'Lost' puts Korea in the spotlight

For those who shy away from world affairs, the answer is sadly very little. The 1988 Olympic Games and the 2002 World Cup soccer finals did much to put the spotlight on South Korea, but it is quickly forgotten. Those who are better informed might tell you that the North and South Korean nations are at war. Although this is technically true, everyone here knows that the war is very much a "cold" one, and it has been for decades. Many foreigners who do come to Korea like to visit the Demilitarized Zone spanning across the borders of North and South Korea, which is a foreboding place where guards eyeball each other across the neutral area. However, most people living in the West seem to have forgotten what's going on; and they only seem interested in how many nuclear weapons North Korea currently stocks.

The politics of the Korean Peninsula in truth should not be an issue when deciding whether or not to visit South Korea. All expatriates know that South Korea is a peaceful, prospering democratic nation with a friendly, hardworking and business-minded people. Although the nation is known as the "Hermit Kingdom" for the tradition of not mixing very much with foreigners, it is also true that new media is revolutionizing the way that young Koreans are thinking. South Korea is indeed one of the most wired countries in the world as far as being in the online community is concerned; and it is streets ahead of the West when it comes to telecommunication systems. However, since not many people can read Hangeul outside of Korea, Korean websites are sadly something of a virtual hermit kingdom and don't often get picked up by English-based search engines.

After spending over three years working in South Korea, I now know infinitely more about the country than I did before, but there still remains a lingering feeling that I've only just managed to scratch the cultural surface. Korea is an orderly, affluent country with a rich and ancient heritage poking through a capitalist, commercial and modern society. Ancient traditions of Confucianism and patriarchal social hierarchies bleed between a society that embraces the global post-modern era celebrating brand names and technology. My first few months on the peninsula were spent musing that I had found some secret microcosm of utopia. A superficial combination of clean streets, friendly people, and everything one could possibly need within easy access; led me to this rather naive notion. Then came the inevitable culture shock, a growing negativity about those, to be expected, daily annoyances, followed finally by acceptance and the gradual upward motion of revived positive emotions. Now, having acquired a taste for all things Korean and having reflected objectively upon the experience from several trips back home, I am sure that more Western travelers could enjoy the Korean experience. So why don't more tourists come?

A resounding fact is that not many people go to Korea to take a holiday. Most people who decide to travel to the Far East opt for the more popular and well-known holiday destinations of Thailand, Japan or even Cambodia or Vietnam. Korea does remain something of an unknown quantity for your average tourist. I myself recently drew up a book plan for world publishers Dorling Kindersley to create a guidebook for Korea. As yet, DK do not have a title dedicated to traveling in Korea and it is one of the few countries that they have not yet covered. Those with first hand experience of Korea tend to be the military, businesspeople, foreign correspondents and English teachers. In fact, Korea has become one of the most popular places in Asia to teach English due to the growing demands of international commerce and increasingly high standards of education. Without this large expatriate community of teachers, along with the American military base, there would be very few Western foreigners left around the peninsula.

However, it is almost inevitable in an age of rapid globalization that Korea will increasingly mix with foreign people and their cultures. For example, lately there has been an interesting social development that is bringing more foreigners to Korea; this being an increasing number of mixed marriages in Korea, mostly due to an overpopulation of males in rural areas which is attracting large numbers of foreign Asian brides. This trend will naturally bring even more foreign travelers to Korea as families and friends make visits to their loved ones. The hermit kingdom does seem to be opening up a little; and it is something of a Pandora's Box for a culture that has been closed for so long.

For those lucky enough to be able to visit Korea, there is plenty to see. The peninsula is abundant with Buddhist temples and even the overpopulated urban capital of Seoul has several ancient palaces and monuments to explore. These temples are curiously the remains of an ancient kingdom that has now been surrounded by the mass urban sprawl of modern high-rises and business blocks. Travelers following a trusty Lonely Planet guidebook will eventually find their way to the honeymoon destination of Jeju Island, a large volcanic Island on the southern tip of Korea. Here, in contrast to the buzzing, disorientating atmosphere of Seoul, they will find peace and serenity and a traditional Korea that can be explored at their own leisurely pace. They might see the notorious Korean diving women, or they might go to one of the traditional villages and soak up some tangible, authentic and original Korean culture. They might eat bibimbap, or kimbap, or mandu, or a whole host of other delicious Korean foods that they will probably have never eaten before; and after spending some time in Korea, they will begin to wonder why it is not a more popular tourist spot. I suppose most people prefer the road well traveled.

With the nearby natural paradise of Thailand and the technologically impressive Japanese Islands close by, Korea often fades away in the tourist industry like a great-undiscovered tomb holding ancient treasures. If people are brave enough to excavate the tourist map and look beyond the hotspots, they might just find something wonderful that they never expected. Spread the word - put Korea on the tourist map. Don't let it be LOST.

(author@jason-gaskell.info)

Jason Gaskell is the editor of OrientalTales.com, a Seoul-based online short story publisher of Asian Travel tales. - Ed.

By Jason Gaskell