South Korea - Etelä-Korea

South Korea (한국, 韓國 Hanguk) [1], officially Republic of Korea (대한민국, 大韓民國 Daehan Minguk) is a State In Asia. Its border neighbor is North Korea.

Regions

Cities

• Soul
• Busan
• Daegu

Other items

• Panmunjom
• Jeju

Understand

Korea has a long history, during which the country was ruled by three dynasties: Silla, Choson and Koryon, as well as the Mongols and the Japanese. South Korea or the Republic of Korea was born after the Korean War, when the Korean Peninsula was divided into two by the Communist To North Korea and capitalist South Korea. The division is very artificial and part of the power struggle of the Cold War, and is now maintained mainly by the North Korean military leadership and the picky attitude of the South to take on the problems of the North.

Relations with Japan are not warm due to several conflicts from the 16th century to the events of World War II. The U.S. presence is not considered in Korea any more than in Okinawa, as there have been similar problems with soldiers in both places.

Come

Upon arrival in South Korea, Finns receive a three-month residence permit. For other visas, South Korea has an embassy In Helsinki (Fabianinkatu 8 A, tel. 09-2515000).

Although South Korea is part of mainland Asia, it is impossible to pass through North Korea so far, so you have to come to South Korea by plane or ship.

By plane

Soul-Incheon (DATE: ICN) is one of the most modern airports in Asia and the center of Korean Air and Asia. Finnair started direct flights From Helsinki in the summer of 2008. Finnair also transports cargo to Seoul twice a week from May 2010. Some companies, e.g. Lufthansa, also fly direct to Busan from the rest of Europe.

By boat

Both Japan and China have more ferry connections to South Korea, the most popular of which is Beetle-catamaran About FukuokaTo Busan (5x a day, duration less than 3 hours).

Move

The road and rail network is comprehensive and public transport works well. In metropolitan subways, the announcements are in both Korean and English.

Talk

The official language is Korean. In Seoul, most understand at least a little English. Koreans can be very shy to speak English even if they write it fluently.

Buy

The currency of South Korea is (₩), written in hangules 원. In February 2010, one euro was about 1,650 won, compared with 1,250 won in August 2007 and 100 won in September 2005. Thus, tourism in Korea has become cheaper for Europeans, as prices have not risen significantly. In April 2015, one euro earned 1,160 won in Korea, so due to the weakening exchange rate of the euro, Korea is a slightly more expensive tourist destination for Europeans than, for example, five years ago.

Price level

The price level in South Korea is expensive in Asian terms, especially in Seoul, although still significantly cheaper than in Japan. A backpacker who is willing to settle for local food and bus travel can make a daily budget of less than 60,000 won, but hotels and Western food can easily have to pay three times as much.

In Korea, electronics are slightly cheaper than in Finland, and the selections are significantly better. In the store, if you avoid buying meat and bread, you can do relatively cheaply. A package of toast can well cost 5 euros, and meat 20 euros per kilogram. Even a home cook should eat vegetables, rice and chicken or fish. The noodles are priced in a couple of euros per package, but you can pay that price for them because of their quality.

Clothes are expensive if you want western brands. However, if you agree to wear clothes made in China, the prices can be very affordable. These are sold in urban shopping streets as well as market areas.

Admission to museums is often cheap, from 35 cents to a few euros.

Eat

Korean food is strongly spiced. A meal usually includes one meat or fish dish, a bowl of rice, a bowl kimchi and a couple of bowls of other vegetables. Grilled meat (Bulgarian) you should try. A sushi-like kimbap is a good hunger repellent and affordable. In restaurants, you usually get as much side dishes and rice as you want (including water most often free), and you only have to pay for the main course. You can easily fill yourself with five euros.

Snake and dog meat are also eaten in the country, although the latter is illegal. Admittedly, access to these is by no means easy.

Juo

In Korea, beer and lemonade are available elsewhere. The local beer is American-style light, slightly pretentiously carbonated. Imported alcohol is very expensive, and a can of Japanese beer can cost up to 6 euros in a store. You can also find in Korea self-barwith several refrigerators full of differently priced beers. Get the bottle to the table, collect the empty bottles in the basket and pay when you leave at checkout.

There are a lot of products sold in vending machines in Korea, and you may come across the following freaks, among other things.

• Aloe Vera - a drink. All aloe Vera drinks sold in Finland also come from Korea, where these cactus-filled drinks are popular.
• Pocari Sweat - a sports drink-style cloudy drink that is confusing by its name
• Iced tea - not all iced tea is tea, but rather a peach-flavored cold drink
• Ohra cola - lemonade, which at first makes you think you bought cola, but the taste says otherwise

Typical alcohol products are

• Soju - 16-21 volt basic alcohol that Koreans cannot reasonably use. Taste neutral, maybe a little sweet. Locals often mix soy and local dilute beer - this blend is known as somaek (소맥). Soju is not spoiled by price. A 1.5 liter bottle is available for 2.5-4 euros and a small about 3.5 dl bottle for one euro.
• Makgeolli - cloudy rice wine sold in white bottles will blow your mind. This is a history of farmers ’alcohol, and you can very well identify with their conditions with this down-to-earth and directional taste.
• Plum wine - Chinese-style, mild and quite pleasant-tasting drink
• Fire broth - The broth sold in ceramic bottles really dries your mouth, kills bacteria and the next morning you hope that you too. Alk. 60 percent of the joy comes from China, and it’s not worth asking for another bottle.

Sleep

At its cheapest, a traveler in Korea will stay overnight at a Korean spa jjimjilbangissa (찜질방). With 8,000 won (about 7 euros) you can relax in various baths and saunas and sleep in a large common sleeping room on a thin mattress. Staying in Jjimjilbang is a nice Spartan experience, but not suitable for comfort-seeking travelers due to its hard sleeping platform and co-overnight snoring around. In Seoul and Busan, a backpacker can get a dorm-type bed from a guesthouse for about 15 euros.

Love motels that look like bulls (모텔) also offer good value for money. At 50,000 won per night (about 43 euros) you can get a room with a swivel bed, a jacuzzi and other additional entertaining features at its best. Motels may seem questionable, but their rooms are usually clean and well-equipped. It is not necessary to book a motel room in advance, as rooms are usually available, except during the busiest holiday periods. The condition and cleanliness of the room can usually be checked in advance before the final decision to stay overnight.

Study

Work

Obtaining a work visa in South Korea is very difficult and requires a practically completed job offer as well as excellent Korean language skills. There are many English language teachers in the country, but the requirements for an English teacher work visa include citizenship and passport of a native English speaking country (UK, Ireland, USA, South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Finland and South Korea do not have a working holiday agreement.

Stay safe

South Korea is a safe country. The average traveler very rarely sees anything in the country suggesting crime. Koreans are mostly honest people and, for example, a wallet that has fallen on the street can be found untouched in the same place for hours on end. Inter-Korean border zone (DMZ) is perhaps the most closely controlled area in the world, and jumping across the border can be fatal, as guards are ordered to shoot every single jumper. South and North Korea are still virtually at war, as the peace agreement was not signed after the end of the Korean War. It is still difficult for a traveler in South Korea to notice the existence or threat of North Korea unless you go to apply for it.

Stay healthy

The level of hygiene in South Korea is good. However, tap water is not recommended for drinking, but there is no greater risk of getting sick. Please note that health care is not free in South Korea, so be prepared for travel insurance. You may have to pay for the treatment you receive in the hospital on the spot, as automatic invoicing to Finnish insurance companies does not always work from Asia.

Respect

Koreans are kind people. They are happy to greet and the westerner can greet by flashing back. The foreigner is not supposed to understand all the local customs, but most of the time survives when you have your own self and use common sense.

Take contact

In South Korea, only the CDMA-2000 network, on which the European telephone did not work, was to be planned. Today, there is also a standard 3G network in the country. As a tourist, you cannot open a new connection in the country, but an exchange student can get one with a local contact. Note that your friend will eventually have to pay all your phone bills, meaning credit is needed on both sides. If you do not own a 3G phone, you can rent one. From Incheon Airport. With a phone rented from the airport, you should be careful as it connects to the internet very easily and thus costs a lot.

The Embassy of Finland in Seoul is located at:

Office Suite 1602, 16th floor

Kyobo Building 1, Chongno 1-ga

Chongno-gu

Seoul 110-714.

this is useful article. It could be used, but it doesn’t compare to a travel guide. Dive in and help make it recommended!