A Korean’s Take: Culture, Media & Everyday Life

The mountains near my place have already started to show some color. Just a little red and yellow so far, nothing dramatic yet. But that's enough. Once the first leaves go, half the country turns into amateur weather forecasters, and every group chat gets the same message. So when are we going? Fair question. The Korea Forest Service put out its 2026 foliage map back on September 22. The first turned leaves of the year had been spotted even earlier, on September 14, by a citizen observer at the Jeombongsan forest protection area up in Gangwon. Then on September 28 the Korea Meteorological Administration called first foliage on Seoraksan. Four days earlier than last year (that was October 2), and pretty much right on the usual date. I already went through first foliage vs peak in my hiking post , so I won't do that again here. This one's about the 2026 dates, why they don't agree with each other, and how to plan around them. Quick facts Forest Service 2026 peaks: Seo...

Tomorrow marks two years since Han Kang got the Nobel Prize in Literature (the news hit on October 10, 2024, in the evening our time). First Korean to win it. First Asian woman, too. I'm not going to play it cool here: I was proud. And judging by what happened next, so was most of the country. Within six days, Kyobo, Yes24 and Aladin (the three big bookstore chains, which handle most of the online book sales here) had sold 1,032,000 copies of her books between them, according to KBS World reporting at the time . Her titles took every single spot in Kyobo's top ten. Shelves went bare. For a country where we keep hearing that nobody reads anymore, that was a strange and pretty lovely week. I should confess something before I start handing out a reading list. I used to be a steady reader. Lately I've gotten lazy about it, and yes, I feel a bit guilty. I still stop by my neighborhood library on weekends, though, so I haven't completely given up on myself. Oh, and today ...

On weekends I ride my bike along the Han River, and from the bike path you basically watch one long picnic go by. Families. Couples. Groups of friends on three mats pushed together. Nobody's doing anything special, really. That's sort of the whole idea. Spring and fall are when it peaks. October's my pick, if you're asking. Dry air, no spring yellow dust stinging your eyes, and the ground isn't cold yet, so sitting on it for four hours still sounds fine. Below is how a Han River picnic works in real life, noodles first, then the rules nobody bothers telling tourists. Quick facts Ramyeon machine set: about 3,500 to 4,500 won Shade tents: designated zones only, open until 10 p.m. through Nov 30, 2026 Ttukseom drone show: Oct 9 and Oct 31, 8:30 p.m. Fines: 100,000 won for trash, 1,000,000 won for cooking outside designated areas Which park, though? Seoul has 11 Hangang parks on the two banks, Gangseo way out west, Gwangnaru out east and a bunch in between. Eleven ...

Every day on my commute I transfer between the bus and the subway, going to work and coming home again. For Seoul commuters it's so normal that nobody even mentions it. But if you're visiting, a Seoul bus stop can look like a test you didn't study for. The route maps are mostly in Korean, the numbers run to four digits, and three buses pull in at once while everyone around you already seems to know which one is theirs. Good news, though. Once you've got one transit card in your pocket, most of that stops mattering. Quick facts Fares with a card: subway 1,550 won, city bus 1,500 won Transfer window: 30 minutes after tapping off (1 hour, 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.) Tap on and off, or the transfer chain breaks Overseas contactless cards cannot tap on buses yet, planned around 2027 Tmoney Travel Card for foreigners: 4,000 won One card, one fare, the whole city Fares first, because they're cheap. A subway ride costs 1,550 won with a card (it went up from 1,400 on June 28, 202...

It's early October, and Seoul has started walking with its head down. Not because of bad news. Because of ginkgo seeds. They've been dropping on the sidewalks since mid-September, squishy little yellow balls that look harmless and very much aren't. This morning, too, I walked to work watching my feet, step by careful step. So here's my one piece of advice before anything else. Watch out for the yellow fruit under your feet, or the smell will follow you all the way into your room. I mean it. Quick facts Seoul’s official tree since April 3, 1971 2026 peak color expected around October 30 (Korea Forest Service) Samcheong-ro: about 1.2 km of ginkgo-lined road Hongcheon Ginkgo Forest: October only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free Shaking street trees for nuts can mean a fine of up to 100,000 won So what is that smell? The yellow "fruit" isn't really a fruit. It's the fleshy outer coat of the seed (botanists call it the sarcotesta), and when your shoe squashes...

About 30 kilometers south of Seoul there's a whole city center wrapped in an 18th-century wall, and a lot of visitors to Korea never get there. Which is a shame. Suwon Hwaseong is a UNESCO World Heritage site, walking the wall is free, and the subway gets you there in about an hour. (I lived in Suwon once, so yes, I'm a little biased.) The festival is on this week, too. So here's the practical version, with a bit of history first because the history is honestly the best part. Quick facts Wall walk: about 5.74 km, roughly 3 hours, free Hwaseong Haenggung: 2,000 won, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hwaseong Eocha trolley: 6,000 won, closed Mondays From Seoul: Line 1 or Suin-Bundang Line to Suwon Station, about an hour 63rd festival: October 4 to 11, 2026, no food booths Why a king built a wall around Suwon Short answer? Grief. Grief and politics. King Jeongjo's father was Crown Prince Sado, who died in 1762 after his own father, King Yeongjo, had him locked inside a wooden r...

Pick one palace. That's my advice if you've got a single free afternoon in Seoul, and I know it sounds stingy. On a map the five Joseon palaces look like neighbors (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Gyeonghuigung), so it's tempting to think you'll knock out all five before dinner. Your feet will vote against that by about 3 p.m. One palace, maybe two if you skip lunch. That's the real number for most people. So which one? "It depends" is a lazy thing to read on a travel blog, so here's my straight answer up front. Never been to Seoul before? Gyeongbokgung. Hate crowds and love trees? Changdeokgung. Only free after dinner? Deoksugung. Now the details. Quick facts Closed days: Gyeongbokgung on Tuesdays, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung on Mondays Admission: Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung 3,000 won, Deoksugung 1,000 won Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung stay open until 9 p.m. Secret Garden: guided visit only, extra 5,000 won Roya...

The Busan International Film Festival starts on Tuesday. If you're in Korea this week (or you can get yourself on a train), you might be wondering whether a total beginner can just show up. Short answer: yes. Longer answer: yes, but buying tickets is a bit of a sport. Here's the basic picture. This is the 31st BIFF, and it runs from October 6 to October 15, 2026. Around 240 films from 59 countries, ten days, one city by the sea. The opening ceremony is Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the outdoor theater, hosted by actress Kim Min-ha, and the opening film is The Table: Day and Night by director Kim Jong-kwan. On the 15th it's Yim Si-wan's turn to host the closing night. Squid Game fans, yes, that guy. Quick facts 31st BIFF: October 6 to 15, 2026, about 240 films Main venues: Centum City, Haeundae (Line 2, Centum City Station) Regular screening: 10,000 won, up to two tickets per screening code Book at biff.kr, online cancellations up to 60 minutes before Seoul to Busan by KTX: ...

Yesterday I promised the bear-and-garlic story, so here it is. Happy Gaecheonjeol, by the way. It's Saturday, October 3, a few apartment balconies have the taegeukgi hanging out, and most of the country is sleeping in. Gaecheonjeol gets translated as National Foundation Day, but the Korean name is way more dramatic. It means "the day heaven opened." Not the day a king got crowned or somebody signed a treaty. Heaven. Opened. Quick facts Dangun: legendary founder of Gojoseon, traditionally dated 2333 BCE Oldest written version: the Samguk Yusa, 1280s, by the monk Iryeon National Foundation Day: October 3, set on the calendar in 1949 Dangi calendar year in 2026: 4359 Garlic: about 6.3 kg per person in 2023 First, a god moves to the mountains The oldest written version we have comes from a Buddhist monk named Iryeon, who put it in a book called Samguk Yusa in the 1280s. (The story's surely older than that. He's just the guy who wrote it down.) It goes like this....

If you're new to Korea, you might be asking a fair question right about now. Didn't everyone just have a holiday? Yes. We did. Chuseok wrapped up last weekend, and one week later the whole country is taking another three days off. Nobody's complaining. This year Chuseok ran from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday the 26th, with Sunday tacked on the end. Then Gaecheonjeol, National Foundation Day, lands on Saturday, October 3. Because it lands on a Saturday, Monday, October 5 is off too. That's an official substitute holiday, and it was printed in red on the 2026 calendar the government released last year. Hangul Day follows on Friday, October 9, so there's another three-day weekend right behind it. Honestly, October looks like somebody knocked a bottle of red ink over the calendar. (The bear-and-garlic story behind Gaecheonjeol can wait until tomorrow. Today is about the days off.) Quick facts October 3 (Sat) National Foundation Day, October 5 (Mon) substitute h...