Korea - S. Korea: What's worth visiting outside of SEL?

Owing to some flight changes, my upcoming 5-day leisure trip to Seoul looks set to be extended to 7 days, and, considering that Seoul isn't famous for its attractions, I'm beginning to think that it may be a bit too much.

Any ideas for a 2-3 day trip? I'm in my mid-twenties, male (if that makes any difference), likely to be travelling solo, and I'm open to any type of destination (urban vibe and nightlife, traditional architecture, nature and/or beaches etc).

You sound like an ideal candidate for buying a guidebook. Then you can browse the possible destinations and figure out what seems most attractive to YOU, not to someone else.

(BTW, I haven't been to Korea myself --it's on the agenda for next year--but that's the general rule I follow wherever I go: buy a guidebook months in advance and use it for ideas on where to go.)

The two places that I've been to come to mind that are worth a couple days' sidetrip from Seoul. Jeju island is a honeymoon destination for Korean couples. There are high end resorts with casios, decent beaches and the seafood is excellent. Lots of parks and hiking areas.

The other, more historical place is Kyongju, the ancient capital of the Shilla kingdom, which controlled this portion of Korea 2,000 years ago. The burial mounds of the Shilla kings and the national museum with ancient artifacts are fascinating. Busan, South Korea's major port and second largest city, is nearby. Hyundae is a beach resort area on the outskirts of Busan.

jpatokal has two interesting trip reports on provincial sights in Korea on FT. Brilliant stuff and a must read for an interested traveller.

Other than that, I'd also recommend booking a spa day. Excellent value for money all over Korea.

Thanks mosburger :cool: Direct links:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/463935-heart-africa-top-world-sin-llw-lyr-yow-pus-sin-c-4.html#post4614591
Seoul, DMZ, Busan, Jinju

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/568664-double-almost-rtw-part-1-sin-bkk-icn-lax-back-oz-c-tr-y.html
Seoul, Cheonan, Chungju, Suanbo, Danyang, Guinsa
(NB: The Haesoopia spa near ICN mentioned here is, alas, no more)

While I'm nowhere near as familiar with S. Korea as some of the regulars here, my top 3 sights outside Seoul would be the DMZ, Guinsa Temple and -- mostly for the sheer weirdness factor -- the Independence Hall in Cheonan. Don't discount Seoul though, it's a sprawling city that hides all sorts of fascinating sites, a few of which are mentioned in the reports ;)

well-done jpatokal ^^

Additionally there are some commercial companies which provide tour guide to non-korean.

http://www.tourinkorea.com/ (you can find popular attractions)
http://www.tourinkorea.com/englocaltour.html

IF you want to spend 2 days in Seoul and other days in other Asian country like China.

Book a group tour from Korean tour company (yes, tour with korean people)

it is very cheap. $500 for 4day trip to Beijing including air, food and hotel.

As a korean, I did the tour from Lotte tour company (one of the largest). I found two people from US and two people from Middle East. They had no idea what the guide said.. But you will get some help from other travelers about important information.

great stuff! Thanks everyone. ^