Once a hermit kingdom, South Korea now a tourist hub

It was once known as a hermit kingdom as South Korea was isolated from the rest of the world. However, now the Republic of Korea is one of the finest tourist destinations in the world.
With the opening of the floodgates for millions of visitors every year to the beautiful isle nation in Far East Asia, the Korean tourism sector is a flourishing
industry now, as according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) statistics it has recorded improved footfall with every passing year.
According to numbers provided by the KTO, 8,797,658 people visited the country in 2010, and 9,794,796 in 2011, which rose to 11,140,028 in 2012 and 12,175,550 visitors were recorded in 2013.
The Changdeokgung Palace in the heart of Seoul, the Korean capital city, is the cynosure of all eyes attracting a huge number of domestic and international tourists every day as it served as the main palace of many Joseon kings of Korea and is the best preserved among the five royal Joseon palaces, namely Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Gyeoggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace and Unhyeongung Palace.
The palace listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for its historical significance, simplicity and subtleness, is a fine example of masterful work. Particularly noteworthy is the back garden (Huwon) popularly known as the ‘Secret Garden’ as the king used to meet his queens here.
The ‘Secret Garden’ is widely acclaimed for its beautifully landscaped and creative gardens and well-known for its perfect harmonization with the surrounding nature. It is here that the Miss World pageant was held a few years ago, our tourist guide told us.
Other major attractions during our week-long trip were the Yangdong Folk Village and the city of Gyeongju, its National Museum in Gyeongsangbuk province on the Southeastern fringe and the journey from Seoul via the KTX high speed rails.
Yangdong is a Korean folk village designed as important folk material, located along the Hyeongsan river, 20 km northeast of Gyeongju, the city which served as the capital during the millennium-long Silla dynasty of Korea.
As a representative traditional Korean village built in 14th-15th centuries, the Yangdong village readily preserves traditional architectural styles within a setting and landscape that are in harmony with nature, reflecting the traditional Confucian philosophy of the Joseon era and keeping with its status as a center of Joseon Confucian education. Even today, the village is an apt successor to the traditional Confucian culture and lifestyle.
Balguksa located on the slopes of Mount Toham is another tourist attraction and encompasses seven national treasures of South Korea including Dabotap and Seokgatap stone pagodas. In 1995, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Seokguram Grotto, which lies four km to the east.
Gyeongju National Museum is a major attraction in the province as it is second only to the National Museum of Korea in Seoul in terms of the size and quality of the collection and exhibits. It was founded in 1945, immediately following the end of the Japanese occupation, as the Gyeongju branch of the National Museum in Seoul.
The high speed journey of the KTX bullet trains with basic services and modern amenities including free WiFi and LCD TVs add value to the tour. The KTX departs from the Seoul station for the journey to Busan and takes 2.5 hours. Busan is South Korea’s second largest metropolis after Seoul. It is a coastal city famous for its beaches and host to the Busan International Firm Festival every year in October.
Tourists visit Busan for its cherry blossoms and rape flowers, which start to blossom from the end of March and reach their peak in April.
South Korean pop music, popularly known as K-pop, a musical genre characterized by a wide variety of audiovisual elements, is another tourist attraction. It covers mostly dance-pop, pop ballad, electronic, rock and hip-hop. Klive is a place where visitors can watch K-pop stars’ hologram performances anytime.
Considered to be a masterstroke, ‘Gangnam Style,’ the 18th K-pop single by the South Korean musician Psy released in July 2012, debuted at number one on South Korea’s Gaon Chart and on Dec. 21, 2012, ‘Gangnam Style’ became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views. As of May 31, 2014, the music video has been viewed over two billion times on YouTube, and it is the site’s most watched video after surpassing Justin Bieber’s single “Baby.”
The phrase “Gangnam Style” is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul. The song and its accompanying music video went viral since August 2012 and has influenced popular culture worldwide since then.
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a strip of land running across the Korean peninsula serves as buffer zone between North and South Korea. It is also visited by a huge number of tourists, but with military precaution.
Moreover, the growing status of the Republic of Korea as an Asian Tiger just like its neighbors Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan and its fast moving digital economy housing multinational giants such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, KIA, Daewoo and POSCO, add value to its tourism as a well-organized sector. Collectively, it has done wonders for a country with less natural resources and more of a paradigm shift toward a ‘creative economy’ with unprecedented growth.
While visiting the country you will experience not only the rich traditions and culture of Korea, but also witness the state-of-the-art technology, which is helping Korea to emerge as an economic power not only in the region but in the world.
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