South Korea: The Often-Overlooked Pearl of the East by Anna Temple

Like many military members, my husband, Nic, was lured into the service with the promise of adventure and travel, and after seven years in, that promise was fulfilled with the offer for him to go overseas to South Korea for a year. This was a daunting undertaking on my part, having never lived alone without my best friend. On his part, he was met with the uncertainty of a new job within the Space Force and first-time international travel all alone. However, since this was considered an overseas tour, with his commander’s approval, I was able to fly to South Korea and live alongside him for over a month and travel within the country. During my travels from Seoul to Busan, and many towns and cities in between, two questions arose. Why are there not more western tourists here? What makes Korea a less desired destination for Americans to visit compared to other East Asian countries such as Japan?

When many Americans think about Korea, often before considering the amazing culture, cuisine, natural beauty, and historic sites, they tend to think about the Korean War and the current mischief of North Korea’s infamous leader. As of April 2024, North and South Korea are still at war, so this may be a valid concern. However, while there has been some testing of weapons, there has not been a mobilization or gathering of troops recently, so this does not hinder everyday life, or travel opportunities for foreigners (Sylvester).

Along with the threat of North Korean aggression, there are some other noted drawbacks of visiting South Korea that many travel content creators seem to agree on. Many travel enthusiasts comment on public etiquette, tough beauty standards, and discrimination. Concerning public etiquette, it is much different in South Korea. It is typical to for Koreans to smoke in crowded city streets, spit, or “hock” loogies on the sidewalk, and not open the doors for people who may be behind them when entering or exiting a building (“Kind of Korean”).

Beauty standards in South Korea are both a blessing and a curse. On practically every street corner, there is a beauty shop which often sells a wide variety of skin care products, like cleansers, moisturizers, face masks, SPF products, and makeup, all of which are of extremely high quality. Not only does Korea have the best and most popular skincare products and regimens in the world, but it is also the capital of the world in plastic surgery as well. With plastic surgery being cheap and easily accessible, it places a very heavy burden on individuals to meet these standards, and if they do not, they may be viewed unfavorably by strangers. This can make people feel uncomfortable, as Koreans will let them know what they are lacking, or stare in disapproval (“Kind of Korean”).

Discrimination towards foreigners can include unfair renting or working conditions, stares of disapproval, denial of taxi services, and nonacceptance into restaurants and bars (“Kind of Korean”). South Korea has an intense sense of national, and ethnic pride that can cause issues for foreigners. Often, if a disagreement occurs or if an individual is accosted and the police become involved, even if the Korean citizen is to blame, the courts will almost always side with the Korean individual (Sylvester). The speaker in the “Kind of Korean” video states that while renting an apartment in Seoul, his landlord used rude and borderline racist language during and upon the move out inspection for the unit. While living there, she would often initiate disagreements with the YouTuber, and when he moved out, she stated that she “should never have rented to a foreigner” and “I’m never going to trust another foreigner.”

When Nic and I traveled in South Korea, however, these few negatives were never once a concern. Granted, on city streets, public etiquette is much different in America generally. However, as visitors, we found the differences were a very minor concern that were easy to overlook. The availability of skincare was extraordinary, and when shopping in the skincare store Olive Young, I always felt welcome, and the staff did their best to help me by pinpointing some of the problem areas with my skin and finding products to help it. The only thing that stood out while shopping and traveling that seemed abnormal or discriminatory was that most Korean brands only carried clothing up to an equivalent size seven or nine in women’s clothing, which would make average sized American women feel discouraged. 

Contrary to the concerns expressed in the “Kind of Korean” video, Nic had an amazing experience with his realtor and landlord, Mr. Yu. When Nic got to South Korea, he was immediately told that he needed to find an apartment in an incredibly short amount of time, and where to find a landlord to facilitate this. Nic hit the jackpot when he met Mr. Yu, the owner of a realtor firm in the town near Osan Air Base, Pyeong-Taek. He showed Nic one apartment, which was perfect, and Mr. Yu liked him for his easygoing and decisive nature. From then on, Mr. Yu took Nic under his wing, gifted him several hundred dollars’ worth of Korean currency to buy a bicycle, taught Nic and me some Hangul words to help us navigate the country, and overall introduced and helped to immerse us into Korean culture through food, drink, and social events with him and his team. After spending a month in Korea with Nic, I knew he was well cared for by Mr. Yu when I had to depart home to Colorado. Along with the kindness Mr. Yu showed us, everyone we met, from convenience store staff to strangers on the street, were excited to help when we were lost or struggling. Everyone we met in Korea was friendly and accommodating to us.

With this being said, it is important to lay out some of the benefits of visiting South Korea. South Korea has many bustling metropolises, including the two popular cities of Seoul and Busan. Seoul is famous for its “it” culture, which includes K-pop, K-dramas, and an invigorating night club and restaurant scene (O’Malley and Walton). Seoul is also home to many cultural and historical sites, including the Korean National Museum, War Memorial of Korea, and various temples and palaces, like Bongeunsa, a temple site in the middle of Gangnam-Gu, Seoul, and Gyeongbokgung, which is an enormous palace located north of the Han River. Busan is a large port city located on the east side of the peninsula. While also being home to many temples and historical sites, Busan is most widely known for its beautiful city planning, which was meant to mimic Rio De Janeiro.

Korea has an extremely illustrious, and competitive food culture. With such a large population and such little land available, restaurants are forced to compete at peak performance to survive. Because this is the nature of the restaurant business, it leaves patrons with only the best of the best in terms of cuisine. From Korean staples, such as bulgogi, fried chicken and beer, and bi-bim-bap, to Mexican street tacos and Italian pasta, restaurant goers in Korea will continue to be amazed by complex and sizzling flavors. 

Before my time in Korea, I, like many others, had always wanted to visit Japan, and never gave South Korea much thought as a travel destination. Japan, similar to Korea, has it all, interesting culture and history, a beautiful display of seasons and nature, and its own version of “it” culture with anime and video games (O’Malley and Walton). Since the popularization of Japanese anime and manga, Japan has seen a remarkably high uptick in tourism, attracting fans of this type of media. Along with media, Japan also boasts world class ski resorts, hiking trails, and beaches and boasts many of its own temples, shrines, and palaces. Japanese food culture focuses primarily on presentation, creating elegant and subtle meals like sushi, fried rice, and ramen. Japan also faces several of the concerns that South Korea does, including discrimination and harsh beauty standards that can make immersion in the culture difficult. 

When traveling across South Korea, I wondered why there were few foreign tourists compared to Japan. Through my research, I found that the lack in tourism to Korea versus Japan is merely personal preference and possibly a lack of exposure to Korean media and history. Overall, if my husband and I had to make the choice to either move back to Korea or to Japan, from our experiences, Korea would be an easy choice. The kindness of the people, incomparably delicious food, and overall culture will continue to bring us back year after year. 

Works Cited

Kind of Korean. “5 Reasons You Should Not Move to Korea || Living in Korea.” YouTube,  12 Oct. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wmaPawPfu80. 

O’Malley, Tom, and John Walton. “Japan vs South Korea: Which to Choose?” Lonely Planet, 28 Apr. 2023, www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/japan-vs-south-korea. 

Sylvester, Phil. “Is South Korea Safe? What You Need to Know.” World Nomads, World Nomads, 13 Aug. 2020, www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/eastern-asia/south-korea/is-south-korea-safe.