Gyeongju was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla that ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. The city is incredibly rich in history, with plenty of treasures to explore. I arrived in Gyeongju and instantly noticed, while in the taxi to my guesthouse, how flat everything is. Gyeongju is probably one of few cities in Korea that hasn’t been overrun with high rises. I’m used to seeing huge apartment buildings when I go into cities, but not here. That was the first sign that I was going to enjoy my time in this city.

Two Popular Korean Dishes that I Personally Enjoy Commonly are Made Up Entirely of Feet.

They may not be the first dishes people are drawn to, but eventually your taste buds adapt. Eating in Korea is a bit like a game. Level one is for the newbies and encompasses meals like galbi 갈비 (grilled meat), bibimbap 비빔밥 (a mix of rice, vegetables and a spicy pepper paste) and mandu-guk 만두국 (dumpling soup). These are the meals you take visiting friends and family out for because they may not be as adventurous as you [are] if you have lived in Korea for a year or more. As foreigners develop a taste for these meals, they gradually start tasting the side dishes, which tend to be fermented and spicier thereby developing taste buds for some of the other Korean main dishes. Level five might encompass such dishes as sannakji 산낙지 (live octopus) or kimchi jjiggae 김지찌개 (kimchi stew) and jok-bal 족발 (pig’s feet). As you go higher, you get into the foods that you may have thought to be inedible, like chicken feet  닭발.  

During the Joseon Dynasty some 600 years ago, the medical institution Bojewon was set up in Jegi-dong. ‘Won’ means an inn that was located along a main thoroughfare. These inns provided food and lodging to travelers with government-related work or public missions. There were numerous inns around the city of Seoul including Itaewon, Hongjewon near Seodaemun, and Jeon-gwanwon near Gwanghuimun. Bojewon was not only an inn, though, as it also housed an oriental medicine clinic that provided medical treatments and advice to the poor and those seeking help in the city. With this historical background, it was no wonder that in the late 1960s when the Seoul Government was looking for a place to set up an herbal market, they chose this location. Now Yangnyeongsi (약령시) is the largest herbal medicine market in Korea with over 1,000 traditional medicine related businesses in the area.

Whether you’re travelling to Korea for business or pleasure, showing your respect for Korean culture and traditions is important. Here are eight super nice things you can do for your friends in Korea to make a really good first impression that’ll last!