Country Resources
Travellers Tips
Offers & Topics
Recommended Sites
- Holiday Brochures: Travelwhere
- Central London Car Parking
- Seychelles Travel UK
- Turkey Villa Rental
- Airport Parking Offers
Korea - Time to take a new look
Korea is one of the most exciting destinations in Asia, where 5,000 years of history and culture effortlessly mix with high tech 21st century living.
The Korean Peninsula stretches south from the north-eastern coast of Asia and has some 3,400 islands dotting its coastline.
The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is separated from North Korea by the De Militarised Zone (DMZ) and this unique area has ironically become one of the most popular excursions in Korea – a must see for any visitor to the country.
Seoul, the capital, boasts a colourful 600 year old history and in recent times is remembered as the host of the Summer Olympics in 1988 and co host to the FIFA World Cup in 2002. In 2010 Korea will play host to its first ever F1 Grand Prix.
Korea is one of the most technically advanced countries in the world and Seoul is recognised as the most connected city on our planet. Here mobile phones work on the subway, TV on mobile phones is the norm and the average broadband speed is 50-500mbps with some areas having 1000mbps as compared to an average of 3-5 mbps in UK.
The rich taste of Korean cuisine, with its numerous side dishes, has long been highly acclaimed for its health benefits and continues to gain popularity around the world. In the UK, more and more Korean restaurants are opening to cater for its increase in popularity.
The most commonly known dishes are kimchi, a spicy, fermented cabbage; bibimbap, rice mixed with meat or vegetables; bulgogi, grilled marinated beef.
Many fresh vegetables are used in creating traditional Korea dishes making it popular also with vegetarians.
From ancient times, Korea has referred to its natural environment as geumsu gansan (a golden tapestry of rivers and mountains) and you do not need to travel far outside Seoul to see what they mean – the mountains and forests that make up this country are stunning with each season adding its own distinctive feel and colour to the landscape.
Korea’s culture is interwoven with the landscape and major historical and archaeological sites dot the country. There are now 9 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Korea.
Korea’s contemporary culture is having a huge influence and impact in Asia and is now spreading to the West. Known as the Korean Wave fashion, music, film (such as Old Boy and the Good the Bad and the Weird), theatre (Jump and Nanta both played at the Edinburgh Festival and to pack audiences in London) have all been critically acclaimed.
See the Country Connect listing for more information about Korea