I grew up in Michigan. Culturally, that’s about as different as a place can be from South Korea.
I have nothing in common with the people of Seoul. I look different. I talk different. And I’m pretty darn sure that many of my beliefs are different from theirs.
Oddly enough, it’s one of my favorite cities in the world to visit.
Yes. You absolutely need to go to Seoul.
Even if South Korea has never been very high on your list of places to travel to, I can’t recommend spending a few days in Seoul highly enough. Here are 6 good reasons why:
1. It oozes “big city” vibes while still clinging tightly to its roots
Yes, Seoul is a high-energy (24 hr) big city. It’s loud. Crowded. Any difficult to navigate without a good map.
That said, the history of South Korea runs deep. You’ll see monuments and temples preserving (and respecting) that history all throughout the city. There’s always something interesting to see around every corner.
I really like how the residents of this city are just as proud of their heritage as they are of becoming one of the world’s largest and most profitable business centers.
2. I like how everything is extremely clean
Most of Seoul is spotless and clean. Everything is meticulously maintained, and I’ve never once found myself muttering “eeww” while stepping over a pile of something gross on the sidewalk.
Everywhere you go, you’ll find handymen (and even shop owners) furiously tending to anything in need of repair. The residents of Seoul take immense pride in their city. I like that.
3. I feel safe wherever I go
On my first visit to this city way back in 2015, I specifically chose to stay at the Seoul Plaza Hotel due to its central (and seemingly safe) location. Turns out that was a bit of an overreaction on my part.
I learned very quickly that Seoul is safe enough to explore any dark back alley without fear of being murdered (or at least horrifically maimed). I don’t even hesitate when choosing a direction to wander aimlessly around the city.
I’ve never felt threatened. Scared. Fearful of my life. Even in the really sketchy looking parts of town. Come to think of it, maybe I like that because it makes me feel tough. I don’t know.
4. The Korean language is as amazing as it is frustrating
One of the things that I love most about travel is hearing (and experiencing) different languages. The more complex the better IMHO. Seoul is a great place to go to be overwhelmed by a new language.
Prior to my first ever arrival in South Korea back in 2014, I did what I always do before traveling abroad: I researched how to say basic things like hello and thank you in the native language. It didn’t go well.
Annyeonghaseyo (hello) and gamsahapnida (thank you) are really hard to memorize. Not only that, it’s difficult to get my mouth to make the kinds of noises necessary to pronounce them in a somewhat coherent manner. The Korean language seems more complex to me than German (or Dutch).
To this day, I can say hello and thank you in a lot of different languages. Except Korean. I’m still working on that one.
5. The little details are amazing
I always discover neat little things each time I walk around the central area of Seoul. The kind of things that make me think “why the hell don’t do they do this in every city?”
Consider the crosswalks: many of the crosswalk lights have tents for people to stand under. These tents provide shelter from the sun and the rain. It’s utterly brilliant IMHO.
6. Public safety is impressive
The last time I was in Seoul, I received two public safety alerts on my mobile phone. It was all in Korean, and I couldn’t understand a word of it, but I appreciated their effort to keep me in the loop.
Another thing that I noticed is that there are lights built into the sidewalk at major street crossings. The lights glow red when it’s not safe to walk, and green when it’s okay to go.
It’s kind of nice to walk around a city feeling as if the local government actually cares for your well-being. Maybe they don’t, but at least they make it look like they do.
