Kate Kennedy

As my time in Korea draws to a close, I decided to spend my remaining time here people-watching.

This stylish girl was someone I ran into several times, I was first enamored by her elegant style and tall stature, but then I noticed she was afraid of a pigeon walking by which gave her a bit more character, you could say.

And while the people out and about during the day provide some great opportunities to see the fashion sense of the business hours of Seoul, this is a lively city that only gets livelier after sundown.

Whether it’s girls on their way home on the subway turning a polite way to protect others from germs into a fashion statement…

Couples on the bus, the man standing aside the woman providing her a buffer to keep her safe as she naps on the way home…

Or more boisterous couples giving piggy back rides after a night on the town, Friday and Saturday nights are when people unwind as soon as their off work, and the whole city comes alive with people shopping, eating, and enjoying themselves as they see fit.

As people loosen their ties, take off their blazers, and put their feet up, you start to see that the same theme I keep bringing up is apparent once again. Fun is taken seriously here, with after work being a designated time to relax with friends, colleagues, family, and significant others, the key being that this is done outside the comfort of home, and instead in the comfort of the public.

Crowds of businessmen chat outside bars and eateries after a long work day…

Colleagues step into a restaurant for a late-night bite…

Even Buddhist monks find the time to get out and enjoy the city by night….

And who wouldn’t want to share a city like this amongst loved ones and good friends? It’s how Koreans keep up relationships, by spending time together outside the confines of an apartment or home. The idea is to be social, and to enjoy the company of one another, rather than to sit at home.

I leave you with one final photo to sum up my experience on this trip. On my last night in Seoul, I walk towards my hotel up an alleyway. Before me is a group of 4 young men who by their attire, have obviously just gotten off a long day at work, and have been living it up partying with each other since they punched out. There is a camaraderie between them that sums up the culture of relationships and friendships in Korea.

The message? Life is always better when you’ve got friends by your side that have your back, ready for anything the universe throws at you.

Thank you Seoul. Thank you Jeju. Thank you Busan. Thank you Korea. You were the best host any foreign 바보 could ask for. 한국, 고맙습니다. Till we meet again.

As I’ve adventured throughout Korea, fashion has been a major looking point for me to focus on, as I believe how people dress in a city shows a lot about the culture, values, and creativity of the culture of the people in it. Since day one, I was excited to take this on the flip side, with a bit of traditional fashion, and try the local traditional dress of Korea, the hanbok.

On one of the last days of the trip, I was finally able to do so, and the experience was amazing….

….aside from the eyesore the “un-hanboked” people in the background create here.

Renting hanbok in Korea is quite popular actually, amongst tourists and locals alike. Many people in Korea have their own which they wear for special occasions like Lunar New Year, weddings, or formal events, but as the modern world has taken over Korea like a tsunami of technology in the last few decades, the hanbok has become much less seen. Still, that doesn’t stop the people of Korea from keeping their traditional dress alive through the youth and eager-to-learn tourists. While some cultures have quite specific rules about the meanings and styles of traditional dress one must wear to be appropriate, Korea is a bit more lax on these rules, the key being that the dress is put on correctly, and that the wearer likes how they feel, no matter their country of origin.

I picked a dark blue special occasion skirt, to be worn during a formal event, since I myself am a little extra at times. The tops are more modest, tending to be white, black, or a light pastel color, the skirt being the main attraction. The outfit is tied onto the wearer, tightened like so to compliment the waistline, and then complimented with a handbag and headpiece to complete the look. Other than looking silly while dressed formally in a public setting full of t-shirt and sandal-clad tourists, I found that the hanbok made me feel quite poised, but also comfortable, exactly how the Korean people seem to be in their daily lives. Unlike other cultures where the traditional dress is tight, hard to move in, and very strict in dress code, hanbok is a mixture of beautiful textiles, comfortable ease of movement, and grace which each step with little effort needed. The dress makes the person…..

….even if my Adidas ruined the graceful facade as they peaked through the skirt with each step.

As I walked around the Insa-dong area, many people stopped to take pictures of me, and it reminded me of running around in costume at Comic con, with each step, someone wanted a picture. The funny thing was, the people who would stop me to take pictures, speak with me, or compliment my dress were almost all Koreans. Yes, many obviously were giggling at the foreigner in the Korean dress, but the elderly especially, would stop me on the street to tell me how beautiful I looked in hanbok. It made me realize that as long as one is respectful and excited to learn about Korean culture, the people are even more excited to share their culture with you. As I’ve slowly realized, Korea is a place that takes its culture seriously, but that doesn’t stop them from having fun with it, which I think a lot of us in the US could learn from.

(shameless selfie)

My favorite part of my day was as I was walking back to the shop I rented the hanbok from, and I noticed a group of girls also in hanbok struggling to take a selfie together. While I was in a rush, I figured I’d take a second to ask if they’d like me to take a picture. The stared at me for a second, confused, and then understood I wanted to help them. I took their photo, and before I left, they asked me if I would take one with them. Keep in mind, on a sunny day, a quarter of the people on the street are wearing hanbok, so it’s pretty common to run into people around this area all decked out. I happily smiled with my new friends, and they asked where I was from. I told them I was from America, and asked where they were from (considering how many tourists rent hanbok during their stays, they could be from anywhere, so foreigners are always as curious about each other as the locals are). Where were they from would you guess? The US as well? China? Japan? Malaysia? Nope.

They were from Korea. Of course, they told me with a bit of a giggle, just enjoying some time in hanbok for their Instagram, I’m sure. That’s when I realized how special the hanbok is. So easily accessible to all, and still kept alive by the youth of its home country…..and super pretty as well, so I can’t argue with feeling like a princess every once in a while.

(p.s. I was in quite a hurry when I took the photo with my new Korean friends, so I had no chance to grab the photo from them, unfortunately….I’ll continue to scour social media tags to see if I come up with anything)

(p.p.s. I also bought my own hanbok to bring back home, much less ostentatious then the one I am pictured in. The great thing about hanbok is how seamlessly it integrates into the modern fashion culture, with a-line skirts and hanbok-styled blouses lining boutique stores offering something fashionable, practical, and uniquely Korean styled for a normal day.)

In the US, there tend to be two firm stances on graffiti in public places. Either A) it’s a public nuisance, or B) it’s art. In Korea, especially Seoul, it’s apparent that while it may be a nuisance to some, it’s mostly seen a the latter. The stuff is everywhere, and unlike in the US, it doesn’t seem like people are eager to clean it up.

Here’s some views from the alleyways of Insa-dong, a charming street full of traditional shops and eateries loved by foreigners and locals alike.

As you can see, it’s looks like more of an art installation than gang signs. People like to leave their mark on places.

Here’s a view at Gamcheon Culture village in Busan where graffiti is encouraged by this art installation made up of hundreds of placards designed by the public. Of course, I’m assuming they had to pay for those to get their art on the wall, but it’s there nonetheless.

What this shows is that Korea is again, really dead-set on having a good time, and being inclusive to all. Rather than a simple art installation not to be touched, these pieces are around for the public to have at it because unlike at home, the worst vandalism they’ll do is write.

spot this little Banksy exhibit flag I caught out of the glimpse of photos I took in Insadong….it’s a thing.

Every major city has something of a theme park. Seattle has Wildwaves, New York has Coney Island, L.A. lucks out with Disneyland. Seoul has Lotte World, an amusement park owned by the conglomerate that seems to own everything from grocery stores, to giant department stores, to baseball teams, you guessed it….Lotte.

Does it look familiar to you at all? The Lotte Castle seems an awful lotte like those at Disney.

The park was actually pretty similar too, with crew dressed in themed gear depending on their station, and always smiling and waving with both hands when you walk by.

There was a parade of lights at around 7pm that went around the park.

They had similar rides, including one almost exactly like the Pirates of the Caribbean.

They even had their own Mickey/Minnie characters as park mascots, Lotty and Lorry. They were another pest disguised as cuddly characters just like the mice….Raccoons.

There were a few differences too though. At Disney, it’s popular for people to buy mouse ears to wear around the park, but here, they had many more options to choose from, including bunny ears, Halloween-themed headbands (apparently Halloween season starts in September everywhere, not just the States), and the most popular… heart clips worn most often by couples.

It’s so cute it almost makes you want to puke, but save that for the crazy-fast rides instead.

There was also one major difference from US parks that I haven’t mentioned yet. Clearly, some of these buildings and rides like the castle and the Atlantis coaster seen above are outside, but the majority of the park was indoors….

Because of Korea’s sometimes harsh climate, it makes sense to have an indoor/outdoor park. Thinking of Disneyland or Disneyworld, those parks are located in Florida and California, two regions of the US that are pretty much sunny or at least balmy year round. It makes sense to have an outdoor park in those areas, but a place like Wild Waves in Seattle will close their waterpark and sometimes rides seasonally based on rain or inclement weather. Lotte World gets the best of both with the outdoor park for nice days, and the indoor park for both the rainy and snowy days, as well as a place to cool off on a hot day like today. And they had everything. Large coasters, a carousel, a hot air balloon ride that went overhead, and food as far as the eye could see. There was even an ice rink on the ground floor that you could look down on from the rotunda. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Again, like I’ve mentioned before, Korea knows how to have a good time, rain or shine, but without putting themselves out too much of course. It’s the most practical use of fun I’ve seen anywhere in the world…Theme park design at its finest.

Busan has stolen my heart as my favourite city in South Korea (don’t tell Seoul). A busy beach city, Busan is home to wind, waves, and a whole lot of amazing views unlike anywhere else in the world.

We stayed in Haeundae, so we were spitting distance from a day at the beach whenever we liked. I really enjoyed the walk along the peninsula where I saw Korea’s Little Mermaid. Her story is a little different from the one from Denmark. Instead of longing for land, this mermaid was trapped on land, and longed for her home. It’s a lot like the Korean national sentiment…. Move around, live in the US, Britain, or anywhere really, but never forget to come home to Korea every once and a while.

I also went on a solo mission to Igidae Park to venture to the Oryukdo Island Skywalk. I was expecting a nice stroll along the coast….I was mistaken.

It was more like a hike through the set of Game of Thrones, with coastal rocks and steep climbs through the forest.

There were even “dinosaur footprints” (in quotations because they were actually just mineral deposits advertised as dinosaur footprints).

Still, the views were well worth nearly dying on the 2.5 hour hike.

Spot the very wet guy on the edge of the rocks.

I even got a chance to walk on the skywalk to look at Oryukdo ^

I was pretty mad at first because they had closed the skywalk due to wind just when I walked up to go on. I figured, if that’s how I was gonna go, that’s how I was gonna go. I wasn’t about to have just walked for 2 and a half hours to just walk back home, so I waited for about 15 minutes for them to open it back up, and the guys at the stand pointed straight at me to go first since I’d waited so patiently.

I walked all the way home with just a short subway ride in-between, and it was a sobering experience to travel solo for the first time.

I am not a huge fan of baseball. There, I said it, what’s done is done. It’s boring to watch guys run around in circles but only in small increments, there’s barely any contact, and half the time, I can’t even tell where the ball is. I’d much prefer to watch a soccer or football game, or paint drying for that matter….This changed in Busan, home of the Lotte Giants.

Korea takes baseball to a whole new level, taking it both more seriously, and having more fun than their American counterparts.

Exhibit A

Why not be cost-effective AND give everyone a chance to show some team pride? The Giants pass out orange plastic bags that can be used both as a festive hat or as a trash participle.

Exhibit B

They have a designated “exciting zone”

All jokes aside though, as someone that has no interest whatsoever in baseball, I was amazed by how fun it could be.

There was an intermission that included dimmed mood-lighting, followed by asking all the fans to put their flashlights on and wave their phones around as they sang popular songs.

The cheerleaders (which we don’t have in American baseball) were the runner-ups for becoming k-pop stars, so their routines were more similar to that of pop-stars than of the cheerleaders we are used to. Their routines included solos with just the dancers, as well as a breakdancing mascot, and a hype-man that seemed to put in more of a physical effort than the players themselves. All this chutzpah seems to show that Koreans know how to be determined to have a good time. Yes, Americans do this at their games as well, but in the US, it’s more about the team winning than actually enjoying yourself. In Korea, the main event is that you, the fan, have a good time.

This isn’t just apparent in the entertainment, but the whole event. Every player has their own theme song and dance all the fans know by heart. Food is welcome to be brought in from outside, but the food courts inside are moderately priced.

They include a couple different treats we’re not likely to see at a Mariner’s game anytime soon… like dried squid.

There are also convenience stores within the stadium that sell all the essentials at the same price as any other location… snacks, soda, and of course beer. No $12 Rainier cans here, only 2700 Won (~$2) for a bottle of Cass. They even had a station outside each 7-Eleven where fans could pour out their beers into cups.

Finally, after the game, it was pretty clear how much locals in Busan love their team. Everyone in the subway was wearing a Lotte Giants jersey and our professor was even stopped on our way home by the fan that was sitting behind him during the game. He was quite excited that an American was so pumped to be there we thought.

The takeaway again seems to show that Koreans have a love for fun that is hard to compete with anyone else. A game that I’ve always thought was boring ended up being one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve ever had at a sporting event due to the Korean spirit. I even went home with a Giants jersey by the end of the night.

Well worth it.

A great thing about Korea is that there is a strong artistic influence everywhere you look, but you’re more likely to see it on the street than in a museum. It’s all carefully hidden in places you may not expect, but the results are spectacular.

Sometimes they’re as simple as an installation outside a building…

Sometimes they’re a great photo-op….

And sometimes they’re something to be appreciated by everyone….

Lots of times, you’ll see art galleries within shopping centers. I particularly liked this well-traveled shark.

Gangnam also has some of the most artistic storefronts I’ve ever seen…

The idea seems to be drawing people in with the art, have them stay for the products inside.

Even the graffiti here is hidden away on benches and alleyways….much different from the tagging we’re used to in the states….

What does this all show? It seems in America, people believe art (to quote Indiana Jones), belongs in a museum. Korea seems to have the view that the world is a canvas. People are putting their own mark everywhere in Seoul, Busan, and Jeju, and it’s amazing to see art, no matter how noteworthy, so prevalent in the society.