I am planning a trip to South Korea for the World Cup and would love to have people who have been there offer things that are a "must do" whil I am there. I will be there for about two weeks.
Thanks for the help!

Shawn

Shawn,

How much did you pay for your flight?... for your world cup ticket?

I paid about $200 for my World Cup tickets. That is for all three first round games of the U.S. I got them off of the FIfa Web site. I beleive you can still purchase them there.

As for airfare, my brother is using my miles to get him there and I have a $400 voucher from last CHristmas I am going to use. Right now the airfare is $965. But that should come down.

Are you thinking about going? It is going to be a great event.

Shawn

Korea is an interesting destination for independent travelers, less exotic than Southeast Asia, yet 'spicier' than say Japan.

I suspect there will be a large organized effort to have foreign visitors discover the country. The Korea National Tourist Organization (KNTO) has an exhaustive listing of the typical sights at http://www.knto.or.kr/

Typically what should be on offer is organized tours, English-speaking volunteers, and help with various bookings for accomodation/transportation/events.
If you are not adventurous, you will be safe with those 'standard offerings', Korea being slightly more difficult to navigate solo than many countries.

If you prefer to tour Korea on your own, you'll find a relatively extensive but Seoul-centric air network, with moderate prices; a decent train network (avoid the slower trains); a good but overcrowded road system with an extensive network of inexpensive intercity and rural buses.

Renting a car is definitely not recommended in and around Seoul; I would rank it second to Manila for places not to drive in, and I have tried Bangkok, NYC, LA, Napoli, Athens, you name it. Korea has the highest accident rate in the OECD along with Portugal if I remember correctly.

Outside of Seoul, having a car would definitely add a lot to what you will see; the road signs are mostly bilingual, but the spelling is non-standardized and very confusing (B can be P - Busan/Pusan, K can be G - Kyongju/Gyeongju, J can be Ch - Cheju/Jeju, etc.): navigation can be difficult!
Outside of cities, I doubt you will get very far not speaking Korean - a relative of mine spent a week touring the countryside and ended up eating curry rice every day, not being able to decipher anything else on the menu http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Once in a while Korea tends to 'clean up' what I think makes its charm, the old single-story homes, the unpaved country roads, etc. Bicycles and older homes disappeared from central Seoul for the 1988 Olympics; unpaved country roads were paved in the 90's, thatched roofs have disappeared as well. If you push far into the countryside by car or local bus, you may get a glimpse the old Korea; if you stay with the planned activities, you'll see a modern Asian country with well-preserved monuments, which is not a bad thing if this is your first trip there.

Be warned that a loud, brash, insensitive foreign tourist may not be welcome in remote areas; an easygoing SoCal person should be ok http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif . Also, stay away from drunken Koreans and their gathering places at night, a foreigner might just become a convenient scapegoat (as in some other countries with US military presence I found).
Warnings aside, Koreans in the country are much warmer and genuine than in Seoul. If you have any Korean friends at home, this is the time to 'cultivate' them, a local guide or contact is invaluable in Korea.

Given that you will be in Suwon, Taegu and Taejon for your matches, I would recommend Seoul, Kyongju, and perhaps Pusan as some of your urban stopovers.
For side trips, the mountainous Soraksan area east of Seoul is very beautiful, and one could push all the way out to Sokcho on the east coast, which is not unlike the PCH south of Monterrey. The west coast is completely different, with the sleepier Yellow Sea, many small islands, and a brand new highway alongside it. I remember being driven down on a country road there some 20 years ago among the rice paddies, pine trees, red hills, and villages: very nice and soothing. These days, it is likely to be overrun with beachgoers in the summer http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif
Alternatively, Cheju island is the Korean honeymooners' favorite resort, the 'Korean Hawaii', with very pleasant weather.

I am somewhat surprised at the timing of this World Cup, as June is the rainy season in Japan; in Korea July is supposedly the rainy month, but expect heavy rain in the second half of June. As May is very pleasant, perhaps you should front-load your travel at the beginning of June, and save Seoul for the end.

Other tips:
- driving in and out of Seoul on weekends is a nightmare (avoid car and intercity bus)
- minimize your luggage if you plan on travelling by bus/subway/train
- plenty of Internet cafes in Seoul
- Seoul is very expensive, the rest of the country not
- regular Seoul taxis are very cheap; the nicer black ones are not, but the drivers understand English better
- the Seoul subway system is now quite good; the public busses are virtually unusable for foreigners