Cultural Attractions | Eating & Drinking | Night Life & Entertainment Shopping | Social Organizations and Clubs | Sports | Travel

Cultural Attractions Visitors have many opportunities to sample Korea's long and rich culture, whether it be in the form of visiting museums, folk villages, and historical sites or attending traditional music recitals and dance performances. Traditional holidays always bring out many examples of traditional life. Various festivals allow people to watch and participate in many traditional sports and games

Eating and Drinking In addition to kimch'i and rice, Koreans mainly eat soups, vegetables, and seafood, reserving meat dishes for special occassions. Many types of foreign foods can also be found in Korea, with Chinese, Japanese, and Western fast food restaurants existing in all price ranges. Beer and soju are the most common alcoholic drinks, with a variety of traditional, rice-based drinks also being popular. Our new Food and Drink section describes Korea's most popular types of food and drink, explains how to eat them, and looks ar different types of restaurants.

Night Life and Entertainment Korea has a lively night life scene, with bars, singing rooms, night clubs, and cabarets. Most areas have a midnight closing time. (However, that does not stop the true die hards from going underground and continuing to party!) Additionally, Korea offers many Western activities such as movies and amusement parks.

Shopping The won's devaluation against world currencies has revitalized Korea as a major bargain for shopping. Quality antiques and leather goods, as well as cheap clothes and shoes mean tourists need to bring an empty suitcase to take all their purchases back home. Visit the Life in Korea on-line shopping mall for products and services related to Korea and travel.

Social Organizations and Clubs For many people planning to spend a long time abroad, especially those families with children, being able to socialize with people from their own country can be critical to dealing with culture shock. Korea has a number of organizations for expatriates. Plus, there are several that help bridge the gap between cultures by helping Koreans and expatriates with common interests meet each other.

Sports Koreans are very competitive, and local sports teams draw big crowds whether it's the playoffs for professional teams, a hot inter-college rivalry, or a company's annual sports day for its employees. The venues from the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul still house major sporing events, and riverside parks give amateur athletes places to compete. Korean and expatriate clubs exist for a number of team and individual sports. Bring your own equipment or buy it cheaply here. In addition, Korea has many traditional sports and games.

Travel Korea has many different sites for the tourist: scenic mountains provide hiking trails and skiing, sandy and rocky beaches draw millions of swimmers and sunbathers each summer, lakes and streams attract fishermen and vacationers looking for a break from the heat, and natural hot springs claim to provide cures for all types of illnesses. Each province and major city has many museums and other historical areas help the traveler learn more about Korea. Explore by yourself or join a tour.

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