27/06/2026
Welcome to today's new post, where we will talk about Korea and its capital city Seoul 🇰🇷
Known since 1945 as South 🇰🇷 Korea, occupies the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. The country is bordered by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 🇰🇵 (North Korea).
Korea was initially split on August 15, 1945, at the end of World War II, when the United States divided the peninsula along the 38th parallel. The division was permanently solidified by the Korean 🪖War (1950–1953) and the armistice signed on July 27, 1953, which established the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
In Korea, the people here speak 🗣️ the Korean language, which is often classified as one of the Altaic languages, has affinities to J*panese, and contains many Chinese loanwords. In addition, the Korean script, known in South Korea as Hangul (Hangeul) and in North Korea as Chosŏn muntcha.
As an Iraqi, Korea is a well-known country for us and since the childhood we used to hear of it all the time. Therefore, it was one of the countries I was excited 😁😁 to visit when I started to plan my East Asia trip. However, I quickly started noticing that compared to countries like Vietnam 🇻🇳 and J*pan 🇯🇵 for example, Korea had very few places worth to visit in my opinion. While I spent 34 days in Vietnam and another 34 days in J*pan, my visit to Korea was only for 8 days, all spent in the capital city, and even though I was keen to visit its famous island called Jeju. That became a little impossible as I couldn't manage to find decent priced flights to it and from it to the next destination in the time period I wanted.
My visit to Korea was a little bit disappointing 😔🫤 I must say. I had high expectations but these expectations dropped below average, especially after being in J*pan first. J*pan met the hype and the expectations I had and went beyond that. Sadly, Korea did not, and I sat down and asked myself, 🤔why? Why were we hyped so much during our childhood about Korea and now that I am here, it is not so special? Then I figured it out. If you would take an average Iraqi who never traveled outside of Iraq to Korea, then yes it will be a huge WOW. But me who almost traveled to 50 countries and one of them is J*pan before going to Korea, the hype was killed ☠️and Korea sadly did not feel so special to me overal.
But also, it is all the technology that is wrapped around the country of Korea; Samsung this, LG that, KIA this, IRiver that, which is the company who created the MP3s. That was it, that is the reason I was over hyped for Korea as a child, because of the technology; South Korean economy has grown remarkably since the early 1960s and put its name on the 🗺️ map. In that time, South Korea transformed itself from a traditional agrarian society to one of the world’s most highly industrialized 👨🏭 countries. This growth was driven primarily by the development of export-oriented industries and the abundance of highly skilled and educated labour, fostered by strong government support. So much so, in the early 21st century, Korea’s per capita gross national income far exceeded those of most of its neighbours, other than J*pan and Taiwan.
Now, despite that I did not see much of Korea beside the capital city, it kind of felt like a downgraded J*pan. I stayed for the first two days around Dongmyo station and this is a pretty much city centre, and I was shocked as it did not look like Korea I had in mind. The Koreans themselves were spitting on the street, I was blown away by this. Even though this might seems just negativity towards Korea, but this is what I saw, and despite this there are many things I did enjoy in the city, such as the Korean cuisine. Their food is so delicious and is part of Korean cultural identity. A Korean meal generally consists of rice 🍚🍜 soup or stew, and a number of side dishes, almost invariably among them kimchi. Such is the importance of kimchi in the national diet that an estimated 160 or more varieties have been identified, and there is a museum in Seoul dedicated to the dish. The most common type is the spicy baechu (Chinese 🥬 cabbage) kimchi. I have never seen in my life a vegetable being the main dish of a country, but trust me its good and it goes well with everything they have. Moreover, just like J*pan, Korean ice 🍧🍦 creams are awesome, and I could not help but gorge myself on with as many ice creams as possible during my walks in the city.
Furthermore, while I never enjoyed watching soft boys melting in their video clips under the genre called Korean 🎤 Pop. On the other hand I was fascinated by two Korean shows when it comes to Television and Film, and those were the movie Parasite and the TV Serie Squid Game where I had the chance to try some of their games shown in the serie and I failed miserably 🤣
Other things I enjoyed and loved in the city of Seoul, there are these sights that you too need to visit;
Kyung Hee University, this university is a prestigious private research university in South Korea, renowned for its highly picturesque, neo-classical architecture. Founded in 1949, it spans multiple campuses, with its Seoul location focusing primarily on humanities, social sciences, medicine, and fine arts.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, is a multifunctional cultural complex and one of Seoul’s most iconic design landmarks designed by the Iraqi Architect Zaha Hadid.
Geunjeong Palace, where Kings conducted state affairs, held official functions, and received foreign envoys here.
Bukchon Hanok Village, is a historic residential neighborhood in central Seoul. It features hundreds of preserved Joseon-era hanok (traditional Korean houses) that now operate as cultural centers, guesthouses, and tea houses.
Pocheon Art Valley, is a wonderful culture and art space with beautiful scenery, remnant of an old rock quarry, remained relatively unknown until the 1990s.
On top of all this, I will recommend you to visit the following museums in Seoul; The National Folk Museum, The National Museum, and War Memorial Museum. Trust me when I say you will enjoy them.
In conclusion, despite that South Korea did not meet my high expectations, however, I did enjoy my visit and the people I met who gave me a good insight to the country and its history. If the opportunity ever present itself again for me to visit Korea, then I will visit Busan and the famous Jeju Island.
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