Shopping in Korea

When it comes to grocery shopping, there are lots of options here in Korea. However, knowing how to do it properly can be a bit tricky.

 Super markets: Supermarkets include Homeplus, E-Mart, and Lotte Mart. These are great places to go because they contain just about everything. From food to home appliances to pets, these supermarkets have it all. The food and meat is always fresh, however, they tend to be a bit more expensive than local markets. While convenient, you’ll tend to pay a little bit more if you shop at a supermarket.  The big plus though to shopping at supermarkets is the amount of meat and the freshness of that meat that you can buy there. It’s the best place to go to find meat from pigs, chickens, cows, and fish. It should be noted though that supermarkets in Korea are all closed Sunday.

Department stores: At the basement of most department stores is a supermarket/grocery store. These are just like Homeplus and E-Mart, but they are a lot more expensive than the big 3. Unlike supermarkets though, department store supermarkets are open on Sunday.

Local stores: These are small mom and pop stores that are located where apartment complexes are. Most just sell vegetables, but if you search, you can find a place that sells meat, too. Local markets tend to be a lot cheaper than super markets. Sometimes though, the produce or meat is just not very fresh. To find the best places to shop, you need to look around your neighborhood. The best local market near me sells super fresh meat and produce for less than half the price of a supermarket, but I have to walk about 7 blocks to get to it. If you are looking to save money, local markets are the best, just be prepared to do a bit of walking. Most of these local markets are open 7 days a week, but some are closed on certain days. Make sure to look or ask for when they are closed.

Korean words you need to know:

• 얼마예요?  (‘Ol-my-ye-yo?’)How much is it?
•  ___이/가 있어요? (‘___eul/reul isoyo?) Do you have___?
• 닭고기가 있어요? (‘Dalkgogl reul isoyo?) Do you have chicken?
• 당근이 있어요? (‘Dangeun eul isoyo?) Do you have carrot?
• ___이/가 어디에 있어요? (‘___ee/ga odi e isoyo?’)Where is ___?
• 소고기가 어디에 있어요? (‘Sogogi ga odi e isoyo?’)Where is the beef?
• 마늘이어디에 있어요? (‘maneul ee odi e isoyo?’)Where is the garlic?
• 닭고기(‘dalkgogi’) Chicken
• 돼지고기 (‘dwejigogi’)Pork
• 소고기 (‘sogogi’)Beef
• 당근 (‘danggeun’)Carrot
• 양파 (‘yangpa’) Onion
• 파 (‘pa’) Spring onion
• 마늘 (‘maneul’) Garlic
• 김 (‘kim’) Seaweed
• 계란 (gyeran’) Egg
• 두부 (‘dooboo’)Tofu
• 쌀 (‘ssal’) (Uncooked) Rice
• 참기름 (‘chamgireum’) Sesame Oil
• 간장 (‘ganjang’) Soy Sauce
• 기름 (‘gireum’) Oil
• 빵 (‘bbang’) Bread
• 물(‘mool’) Water
• 포도 (‘podo’) Grape
• 사과 (‘sagwa’) Apple
• 기위 Kiwi
• 배 (‘bae’) Pear
• 복숭아 (‘boksoonga’) Peach
• 바나나Banana

Jeonju

Jeonju (전주) is a small city in the mid-western part of South Korea. It was the capital during the Hubaekje kingdom and was considered the spiritual capital during the Joseon dynasty. Jeonju is most famous for its delicious food.

While it is a small town, Jeonju offers many things to do. The most famous of these is eating. Jeonju is famous for bibimbab (비빔밥) and soybean sprout soup (콩나물국밥, ‘kongnamool gukbap’). Jeonju is so famous for its food that people from all over Korean come just to eat Jeonju delicacies.

Jeonju is home to a famous Hanok village, the Jeonju Hanok Village (전주한옥마을). The Hanok village is home to traditional constructed houses with many shops selling traditional goods and foods. Sprawling over a distance of about 1 ½ square miles and about 800 traditional houses, the Hanok village is absolutely huge.

The village is home to many local artists who own a shop or booth along the street. It is also home to many mom and pop restaurants, traditional Korean hotels, and museums. The most popular things to eat in the Hanok village are soybean sprout soup, patbingsu (팟빙수), which is a delicious red bean ice cream dessert, and  Igang wine, Jeonju’s traditional makkeolli.

Pictured is Soybean Sprout Soup and Jeonju Makkeolli

My recommendation is to walk around the village until you get hot, then go to "Grandmother's Best" (외할머니 솜씨) for some of the best patbingsu you'll ever have. Grandmother's Best is quite popular, and the line is often times quite long, so it's best to just take the patbingsu to-go. If you take your patbingsu to-go, go eat it at Jeonju Hyanggyo (전주향교), Jeonju's Confucian school. The school is a couple hundred years old and is a beautiful campus to walk around. The school is open to the public to walk around during the day. Just be remember to respectful and quite when you're at the school because class is in session during open walking hours. 

After eating your patbingsu, go back to the village, and walk around some more. Visit the Jeongdong Cathedral (전동성당), one of Korea’s oldest Catholic churches and famous for its classic Spanish architecture. Then browse the outdoor booths looking at the local artists’ work. Once you work up an appetite, go sit down for lunch/dinner and eat some soybean sprout soup with some traditional Jeonju makkeolli.

Jeonju, outside of the Hanok village, is a great city. The downtown area has a great shopping area with many cute and fashionable clothes that would please any fashionista/cheapskate. It’s also home to a lotus pond and water fountain that turns into a movie screen at night.

Playing Roy Kim's "봄봄봄" ('Bom Bom Bom', 'Sping Spring Spring')

Jeonju is an absolutely beautiful city home to some of the nicest people I have met during my time in Korea. If you are a foodie or just love to travel, make sure to stop by Jeonju. Just a word of warning, not many Jeonju residents speak English or speak English well, so if you don’t speak Korean, make sure to bring a dictionary!

Cheonggyecheon Stream

Cheonggyecheon (청계천) Stream is a 5 mile long stream that runs through Seoul. It is open all year for the residents of Seoul to come and view during the day and night. The Cheonggyecheon also hold events throughout the year.

The Cheonggyecheon start off as an open stream that ran through Seoul. As a matter of fact, most of the stream had been covered by cement. But in the year 2003, Lee Myung-bak (이명박), who was the major of Seoul at the time, initiated a green project to restore the Cheongyecheon. In the year 2005, the Cheonggyecheon was open to the public.

At the entrance of the Cheonggyecheon is a large waterfall. Behind the waterfall is Seoul’s famous sculpture “Spring.” In reality, it looks like a colorful, upside down ice cream cone and is actually kind of ugly. But hey, art. Dotted along the river are also small rock bridges where you can cross to get to the other side.

Cheonggyecheon is most famous for being a “couple hangout” spot. For many couples, it’s a very relaxing walk along a beautiful stream. You can also stop and take a break at some places and stick your feet in the cold stream. The stream is also a favorite for families with small children as certain parts of the stream allow you to play in them.

The Cheonggyecheon’s most famous event is the Seoul Lantern Festival, which is generally held in the fall of each year. The festival is an amazing display of art, lights, and ingenuity. If you are in Seoul during the festival, make sure to check it out. Be warned though; it’s an extremely popular event and therefore usually very crowded. Expect to wait in a long line to get down into the river.

The Cheonggyecheon is truly an urban beauty and is a great place to go and visit with your friends, family, or significant other. The best time to visit is during the spring or summer where the weather is warm enough to stick your feet in and enjoy the stream. 

To get to the Cheonggyecheon, you can take a bus, taxi or subway. If you take the subway, get off at Euljiro 1-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 2 or 3, Jonggak Station (Subway Line 1), Exit 5, or

Gwanghwamun Station (Subway Line 5), Exit 5.

Seokguram

Seokguram  (석구람) is a mountain side grotto that contains a 1,000+ year old Buddha statue. The Buddha, carved into the granite mountain side, is considered to be one of the greatest examples of Silla dynasty Buddhist art. Seokguram is considered to be a part of the Bulguksa temple complex, but it is theorized that historically that the Seokguram grotto was used primarily by Silla royalty.

Driving up to Seokguram is one of the most beautiful drives I’ve seen in Korea. As you wind around the mountain, you are greeted with long fields of green and mountains dotting the horizon. If you suffer from car sickness, be prepared; the road up to the grotto is long and twisty.

Once you have arrived, there are several viewpoints to see some of the stunning scenery. Make sure to bring your camera!

 At the entrance, there is a large bell which can be rung for good luck. To ring the bell, they ask for a 1,000 won donation to the temple. Even if you don’t want to donate or ring the bell, the view from the bell house is quite amazing, so donate the 1,000 won and check it out.

 The log is heavier than it looks!

To get to the grotto, you must first take a 15-20 minute hike. Don’t worry though, like everything before, the view is to die for. Once you reach the grotto site, the area is filled with hundreds of colorful lanterns. During Buddha’s birthday, there are even more lanterns near the grotto.

Unfortunately, due to issues with preservation, the grotto itself is not often open to the public. There are a few days a year where you can actually go inside the grotto (one of which is Buddha’s birthday). If you can enter the grotto, you first you must take off your shoes. Once inside, there are mats where you can pray to Buddha if you so choose. However, cameras are not allowed due to the fragile nature of the grotto. If you visit on a day in which the grotto is not open, you can still see it from the outside.

Once you leave the grotto, you can continue on to see the small Seokguram temple. While modest, any fan of Asian architecture will be happy to see the classically designed wooden buildings. As we visited on Buddha’s birthday, the temple was giving out free bibimbap (비빔밥) (actually, most Buddhist temples do this on Buddha’s birthday).

Since we visited on Buddha’s birthday, entry to the grotto was free, but on regular days, the temple costs 4,000 to enter. To get to Seokguram, you can take a car, taxi, or bus (Bus 12 from Bulguksa Temple). The ride up to the grotto takes roughly 30 minutes depending on the traffic. You also have the option of hiking from Bulguksa Temple to the grotto. The hike is about 4 kilometers and takes roughly 2 hours to complete. 

Anapji

Anapji (안압지) is an artificial pond in Gyeongju (경주) that used to be a part of the palace complex during the Silla dynasty. It was constructed under the order of King Munmu in 674 AD. In 1975, restoration began on the site and was completed in 1975. Anapji is now a big tourist destination in Gyeongju and a popular place for couples to go at night.

At night, the pond itself is quite impressive. The reconstructed buildings and pond are well lit, making it a photographer’s dream. Littered around the pond are signs in Korean and English describing the different artifacts that have been found at the pond as well as describing Silla dynasty palace life.

At the center of the pond, there is a large pavilion that acts as a mini-museum and contains several artifacts found in the pond. In the middle of the mini-museum is model of the entire pond complex during the Silla dynasty.

With benches placed throughout the pond, it makes it a comfortable 30-45 minute walk to see the entire complex.

It serves as great romantic place to slowly walk around with significant other, though the majority of visitors are families with children.

The pond is open during the day as well as during the night. Anapji is more famous for its night views than for its day views. I went at night, and it was a truly beautiful sight. I can only imagine walking around this pond during the fall when the leaves are changing colors.

Admission is a cheap; 1,500 won for both day and night. It’s within walking distance of downtown Gyeongju (about a 20-30 minute walk). You can also get to the pond by cab or bus. However, I recommend walking so that you can walk through the lotus pond, see Korea’s ancient astronomy tower, and walk through the kings’ tombs.

If you enjoy photography, history, or just beautiful view, visit the Anapji pond in Gyeongju.