GOURMET TRAVEL [Korea Market]

 Gwangjang Market

To truly experience Korean food culture, you must visit a traditional market. You can enjoy Korean food that locals like without feeling burdened in a cozy market atmosphere.

Gwangjang Market in Jongno, Seoul, is the first permanent market in Korea with over 100 years of history, so it has a deep historical significance. Drug gimbap, small gimbap the size of a finger, dipped in mustard sauce, is highly addictive and attracts people. Other famous dishes include raw beef and bindaetteok.

Gwangjang Market
Gwangjang Market, Korea's first permanent market, is a paradise for common people's food such as kimbap and bindaetteok.

Tongin Market

Located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Tongin Market offers a variety of foods and unique experiences that you can't find anywhere else. What makes this place special is the 'coin lunch box'.

Coins are brass coins that were used during the Joseon Dynasty. They are no longer used in Korea, but they can be used as currency inside Tongin Market. When customers buy coins, they are given a lunch box that acts as a wallet, and they can walk around the market with this lunch box and exchange the coins for the food they want, enjoying the unique pleasure of doing so. The foods you can

taste at the market are simple but diverse. They include Korean staples such as rice and soup, as well as side dishes such as tteokbokki, tteokgalbi, rice balls, and egg rolls, which are menus that Koreans enjoy eating in their daily lives.

Tongin Market
At Tongin Market, you can enjoy a variety of foods in buffet format, including the market's specialty, stir-fried rice cakes.

Jeonju Makgeolli
Jeonju Makgeolli Alley is famous for its generous servings that allow you to experience the flavors of Jeonju and the warmth of Koreans.

Jeonju Food Tour

Jeonju is a city that even Koreans visit for food tourism. Jeonju has developed a food culture since long ago thanks to fresh seafood caught from the West and South Seas and crops harvested from the fertile land. One

food you must try in Jeonju is Jeonju Bibimbap. It is a dish made with Jeonju bean sprouts, mixed with fresh vegetables such as sesame seeds, ginkgo nuts, pine nuts, chestnuts,

and walnuts. Jeonju Hanjeongsik is a menu where about 30 side dishes such as soups, stews, vegetables, and salted seafood are served on one table, allowing you to experience the generous hospitality of Korea. You can

taste Jeonju makgeolli to your heart's content at the Makgeolli Alleys located in Samcheon-dong, Seosin-dong, and Gyeongwon-dong. If you order a jug of makgeolli, about 20 side dishes are provided.

Another unique food culture of Jeonju is 'Gamaek'. 'Gamaek', which means beer sold at stores, refers to beer purchased at small neighborhood stores or supermarkets, and served with side dishes (mainly squid, dried pollack, and snacks) served there, along with Jeonju's unique seasoning. Thanks to the popularity of Gamaek, Jeonju has been holding the 'Gamaek Festival' every year since 2015. Sokcho

, a seafood paradise Sokcho

, Gangwon-do, which is located along the sea, is a place where abundant seafood from the East Sea gathers. You can taste various foods such as various fish, squid, and shrimp.

Daepohang Shrimp Tempura Alley is a must-see for Sokcho tourists. They fry fresh shrimp on the spot, and the crispy taste is superb. In addition, you can taste squid sashimi, squid sundae, water gomtang, red crab, and grilled fish around Sokcho Tourist and Fishery Market, Gaetbae Pier, Daepohang, and Dongmyeonghang.

Although it is not seafood, fried chicken is also a representative food of Sokcho. Dakgangjeong is a dish made by frying bite-sized pieces of chicken and mixing them with seasoning. Depending on the seasoning, you can choose between spicy and sweet flavors.

Busan Food Tour

Busan is a city that is perfect for a foodie trip, as it has convenient public transportation and is full of food everywhere. Jagalchi Market, famous for its catchphrase, “Oiso, Boiso, Saiso,” is the largest fish market in Korea. It is full of various seafood such as sashimi, crab, lobster, shrimp, shellfish, and grilled fish. Grilled eel, which is whale meat and eel grilled over charcoal, is a delicacy that is hard to find anywhere else.

BIFF (Busan International Film Festival) Street, Nampo-dong Food Alley, and Gukje Market are street food heavens. You must try “seed hotteok,” which is sweet hotteok filled with nuts, “fish cake skewers,” which are skewered fish cakes dipped in soup, and “bibimdangmyeon,” which is noodles and vegetables mixed with spicy seasoning.

Mokpo's Delicacies

Located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, Jeolla-do is a region famous for its delicious food due to its geographical location where the sea and land meet and its mild climate. Mokpo, a port city located in the southwestern part of Jeolla-do, is a representative food city of Jeolla-do along with Jeonju.

Octopus is a specialty caught only in the Mokpo area. It is eaten whole, wrapped around wooden chopsticks while still alive, or boiled with vegetables to make Yeonpo-tang.

Fermented skate has a strong smell and a salty taste, so it is a must-try when you visit Mokpo.

Jeju-do's Local Cuisine

Jeju-do, one of the most popular travel destinations for Koreans, is far from the mainland, so it has developed its own local cuisine. Rather than using various ingredients and adding various seasonings to cook it, most of the dishes are simple, preserving the original flavors of the ingredients.

Representative local foods include 'black pork grilled on charcoal', where chewy black pork is grilled; 'momguk', where pork bones are boiled to make broth and then thickened with seaweed and buckwheat flour; and 'omegi tteok' and 'omegi liquor', made with chajo, which was the staple food of Jeju Islanders in the past. '

Udo peanuts', grown in the sea breeze of Udo, an island within an island, are delicious even when eaten with their shells, and are also a delicacy when enjoyed as 'Udo peanut ice cream' or 'Udo peanut makgeolli'.

Boseong Green Tea Fields

Boseong is the largest tea producing area in Korea with over 4,000 tea gardens. It is worth visiting if you are a tea lover or interested in Korea's traditional tea culture. Most tea gardens offer tea-related experiences such as green tea tasting, tea leaf picking, green tea making, and tea ceremony etiquette. Even if

you don't participate, just enjoying tea at a tea cafe within a tea garden and appreciating the beautiful scenery of the tea gardens is enough to make a satisfying trip.

Jeju Island Squid
If you drive along the coastal road of Jeju Island, you will come across the sight of squid drying in the sea breeze.

Boseong Green Tea Fields
At Boseong’s green tea fields, you can experience Korean tea culture along with green tea tasting.

Samgyeopsal Tour

Samgyeopsal grilling is one of the most popular Korean dining out menus and home cooking menus. Samgyeopsal is the part attached to the pork ribs, and it is called samgyeopsal because the meat and fat overlap three times. In the West, samgyeopsal is smoked, sliced ​​thinly, and eaten with bacon, but in Korea, it is mostly grilled. It is served with lettuce, perilla leaves, pickled onions, and green onion salad, or with a sauce like ssamjang. Since samgyeopsal grilling is not a regional specialty but a popular food, you can find it anywhere in the country.

Rest stop food

In Korea, highway rest stops are much loved as multipurpose spaces that provide more than just a short break on the road. Each rest stop reflects the unique culture of the region, making you feel like you are visiting a new tourist destination.

For example, Andong Rest Area in Andong, famous for its traditional crafts, has an Andong Cultural Experience Center that exhibits crafts, and Yeoju Rest Area in Yeoju, famous for its pottery, has a pottery experience center where tourists can try making pottery. The food that cannot be missed at rest areas is not just for filling hungry stomachs, but also has a variety of menus developed to allow tourists to experience the representative food culture of the region where the rest area is located, providing tourists with the pleasure of simply and conveniently tasting the unique food of the region.

Gangneung Rest Area sells 'Chodang Tofu Hwangtae Haejangguk' made with Chodang Tofu (tofu made with seawater), a Gangneung local dish. Cheongsong Rest Area in Cheongsong, famous for its apple cultivation, offers 'Cheongsong Apple Donkas', and Insam Rest Area in Geumsan offers 'Insam Galbitang' made with ginseng, a specialty of Geumsan.

'So-tteok-so-tteok', a skewer of sausage and rice cake, is a representative snack of rest areas and can be found at most rest areas .

Gangneung Coffee Street

There are about 30 coffee shops near Anmok Beach in Gangneung, and this street is called 'Gangneung Coffee Street' or 'Anmok Coffee Street'. Since 2000, when the first generation of baristas who led Korea's coffee culture settled in Gangneung, Gangneung became a mecca for coffee. Most coffee shops are roastery cafes that roast their own beans, providing a variety of coffee flavors and aromas that differentiate them from franchise coffee shops. As word of mouth spread, Gangneung established itself as a true coffee city. In addition to the

coffee street, Gangneung is also building various coffee-related contents such as a coffee museum, coffee factory, and barista academy.

Gangneung Coffee Street
There are numerous cafes lined up along Gangneung Anmok Beach, each with their own unique character.

HARMONY OF TRADITION AND MODERNITY [Hanok Village]

 Korea is a country rich in tourism resources. Traditional and modern cultures coexist, allowing tourists to have a variety of experiences, and each region has a distinct identity, allowing them to enjoy diverse cultures, natural environments, and food.

Among Korea's famous tourist destinations, there are many that give modern value to cultural heritages with historical significance, or, conversely, add traditional elements to modern spaces. For Koreans, they are valuable cultural heritages and vibrant living spaces, and for foreigners, they are the starting point of Korean tourism.

Hanok Village

Bukchon Hanok Village
If you climb the hill of Bukchon Hanok Village, you can enjoy a unique landscape where traditional Korean houses and Seoul's modern architecture harmoniously blend together.

Jeonju Hanok Village

There are various types of Hanok villages in Korea. Recently, Hanok villages where you can experience both traditional Hanok and modern Hanok have been gaining attention as new tourist attractions.

Bukchon Hanok Village and Namsangol Hanok Village are located in the middle of Seoul, a city full of buildings, allowing you to experience the coexistence of the past and the present. Jeonju Hanok Village, the largest Hanok village in Korea, has 625 old tile-roofed houses and modern Hanok with a modern feel. It is not just a cultural product to see, but is also loved by many because tourists can experience traditional experiences such as tea ceremonies and Hanji making in traditional spaces.

In addition, Gongju Hanok Village in Chungcheongnam-do, Gangneung Ojukheon Hanok Village in Gangwon-do, and Gurim Hanok Village in Yeongam, Jeollanam-do are more modest than Jeonju Hanok Village, but they are still sufficient for experiencing Korean culture.

Although it is not a Hanok village, you can experience traditional Hanok at Seongyojang located in Gangneung, Gangwon-do. Seongyojang is a house of the upper class of Joseon Dynasty, and its original form has been well preserved for over 300 years, and descendants still live there.

Palace Night Tour

The night view of Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of Korea's representative tourist attractions.

The palaces, which are a must-see for Korean tourists, have distinctly different moods during the day and at night. During the day, tourists flock to the palaces to experience the quiet atmosphere and serenity. Then, when darkness falls, the palaces begin to renovate. With the addition of soft lighting and mysterious sounds, they exude a different charm from the daytime. As these charms become known through SNS and other means, the palaces have recently emerged as new nighttime attractions. The

palaces that are open at night include the four grand palaces of Seoul (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung) and Hwaseong Haenggung in Suwon. Each palace has different tour programs, and reservations must be made on their websites.

Changdeokgung Palace becomes even more splendid at night when it is illuminated by moonlight.

Sungnyemun & Namdaemun Market

The southern main gate of the old Seoul City Wall, usually called Namdaemun, but its original name was 'Sungnyemun'. It is designated as National Treasure No. 1 and is the largest existing Korean city gate building. It was damaged by a fire in 2008, but was restored to its original appearance.

To the east of Sungnyemun is Namdaemun Market. It is a famous place where shoppers and tourists flock because it has many things to see, shop, and eat. You can buy various products such as clothing, kitchenware, home appliances, and daily necessities at low prices, and it is also famous for food alleys such as Galchijorim Alley and Kalguksu Alley.

Sungnyemun
The city walls of Seoul were built to protect Hanseongbu, where important national facilities were located in the past. Sungnyemun, which means “gate that respects etiquette,” is designated as National Treasure No. 1.

Heunginjimun & Dongdaemun Market

The eastern gate of old Seoul, which modern people usually call Dongdaemun, but its original name is 'Heunginjimun'. Nearby, there is a large commercial area called Dongdaemun Market.

Dongdaemun Market is a collective name for Gwangjang Market, Pyeonghwa Market, Shinpyeonghwa Market, and Dongdaemun General Market. Since most of the sales are clothing, the term 'Dongdaemun Fashion' was created. In addition, due to the nighttime operation as a wholesale market, as well as the daytime operation, a new clothing culture consumption is created, and it greatly contributes to the market's revitalization.

In 2014, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the world's largest atypical building, opened near Dongdaemun Market. Thanks to the futuristic design of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the casual and common atmosphere of Dongdaemun Market has changed somewhat to a modern one, and the main consumer base is expanding to include young people and foreigners.

Heunginjimun
Heunginjimun is the only one of the eight gates that has a ongseong (a semicircular fortress to protect and strengthen the gate).

Cultural Station Seoul 284
is a space where the old Seoul Station was reborn as a complex cultural and artistic space.

Gwanghwamun Square

This is a large square in the middle of the road from Gwanghwamun in Seoul to Sejong-ro Intersection. It was previously used as a road, but it was transformed into a park and opened to the public in 2009.

As it contains the meaning of returning the central street of Seoul, with a long history of over 600 years, to the citizens, Gwanghwamun Square has been completely transformed into a historical and cultural space for the citizens. Statues of King Sejong and General Yi Sun-sin have been erected, and it has been designed to provide a view of the nearby natural landscapes, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukaksan Mountain.

Culture Station Seoul 284 & Seoullo 7017

Culture Station Seoul 284 is where the old Seoul Station was reborn as a complex cultural and arts space. In order to commemorate the historical significance of being the oldest railway building in Korea, it has maintained its original appearance from when it opened in 1925.

Seoullo 7017 is where the old Seoul Station overpass was renovated and reborn as a walking path. You can see Seoul's historical sites at a glance, such as Cultural Station Seoul 284, Namdaemun, and Seoul Station.