South Korea
Welcome to the South Korea hub at David’s Been Here! Back in May of 2019, I was fortunate enough to be hired by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to go on a group trip that would have me explore South Korea for several days. Little did I know at the time that this trip would unexpectedly reunite me with my good travel buddy Sam of Nomadic Samuel, who I had traveled through India with less than a year prior. We did the trip together and extended it by several days so we could return to Seoul and Busan afterward to explore at our own pace and take some exciting day trips!
I admit, I didn’t know much about South Korea before I visited, but Sam–who had lived there for a few years with his wife Audrey–gave me a crash course on the very first night, giving me my first taste of Korean barbecue. It changed my life. My taste buds were awakened to the smoky, savory, meaty flavors, which I found myself craving through the rest of the trip. I also found myself falling in love with the spicy fermented cabbage dish called kimchi, the fresh and organic Korean fried chicken, and the hot, chewy rice cakes called tteok-bokki. By the end of our trip, Korean food had skyrocketed up my rankings of favorite foods. There so much complexity of flavors, tons of interesting textures, and lots of heat that makes your tongue tingle!
During our trip, we also explored Korea’s past and present with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the infamous Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the border with North Korea. We also took deep dives into the country’s incredible history with trips to several centuries-old temples in Seoul and a day trip to the historical city of Gyeongju. But the highlight of our trip was our overnight stay at the beautiful Beomeosa Temple, where we learned about Korean Buddhism from the resident monks and participated in their day-to-day activities. It was a mind-blowing experience I will never forget!
Check out the map above to see all of the cities I visited during my South Korea trip. If you click on a city, you will be taken to my main written travel guide for that city. You’ll also find those same guides linked below, along with every episode from my South Korea travel vlog series. I hope you enjoy them!
SOUTH KOREA TRAVEL GUIDES
Below, you’ll find all of my written South Korea travel guides, including city guides, Korean food guides, and more! I hope they help you craft the South Korea trip of your dreams!
Top 25 Things to See and Do in Seoul, South Korea
Exploring the Demilitarized Zone: My Korean DMZ Spy Tour
How to Ride the KTX Bullet Train in South Korea
Top 10 Things to See and Do in Busan, South Korea
10 Korean Food Experiences You Must Have in Busan, South Korea
Korean Temple Stay at Beomeosa Temple: Everything You Need to Know
Gyeongju: Korea’s Ancient Capital – Travel Guide
5 Things You Must Do in Daegu, South Korea
Korean Foods You Must Eat in Daegu, South Korea
Top 5 Places to Visit in South Korea
25 Korean Dishes You Must Eat in South Korea
SOUTH KOREA TRAVEL EPISODES
Below, you’ll find every episode of my South Korea travel vlog series, listed in order and organized by city. I hope you find them entertaining and informative, and that they help you plan your trip to South Korea!
SEOUL
Episode 1: Traveling to South Korea from the USA on a 787 Dreamliner | Miami to Seoul via Dallas
Episode 2: Authentic Korean BBQ in Seoul – Samgyeopsal & Banchans + Korean Craft Beer | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 3: Korean Cooking Class in Seoul – Making Sundubu Jjigae & Haemul Pajeon | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 4: Eating Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) + Korean Beer and Soju | Seoul, South Korea
PAJU
Episode 5: Korean BBQ Duck + DMZ Spy Tour at the South Korea-North Korea Border | Paju, South Korea
SEOUL (2nd Visit)
Episode 6: Korean Monastery Food – 25+ Items! + Korean War Museum Tour | Seoul, South Korea
BUSAN
Episode 7: All You Can Eat Korean Buffet + Gamcheon Culture Village | Busan, South Korea
Episode 8: Korean Buddhist Food & Temple Stay at Beomeosa Temple | Busan, South Korea
Episode 9: Full Course Korean Hangjeongsik Meal for a King – 15 Items! | Busan, South Korea
GYEONGJU
Episode 10: Eating Korean Chinese Food + UNESCO Royal Tombs | Gyeongju, South Korea
SEOUL (3rd Visit)
Episode 11: Korean Convenience Store $10 Breakfast Challenge at 7-Eleven | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 12: Traditional Korean Street Food Tour of Tongin Market | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 13: Manduguk Korean Dumpling Soup + Wearing Hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace | Seoul, South Korea
SEOUL TO BUSAN
Episode 14: KTX Korean Bullet Train Economy Class Review + Korean Breakfast | Seoul to Busan, South Korea
BUSAN (2nd Visit)
Episode 15: The Ultimate Korean Street Food Tour of BIFF Square | Busan, South Korea
Episode 16: Incredible Korean Baseball Experience – Go Lotte Giants! | Busan, South Korea
Episode 17: 24 Hour Korean Breakfast Restaurant – 14 Items! + Busan Tower | Busan, South Korea
Episode 18: Exotic Raw Korean Seafood at the Taejongdae Clam Tents | Busan, South Korea
Episode 19: Unique Korean Street Food Tour of Gamcheon Cultural Village | Busan, South Korea
Episode 20: Full Korean Breakfast + World’s Biggest Department Store in Centum City | Busan, South Korea
Episode 21: Eating Korean Sushi at The Biggest Seafood Market in Korea | Busan, South Korea
Episode 22: Trying Super Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken – Dakgalbi | Busan, South Korea
DAEGU
Episode 23: First Impressions of Daegu – South Korea’s Fourth Largest City! | Daegu, South Korea
Episode 24: Authentic Korean Street Food Tour of Seomun Market | Daegu, South Korea
Episode 25: Eating Spicy Korean BBQ Braised Short Ribs – Galbi Jim | Daegu, South Korea
BUSAN TO SEOUL
Episode 26: KTX Korean Bullet Train First Class Review + Spicy Korean Breakfast | Busan to Seoul, South Korea
SEOUL (4th Visit)
Episode 27: The Ultimate Korean Street Food Tour at Namdaemun Market | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 28: Trying Galbi Korean BBQ – Marinated Beef Ribs + Banchan | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 29: Typical Korean Breakfast at Kimbap Cheonguk + Seoul Tower Tour | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 30: Local Korean Street Food Tour of Mangwon Market | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 31: Eating Bulgogi, Korean Grilled Beef + Korean Craft Beer in Hongdae | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 32: Healthy Korean Breakfast – Trying Korean Porridge + Changdeokgung Palace Tour | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 33: Eating Korean Food in Lotte World Tower, Korea’s Tallest Building! | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 34: Diverse Korean Street Food Tour on Myeongdong Street | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 35: Insane Korean Breakfast at Bukchon Hanok Village | Seoul, South Korea
Episode 36: Korean Airport Food vs. American Airport Food – Traveling from Seoul to Miami
And that’s it! Those are all of my travel guides and travel episodes from South Korea. I hope you enjoy reading and watching them as much as I enjoyed creating them! If you have any questions about traveling through South Korea, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can email me at david[at]davidsbeenhere.com or send me a direct message on Instagram! I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can!