Discover Korea Now

 Picture this: you land in Seoul in December, step out of Incheon Airport in your favorite wool coat, take one breath of icy air… and immediately realize you have underestimated Korean winter by about three layers. If that sounds like a possible future you, this post is your warning and your rescue plan. In the next few minutes, you’ll get a clear idea of what winter in Korea actually feels like, how it has changed over the last couple of years, and exactly how to dress so you can enjoy all the cafés, Christmas lights , and night markets without shivering through the experience. What Korean Winter Really Feels Like On paper, Korean winter doesn’t sound that extreme. From December to February, many cities, including Seoul, sit around freezing: daytime temperatures often hover near 0°C (32°F), sometimes a little above, sometimes a little below. At night, it’s normal for the temperature to dip into the negatives, and on harsher days it can go down to -5°C to -10°C. The numbe...

 If you’ve been scrolling through social media dreaming about visiting South Korea , you’ve probably seen the same advice over and over: visit Seoul , eat Korean BBQ , go to a K-pop store , repeat. This guide is different. It’s written from the perspective of foreigners who already traveled to Korea and are now passing their real-life lessons on to you — the things you only understand after you’ve actually been here. From what kind of card really works, to why you should never wait for the bill at your table, this is the kind of practical detail that makes your first trip smoother and a lot more fun. Before You Pack: The Empty Suitcase Strategy & Money Basics Let’s start with something simple but powerful: bring an extra suitcase . Many experienced visitors recommend traveling to Korea with two pieces of luggage : one with your clothes and essentials, and one that’s almost empty. It sounds dramatic until you walk into a Korean beauty store or a clothing district in Hongdae...

 Before I moved to Korea, I honestly believed that Korean food (K-food) was all about being “too spicy, too sweet, too mysterious.” I only knew it from YouTube: People crying while eating fire noodles (buldak ramyeon) Bright red tteokbokki boiling in huge pans Mountains of kimchi on the table So on the plane to Seoul , I was nervous and kept thinking: “What am I going to eat there every day?” A few months later, my question completely changed: “How did I gain this much weight so fast…?” This blog post is my honest (and delicious) explanation of why I gained weight in Korea — and why I don’t really regret it. 1. First Taste of Korean Food: “This Feels Like Home-Cooked Food” In my first week in Korea, a Korean friend took me to a small local restaurant. My first proper Korean dish was kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) . The soup was red. It was boiling in a hot stone pot. I saw kimchi, pork, tofu, and green onions. To be honest, it looked scary at first. I exp...

  What Foreigners Really Think About Everyday Korean Habits When you first arrive in South Korea , you might expect high-tech cities, K-pop playlists in every café, and a sea of neon-lit signs. But what surprises most foreigners isn’t the speed of the Wi-Fi or the style of the cafés — it’s the invisible code of social behavior that shapes daily life. A viral YouTube video titled “Things That Are Normal in Korea but Strange Abroad (and Vice Versa)” captured just that. In it, people from Australia , Norway , Switzerland , Belgium , and Israel share candid stories about what felt “off” or “odd” during their time in Korea. The result isn’t a criticism, but rather a fascinating mirror reflecting how deeply culture shapes what we call “normal.” 1. A Compliment or an Insult? The “You Gained Weight” Paradox For Koreans, commenting on someone’s appearance is often a sign of affection — a way of showing attention or familiarity. Saying “You lost weight!” or “You look bigger than ...

  Why Your Best Day in Korea Might Happen Outside Seoul Leave Seoul ’s lights for an hour or two and the tempo shifts. Footsteps ease, rice fields replace billboards, and someone—often an older neighbor—asks where you’re from and which local dish you’ve tried. The moment curiosity turns into hospitality , your trip starts to breathe. Seoul is generous with choices: palaces and city walls, museums and towers, even a day trip to the DMZ . It’s a perfect first base. But in the countryside you trade “filling the schedule” for leaving a little blank space . In those empty margins, frogs sing at dusk, a breeze picks up over the paddies, and a stranger’s small kindness redraws your map for the day. The scenery is full of good surprises. A run of old tile roofs ends—and suddenly a modern bridge leaps across a river, or a tall apartment stack rises behind a mountain shoulder. It’s Korea in a single frame: past and present sharing the same picture without crowding each other out. Peopl...