Tourist Attraction in Korea ②: Itaewon

Whenever we are in Korea, we go to Itaewon. Itaewon is a district that is popular with foreigners. Foreigners from over 80 countries live there. So there is a lot of different international cuisine, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Italian, French, Swiss, Spanish and more. Also, it is a good place for shopping. There are larger size clothing and shoes stores. We go to Itaewon often to enjoy international cuisine.

This year we went to Itaewon for our third wedding anniversary. We stayed a night at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. This hotel has a free shuttle bus to Itaewon from 9 am to 7 pm at one and half hour intervals. We missed the last shuttle and took a taxi.

We went to La Plancha, a Spanish restaurant where we used to go all the time. We sometimes went there 2~3 times a week. We always got the same combo menu that consisted of chicken, steak, sausage, bacon and a clove of garlic along with a side of four kinds of sauce, fries, potatoes and salad. We also loved their dessert menu. However, we were very disappointed this time. The restaurant had expanded, but there was less on the menu and the quality of food was not as good. Also, there was no dessert menu. But it was our wedding anniversary, so we still had a good time.

Two years ago we used to see more foreigners than Koreans in Itaewon, but now a lot of young Korean women in their 20s and 30s hang out there. Even late at night, Itaewon is still bright and crowded. It reminds us of Las Vegas: diverse food and diverse people. We don’t think it is dangerous in Itaewon, but you might feel a bit scared at night. If you travel only with women, we would advise you to go there during the day. Lunch time will be the best.

Itaewon is not far from Seoul station. You can take a taxi or a subway. Take subway line 6 and get off at Itaewon station. Go out to Exit 1. Then you can find good restaurants. Itaewon is a fun place to visit for eating out and shopping.

※ Seoul Metro (Seoul subway info.): http://www.seoulmetro.co.kr/eng/

※ Seoul subway guide by Korean Tourism Organization:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TR/TR_EN_5_1_4.jsp

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Tourist Attraction in Korea ①: Aiins World

Every summer, we visit Korea to see our family, friends and business contacts. This summer we spent two and a half months in Korea from May 25 through August 10. It was the longest time we spent time together in Korea. We went to many places during the trip, and would like to share our experiences with you. Most Koreans are very eager to introduce different parts of Korea to foreigners. Our cousin’s friend brought us to a theme park called Aiins World in Bucheon, Gyeonggido. Bucheon is close to Seoul. We took a taxi to get there.

Aiins World is a miniature park that has miniature versions of famous structures throughout the world. These include the Empire State Building (USA), the Eiffel Tower (France), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy) and St. Basil’s Cathedral (Russia). If you take pictures there at the right angle, you can make it look like you are actually in the different countries. This park is never crowded. So, it is easy to take good pictures. The park opens from 9:30 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, and from 9:30 am to 9 pm on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. The admission fee is 8,500 won for adults (less than 10 US dollars).


Taxis are cheap in Korea. The initial charge is 2200~2400 won, depending on the region. The initial charge is 2400 won in Seoul and 2200 won in Busan. Be advised that taxi fares are 20% more expensive between midnight and 4 am. You do not need to tip the driver. If you don’t speak Korean at all, ask some Koreans passing by to write down your destination in Korean. This is what J.J. did in Korea. Gina wrote down his destination on paper so that he could show it to taxi drivers. If you want to practice Korean, say “(your destination)ro Ga-ju-se-yo”. Ro means ‘to’ or ‘toward’, ga(da) ‘go’ and Ju-se-yo ‘please give me’. Basically this phrase means “Please take me to (my destination)”. Or it would be okay just to say your destination.

There are taxis specifically for foreigners in Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas. These taxis are called international taxis. You can use these taxis by making a reservation online at http://www.internationaltaxi.co.kr/ (English and Japanese versions available). Except for the international taxis, don’t expect taxi drivers to speak in English. We recommend you ask for help from Koreans in their 20s and early 30s. These groups of people usually spend a good amount of time and effort learning English or other foreign languages. Women tend to be more helpful and friendlier. Don’t worry about getting around in Korea. Public transportation is very good. The bus system is well developed throughout Korea, and you can use the subway in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon.

Our Recommendations for Eating in Korea

Many of you who have visited our blog are interested in visiting Korea. Traveling in foreign countries is a lot of fun. We also love traveling. J.J. has been to Korea, China, the Philippines, England, the Netherlands, France and Australia. Gina also has been to China and of course the United States. Also, we took a trip to Japan, Thailand and Canada together. We went to Thailand for our honeymoon.

Wherever you go, one of the first choices you need to make is what to eat. Many people end up going for their national food or at least familiar food. That’s not because they don’t want to try local food, but often they don’t know how to order and what to order when visiting a foreign country. The same thing happened to us. When J.J. first got to Korea in 2002 as an ESL teacher, he went to American fast food restaurants. When Gina first got to the States, she just ate pizzas for a month!

There are a lot of western restaurants in Korea, including Bennigan's, Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, Outback Steakhouse, Popeyes, T.G.I. Friday’s and Tony Roma’s. Especially in Seoul, you can probably find your national food, regardless of where you’re from. However, non-Korean dishes are of course much more expensive than Korean dishes. You can have a good Korean meal for only 5,000 won (about 5 US dollar), but steaks are 4~5 times more expensive. If you are in Korea, try Korean food. Trying unfamiliar local food is a fun thing to do during a trip.

We would recommend Bulgogi, marinated barbecued beef. It’s a favorite Korean dish among foreigners so it will be a safe choice. Or if you are vegetarian, Bibimbop is good. It is rice mixed with an egg and assorted vegetables. You add as much pepper paste as you like. Bibimbop is Gina’s favorite. She loves the flavor of Bibimbop created by a nice combination of fresh veggies and spice.



Kimbap is another good choice. You can find Kimbap everywhere in Korea. You can buy Kimbap even from convenience stores like Seven Eleven and GS24. It looks like Sushi, but doesn’t use raw fish. Instead, it uses eggs, crab meat, ham, spinach, and pickled radish. Ingredients can be varied. Kimbap just means rice wrapped in seaweed. Our favorite kind of Kimbap is tuna Kimbap.

Ordering food can be stressful in a foreign country, but it’s not that difficult in Korea. Just remember this simple phrase, “Ju-se-yo”. This will be extremely useful. It basically means “Please give me ~”. If you want Bibimbap, just say, “Bibimbap Juseyo” (= I’ll take Kimbap). After you make your choice of food, there will be no further questions. You don’t need to tip in Korean restaurants or anywhere in Korea. Tipping is not a Korean custom. If you want to express your appreciation of something, say “Gam-sa-ham-ni-da” (Thank you). That will be enough.

Our Korean/American Fusion Lifestyle

We’re a Korean/American couple, Gina and J.J. Let us briefly introduce ourselves. Gina is Korean and works as a translator and writer. J.J. is American and works as a professor of Communication. We met in a graduate school in 2004 and fell in love. Two years later we got married! We appreciate each other’s culture and integrate both cultural elements into our daily life. Food is a crucial part of our fusion lifestyle.

Although J.J. is American, he loves Kimchi, a spicy fermented cabbage. Raw Kimchi smells strong, which sometimes turns off some foreigners. However, we discovered that sautéed Kimchi smells much milder and surprisingly tastes a bit cheesy. Since this discovery, we use sautéed Kimchi as a spice in most of our dishes. We have made Kimchi fusion tacos, Kimchi fusion BBQ burgers, Kimchi fusion tuna sandwiches, Kimchi fusion pasta and Kimchi fusion pizzas.

Our favorite among these is the Kimchi fusion taco. We introduced this special taco to our American and Korean families and friends. They all love the tacos. We would like to share our recipe with you. Fusion Korean food will prepare you to enjoy other authentic Korean dishes, such as Kimchi jjigae (Kimchi Stew) and Doenjang jjigae (Soybean Paste Stew). J.J. loves Doenjang jjigae.
▲ How to make Kimchi Fusion Tacos

▲ How to make Kimchi Fusion Barbecue Burgers