have lots of time to find stuff about it.

>>1183575
It's sooooo easy if you're a white dude. They'll just look at you, talk to you and socialize. Just out of curiosity. It's a fact.

If you're a normal korean dude they become pretty autistic.

>>1183481
As a Spaniard, Korean sounds beautiful to me, especially when a girl talks in a really calm manner. It gets awful to listen to when a loud guy starts swearing and that's basically the 90% of korean men in their 50's. I think it's not the language itself but the way they express themselves, they look like they're constantly mad at something, saying SSIBAL out loud. At least that's what I noticed when I went there for a couple of months a few years ago.

>>1183672
i don't have any advice for you so here's a bump

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whats the shinjuku of seoul?

>>1183762
Does that mean which place has the largest station in the country, which place has the most whores, which place has the most restaurants, which place has the most bars, etc

We're going to have a 12 hr layover in Korea and wondering what the protest situation is like currently. If we take the AREX into Seoul will it be hard to get around. We'll be there 11/22 morning to afternoon.

>>1183762
For whores Hooker Hill by Itaewon. Some of the red light districts are cheaper though and have better talent. It is relatively guilt free though and there is always soju close at hand to wash away your sorrows.

op here, so a few people here are going within the next monthj or so. everybody post the date they are going if you want to meet up. lets start an email chain or something to satay in touch and also just keep coming back to this thread. i think im going over christmas now or maybe right after new years. still not sure

>>1184010
Think everyone heads there about christmas time im there the 21st till 1st of jan in seoul and ill probably head of to busan after that for a couple of days. If you guys are fun to hang around with why not. Lets get drunk go club and do some other shit. Im staying at inno would be amazing if we can do some shit during christmas

>>1184013
Instead of posting our info here lets start a kik group or something we can just put everyone in a groupchat

>>1184013
seems a few guys here are staying at inno. is there only one inno? i dont want to go to the wrong one if there are multiple

>>1184021
Inno hostel in hongdae. there is only one in korea. what date will you be going

I liked Blu Guesthouse over there. Pretty close to a lot of the action. Sinchon right by Hongdae has a number of half decent love motels for cheap if you want a bit of privacy. That is also a popular place for Korean style chicken and beer restaurants.

>>1184013
Busan has some cool light display shit in and around Nampo Dong a few subway stops down from the Train Station. Further down from that is the old PIFF Square with a lot of streetfood and places to drink. Apparently a Brew Pub is there now as the whole craft brew thing has started to get popular with the foreigner crowd. Over by Kyungsung and Bukyoungdae (green line subway) most of the night life is. There are a couple of half decent guesthouses there. Personally if you want something really cool, get a pension over by Gwangalli Beach and party it up along the strip with the bars and some raw fish from the markets.

anyone interested in making a group of the people heading there late december?

sup nigs

i'm going from dec 26 til jan 13. I posted here before, and yeah, I'm down to clubbing or whatever the fuck you guys are going to do.

My only concern is, how are we gonna meet? There's no way I'm gonna post my info here.

>>1184057
Ill make a kik group just join it no need to exchange info

>>1184057
also, how feasible is to go to Seoraksan for 1 day for hiking and shit? is there any cheap hostels around?

>>1184060
Loads of cheap pensions and minbak up there. Most people do an overnight trip out of it there. Well worth it waking up to that mountain air.

>>1184063
aight thanks anon. i'm definitely going there

>>1184058
sound good then. i'll check this thread often and join you guys when you create one

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Any1 who wants to go send a message on this kik ill join you to a group. People who care. Last week of dec. Till first week of jan im there anyone want to chat or meet up contact via this link

>>1184057
op here, think im going from the 22nd to the 29th but im still not sure. im down for anything i just want to meet people and see the city. download kik if you have a smartphone and the chat link is below

Just came back today, Korea is fuckwin.

>>1184256
/thread

>>1184256
Fuckwin?

>>1184298
Fucking win, great, very very good, etc...

Christ.

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People heading to korea during dec.-jan just use this kik code and you will be added to the group. If anyone wants to hang out

>>1184424
op here, join us! its going to be a good time

>>1183672

Why would you volunteer at a language school if you aren't getting any incentive out of it? Also check your visa, etc about the 50 days, you don't want to book the fligth then have to leave on the 30th day or face jail time.

You could go to japan for a week then pop back in for the rest of the time and you'd be alrigth. People do it all the time and I've personally done it myself, just a bit scary when you are leaving and re-entering the countries and you would also need to produce your flight ticket to your home at Japan so they realise that you're not some shady illegal worker.

>>1183762
>>1183979

Hooker hill in Itaewon is instant STD's. So it probably isn't worth it, if that is your thing. There are more red light districts around Seoul though. You could always go to:

Jongmyo park and meet a bacchus lady, they are old and experienced but are cheap. They might sleep with you? I'm not sure though, it's mostly korean old men doing it because they get given viagra, etc.

File: 1478243657363.jpg (19KB, 432x403px) Image search: [Google]

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Do people in South Korea even speak English?

Or is it Chinese or Hebrew or what?

>>1184642
Are you mentally challenged?

>>1184551
I just got a one-way ticket to Seoul. I can stay in Korea without a visa for up to 90 days but i don't know whether i can do multiple entries within that 90 days. I do consider going to Japan, provided i find a place to work as a volunteer again.

The incentive is that i've been a NEET for 8 months and my family is about to kick me out. Some of my friends suggested i can help people practise their English and i found this place in Workway, sent a message, got accepted and now going. I'll see whether it's something i can do as an actual job or not and if i like it, i'm going to sign up for TEFL certificate. Good thing about teaching English is that you can do it pretty much everywhere in the World.

>>1184555
for the boomin grannies I would always hit up the spinning barber poles. Plenty of action there and some around 50K Won.

>>1184721
many come over and do that and check out Hagwons and try to get a job. Then they simply do a visa run. There are some quicky ferries over to Fukoka from Busan. If you leave and come back on tourist visa it just means another set of stamps though. No biggy. Immigration usually does not say very much at all.

I live on the south side and I'll have a week off during Christmas. Didn't book any tickets because the prices were ridiculous.

The group forming up on kik will be in Seoul I'm guessing?

It'd be cool to meet some fellows /trv/lers.

My best friend I met through this site on one of these threads nearly 2 years ago but he left for new zealand on a work visa last week. Fucking love you Ji Wook.

>>1184721
Justify your existence via labor, my son.
My mommy would be more mad I didn't get ducats and flew across an ocean to do it.

>>1184768
yeah we are gonna be in seoul

>>1184741
You want Korean grannies?

That's weird.

>>1184865
They're the old school hookers that would service American soldiers in the 50's... Because they were poorly educated or Korean society discriminated against them, etc.

>>1184721
I've done the Visa run before between Busan and Tokyo, what they do is stamp once you enter, then stamp once you leave. When you re-enter they will stamp you again, and when you leave they will stamp again. Do hold onto your ticket in Japan or Hong Kong or China or where ever you do that visa run because if they want to see the return ticket, they do have the power to get you sent home.

The hardest people were the people in Japan, on entry I got asked what I was doing there (told them I was going to check out Japan) and also got my suit case inspected (probably to look if it was work gear or something). On return, In Tokyo's narita airport, I did get asked for a return ticket as they were ready to send me back to Australia which would've been shit. Returning to Busan was a bit nervous for me, because I was worried that they would instantly turn me back to Australia, but they didn't.

Additionally since you're there, learn some Korean before you get there, or try to take a class while you are there. It might cost you a bit, but it would look cool on your resume and tell employers that you were doing things while unemployed. I did a similar thing when I was unemployed (im in australia, in the worst city for youth employment).

OP, I went in December last year with my roommate to see a couple Korean friends who we had grown up with in the states. We were lucky enough to have one friend's parents let us stay in their apartment in the central part of the country; his dad was happy to drive us around to different parts of the country for a couple days and be our guide/translator since he takes pride in his country. After we did some cultural sightseeing the first three days, we spent the rest of the week in Seoul. My roommate and I split the cost of a cheap hotel in Jung-du that was only a few kilometers away from the Seoul tower. If you're trying to save money, you can stay just outside the really popular areas like Hungdae since all the hotel operators there know it's kind of a tourist trap (although definitely worth checking out). I took $200 spending cash in Korean won and wish I had taken another $100 or $200 more, but I was happy with the amount I took given it was my first time traveling outside the US.

I wouldn't have gone if my roommate hadn't convinced me, and let me say that it was 110% worth it. There will be a bit of a language barrier for sure, but a lot of Koreans speak English and you can also mostly get around by struggling through the conversations with people. Just pull the trigger and buy your ticket man! The only thing you'll regret is if you don't take this trip while you can.

A few things that stand out in my memory about Korea:
>you'll get used to eating kimchi with breakfast, lunch, and dinner
>Seoul feels like a pretty safe city
>the transportation system and infrastructure is amazing, use the subway to get around anywhere in Seoul in ~45 minutes
>don't be sad about having to leave; just make a note of everything you didn't get the chance to do and plan your next trip with that in mind

tl;dr
JUST DO IT

going to the pleb's Japan...are you serious....

>>1184898
Nice. Legacy poon.

It's like a mix of trv experiences, you are both a sleazy sex tourist and an educated scholar of local history simultaneously.

I take it back, granny mamasans are the best. After she gives you a gummer cuddle up and talk to her about "the good old days" while spooning.

>>1173363
>You won't know until you try.
This

A thousand times this.

Who EPIK spring intake here? Anyone get a placement yet? I got into the program with Korvia, just awaiting my placement

>>1185077
Also, how easy/difficult is it to hook up with Korean women? I'm going to have my own apartment and I'm a tall, attractive white guy, however I would be bothering to learn much of the language because of the immense time required (it's one of the most time consuming languages for English speakers ) and I'm already teaching myself two languages

>>1185079
Learning some of the language can help, but a lot just want to try out their english with you. hit up cafes and language schools and try to get in on an exchange with someone. those are usually the easiest ways to pick up chicks. I ended up with the mrs. this way. Be wary of the bitches you meet in foreigner bars though. Quite often those chicks are a little more wary of foreigners and yellow fever as they have likely slept with one or four of the people at the bar.

>>1184865
they know how to please you and will be done for a bit of rawdog.

>>1185079
>I'm going to have my own apartment and I'm a tall, attractive white guy,


Sounds like you've passed the 3 tests......you don't even need a car as you would in America. What you do need however is a fancy job, or prestigious education you can fake. Those sort of things will put you far ahead of the GIs in Korea.

>>1185079
Lol you're probably average as fuck get over yourself m8. If I had a buck for every "tall, pretty good looking white guy" asking about getting laid in Korea, Japan, etc. I'd be, well, you know..

Why would you go to a country which copied everything from Japan when you can go to actual Japan? I will never understand this.

>>1185407
Because they copied everything except autism. That's enough for me.

Also, Korean women > Japanese women

>>1185411
japan is 100x the travel destination that Korea is. Koreans are just as autistic as any other asian. are cheap thrills all you look for from travel? do you not look for art, culture, history?

Are you really so debased? because Korea has none of that. Korean art? give me a fucking break. It's fucking nothing compared to Japan. The seoul palaces are modern reconstructions that look like they were built yesterday while kyoto is truly mindblowing by comparison. But sure, korea is a great place for cheap thrills and loose women.

>>1185414
word to this anon. everything korea offers to travellers, japan offers too except on a higher level. Except for the women maybe. But are you an actual traveller or just a degenerate sex seeker?

>>1185414
>>1185415
Come on, dude, don't be too obvious.

>degenerate sex seeker
>"everything is shit except women" typical resource to soften your shitty biased argument

Truth is, I've been to both countries and I had a better time in Seoul. People were surprisingly open minded and nicer than Japanese people. I mean, Japanese people are polite, but it's only and image. Also, clubbing in Seoul is incredible.

Yeah, its architecture and shit is better, but that's not everything a country has to offer.

>>1185431

t. Korean Tourism Board

>>1185414
>>1185415
hurrr durr only been to Seoul

Seoul sucks ass. Not even Korea.

>>1185466
nice assumption dude. i've been around. every korean city has the exact same architecture, the same chains, the same food. it's an awfully monotonous country, much more so than Japan. the buddhist temples are wayyyyyyyy better in japan too. the countryside & national parks are prettier in japan too. there's literally nothing korea offers to travellers that's on a higher level than japan except for cheap drinks and easy lays.

how sad must it be to be a korean. to have had a neighboring country for centuries that is everything that it is, except better.

>>1185431
White female here. Japan treated me a lot better than Korea, but then again, I'm white and a girl, and the ojisans would look at me weirdly all time so who knows.

Overall Japan had nicer people, but both places are good.

>>1185476
Unlike Japan, Korea actually has a Rape Culture and Korean men will not hesitate to rape and molest women if they think they can get away with it. They are also notorious for being physically abusive. Korean wives are some of the most battered on the planet.

White women WILL not be protected by the police in case of rape by a Korean national. Koreans are notorious misogynists

If you were traveling alone, consider yourself lucky.

>>1185477
I wasn't alone. Koreans wouldn't even look at me in the eyes, go wonder about rape.
While in Japan people would always smile and actually look at you.

I had a feeling koreans are a lot more arrogant than japanese, and I was nice with both, so for me Japan had nicer people, at all.

>>1185483
word. it's a huge mistake for white women to be alone in korea. even chinese men are not scummy rapists and wife beaters like koreans are.

>>1185476

who gives a fuck whore? you can't even relate to what it's like being treated as a man

>>1185492
tfw you are a not a woman having to be asked if they are from Russia by Korean dudes

>>1173360
The anon saying hostels is the way to go is right. That is what you should do. Do not stay at hotels. You're young so you'll fit right in.

Don't hook up with distant family friends' family. That's a terrible idea. You want to be free and uncommitted... not having every embarrassing detail of your stay get sent back to your Mum via her friend. They are your emergency contact for the (extremely) unlikely situation you actually need them, nothing more. MAYBE meet up with them for dinner after you've been there for a week (at least) and are settling in.

Go to hostel.
Meet people your own age (or so) who are also on holiday.
Western chicks in Asian youth hostels are the easiest Western chicks in the world.
>ohh the ass I used to have back in the day
>the stories I could tell

You won't need any Korean to get around Seoul. Just carry a business card for your hostel to show to taxi drivers if you're too tired/drunk/rushed for the subway.

Don't listen to the haters. Book hostel. Drink with strangers. Go to bars. Bang girls.

DO IT

>>1185492
Tell me more, I'm interested to know

>>1185476
Please tell me, how did they treat you? Were you expecting a free bukkake as a welcome gift? Unless someone treats you badly on purpose there's no reason to complain, you stupid attention whore. And ofc they looked at you weirdly, they were probably asking themselves why on earth an obese white female would go to their country.

>Going to Japan minus the culture and history, or being more generous, China minus the culture history plus a very marginal level of civility and cleanliness.
>B-b-but Korean women
>muh nightlife
>shaking my fucking head brothers
>are you even travellers

So i'll be spending a month or two in Busan and i was wondering;
How much money do you spend on average there ? I'm not going to spend anything for accommodation and basic food though.
Is there a recommended phone carrier there ?
I don't have a smartphone currently. Can i find one from there for cheap, if yes where ?

I'll bring $600-700 with me and would like to spend as little as possible for 50-60 days. I'm not even a drinker

>>1185707
You need about 100 dollars or so to take the ferry to Fukuoka.

>>1185141
>Lol you're probably average as fuck get over yourself m8
Possibly but if I wrote "I'm average/decent", you would've guessed (4chan withstanding) that I'm your archetypical gross greasy delusional cheeto fingered chan poster with a neckbeard

>>1173360
Im an American who has been living in Seoul for about 4 years and I can verify that unless you go to the countryside it is extremely easy to get by with just English, and not completely impossible anywhere at all. I speak Korean now but most of the time Koreans are so eager to practice their English it is unnecessary.

>>1185477
> White women will not be protected.
> Show up at your embassy
> Say you've been raped and the police won't do anything about it
> International spotlight on the police

>>1185707
you can pick up a sim card at the airport in gimhae. that is connected to Busan by the light rail line that goes from Sasang out to the airport in like ten minutes. It is like 10 bucks or something. If you want to drink, cheapest option is to convenience store drink. Many have patios available with coolers full of booze for like a dollar and up. Cheap food = local markets. Bujeon has a fairly good one. So is Gaegum. Wander around and see what you like. Other cheap options include the local specialty Daeiji Gook Bap which is this huge bowl of pork bone broth with rice, pork, bit of veggies and huge dollop of chilli paste. Behind the Coffee Bean and Leaf outside of exit 7 of the Seomyeon station there is literally an entire small street with only restaurants serving this. Cost is between 5 to 6 bucks for a giant bowl. Most are open 24 hours. If you want to really be tight try spending some nights at a sauna. Many have sleeping rooms which are big communal rooms with mats where a lot of drunks sleep it off. Kyungsung had a pretty good one just down the street from the station. That is also popular foreigner area so you should be able to find some help there in directing you as most expats know it. Cost is like 7 bucks for entry. I slept there a couple of times and it is not the cleanest, but well worth a quick nap and shower/bath/sweat before jumping on the train and back home.

>>1185708
For the overnight slow one yes. Even more for the Beetle. Might be even cheaper and or quicker just to book a flight there. Gimhae in Busan and Gimpo in Seoul have the cheapest. I have heard the slow over night boats can be a party though.

hello all this is kind of a wtf question

going this winter to visit and get double eyelid surgery. my moms plan is to land, operate, then travel. she says it's totally normal to see people walking around post-op and i shouldn't feel weird about it.
is this true? i'm undoubtedly going to look like a mess post-op and i don't want to walk around getting stared at

>>1186937
I see post op people quite frequently. I was under the impression the double eyelid thing didnt require much healing to begin with. I know two people who got it together and they looked conpletely normal when I saw them 3 days later or so.

>>1186946
it depends on the type of procedure. i'm doing the more invasive one, where part of my eyelid will be snipped out

>>1186937
I literally saw girls with their whole face covered, they were just going about their business as if it was completely normal for mummies to walk around. It was really hard for me as a foreigner not to stare, but locals don't even notice I guess. Plenty of people with taped noses walking around in Seoul, etc.
It's pretty common.

>>1187082
ok thank you!

>>1173598
If you're looking to be Central i'd say something in namsang-dong? Though prices might be on the high end there. Personally i will be staying in pacific hotel there but it's not cheap. Amazing hotel and location though.

>>1185477
This is so wrong. Koreans wouldn't dream of touching a white girl because they know the cops will annihilate them. There are cameras EVERYWHERE, I've never felt safer than I did in Seoul, traveling alone as a female. I even noticed like, 8 year old girls walking/taking the metro alone and it freaked me out before I noticed the cameras everywhere.

>>1185477
I have been living in Korea for 8 years. You are 100% full of shit.

>>1173360
Nigga I'm Brazilian and came here with a tourist visa and $1000, no ability what-so-ever to speak Korean, and ZERO family support.

Don't be a fucking pussy and just come already.

>>1187082
In Busan there is a famous plastic surgery Street. They even have a kiosk set up for tourists who interested in getting work done. Koreans act like it is no different than getting your nails done

Just go to Japan instead unless you're looking for plastic surgery or a kgf. Korea is literally the most boring & least interesting country out of the 30-something I've been to.

/thread

>>1188463
>bragging about 30 countries on /trv/
>knocking Korea in a Korea thread
>threading own post

m8...