Seoul, South Korea

-I'm in a city that is considered one of the greatest success stories of the 20th and 21st centuries, a capital city that has been around for centuries with a younger generation that doesn't just want to look toward the future but create it.

Yet with all of the youthful energy, there is a strong desire to look back and appreciate its history, culture, and permanence in this fast-changing world, a destination that has soared to the top of every traveler's must-experience-for-themselves list.

I am in Seoul, South Korea.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world, and I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my "Places to Love."

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... pedal... and journey beyond the beaten path on storied rivers with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations, member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at aaa.com/livetv.

-So, Charlie, this is my very first time to Seoul, to South Korea.

I've been to a lot of, you know, major megacities in Asia.

-Yeah.

-And this one immediately feels different.

-Yeah, I think a lot of people, before they come here, they're not...

They don't really have a clear picture of the city and what to expect.

-You know, they have a concept of, like, Tokyo, or they have a concept of Beijing, but I think Seoul is still kind of a blank space.

-Yeah, which is a really wonderful way to approach a city as a traveler.

-I love that I had very few expectations.

I have very few things that I must see and I must do.

I just want to experience what this city has to offer.

-I'm Charlie Usher.

I'm originally from Wisconsin, but I've been living in Seoul for close to 10 years now.

-So what neighborhood are we in right now?

-We are in the Yeonnam neighborhood.

-Yeonnam.

-Yeonnam.

-It's very charming.

-Yeah, this is a neighborhood that's really gotten quite popular in the past, let's say, five years or so.

You've had a lot of young Koreans who have a lot more international exposure than their parents did have come, and so you have places like, you know, you've got a bagel shop that's opened up here.

You've got a Vietnamese restaurant, a Mexican place right back the way.

-It's great.

It's really... Again, it's this...

I have an expectation of what Seoul is going to be like -- big buildings, overwhelming.

-There's a lot of that.

-But this has sort of the charm of Europe right now.

-Yeah.

I mean, there's definitely a lot of neighborhoods that are... it's just...it's, like, big building after big building.

-Yeah.

-This just has a much more sort of, like, cosmopolitan feel, which is something that, like, is really noticeable among younger Koreans nowadays.

-Mm-hmm.

-Seoul has recently developed a surprisingly strong coffee culture.

I certainly didn't expect to see a Korean coffee shop inspired by Mexican wrestling, but the country clearly has an international reputation for its food, so I'm joining Charlie and his wife, So-Hee, for a traditional Korean meal called banchan, which is intimidating by the number of dishes alone, but then there are the rules of etiquette that go way beyond just keeping your elbows off the table.

Take pouring beverages for instance.

You never pour your own, and the youngest has to serve the oldest using two hands to show respect.

Oh, and I get two scoops.

All right.

-As much as I love you.

-Is that how... -That's how we say it, yeah.

-What do you say?

-As much as I love you, I pour... -Oh, thank you.

That's lovely.

-Cheers.

-Cheer.

-Geonbae.

-Yeah.

Again, technically if we're going to be following real Korean etiquette... -I want to follow all the rules here.

-...So-Hee should make sure that her cup is a little bit lower than ours.

-Oh, to show the respect.

-To show respect.

-Okay, oh.

-Geonbae.

-Geonbae.

I love this country.

And now that I have the rice wine down... Whoo!

-Yeah.

-So what is this?

I mean, there are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

There are 15 dishes here.

-Right.

-15, that's a lot.

I feel like this is a test, and I am already failing.

-Korean dining, there's a lot of etiquette about the pouring and, like, who eats first and stuff.

But when it comes to actually putting stuff in your mouth, it's pretty relaxed.

Like, you can kind of eat however you want to eat.

Like, if, you know, you want to mix this with that... -Mm-hmm.

-...go for it.

-The oldest person at the table, that would be me, picks up their chopsticks first and begins to eat.

With that, everyone else can dig in.

Now the rules are gone.

You just see what you want, reach, and eat.

And is this a meal that you would typically enjoy eating out, or do people actually do this at home, all these dishes?

It seems like a lot of work.

-I think I get this kind of meal, like, on special occasions like birthday.

My birthday, my mom will cook like this.

-Your mom will cook like this?

-Yeah.

-So this always a communal meal?

You really wouldn't enjoy a meal like this alone.

-Because of our family-oriented culture... -Mm-hmm.

-...people don't like to be alone, I think.

-Mm-hmm.

-Especially when you are eating, you want to be with somebody and enjoy your meal, but it became a thing since a lot of people live alone, and, you know, there are, like, restaurants, you always have to come with, you know, people.

But there are also restaurants you can go by yourself.

-You can go by yourself.

-Yeah.

We now call it honbap, like, alone meal.

It's a new trend and new word.

-Well, thank you.

This is great.

Thank you.

I feel like I'm getting at least a "C" in Korean cooking, in Korean cuisine now.

Now I know what to do.

For all its emphasis on ancient Korean tradition, Seoul is a strikingly modern city, and nowhere else is this more apparent than the juxtaposition between these buildings on one side of the street and this one on the other.

This is Gwanghwamun Gate, the entrance to the spectacular main palace.

It was originally built for the empress of the Joseon Dynasty in 1395.

What I find overwhelming about Seoul is that you have five palaces.

-Five palaces.

-So is this the most important one?

Like, where do you begin?

-Most biggest palace... -This is the biggest.

-...among five royal palace.

It was used as a main palace.

Actually, king and queen.

-The king and queen?

-...had lived at this palace.

-I see.

This is where they lived.

Okay.

-Sure.

-So what were the other palaces used for then?

-King's grandmothers.

-Ah, you got to put the grandmothers somewhere.

Got to keep them happy.

-King's grandmother, sometime you had the concubine... -I see, okay.

Those, too, sure.

They all need homes.

-Yeah.

-It's absolutely beautiful.

-Yeah.

-And there's such a contrast between modern Korea, which is right there, and then you have the palace and the mountains, and if you just look a certain way, you can almost imagine what it was like... -Sure.

-200, 300 years ago.

-Yes, very good, you know, contrast between old and new.

-This is a beautiful palace, and we're here to see the changing of the guard.

-Sure.

♪♪ -And what are we seeing?

This is actually what happened way back when, in the 1400s and the 1500s?

-Sure, dating back to 600 years, 14th century.

Kind of shift, kind of, you know, guard shift.

-It's the shift change.

-The shift change.

-Punching in, punching out.

-Mm-hmm.

-This isn't the only reenactment going on at the palace.

Something completely unexpected and charming was seeing so many people dressed up in period costumes.

It seems if you're going to have your picture taken in a 14th-century palace, you might as well look like you belong there, and if you don't happen to own an appropriate Joseon Dynasty wardrobe, no problem.

There are shops all around Seoul that will rent you one.

-Whenever you see the people wearing Korean dresses in Seoul... -Yes?

-...ironically, they are foreigners.

-Is that right?

-[ Laughs ] -Wow, Justin, I need to get a dress!

-Yep, that's what I recommended.

-Today, Justin is showing me a small village called Bukchon Hanok.

This is steep!

-Yeah, it is, isn't it?

-It's just a few blocks away from the palace, which made it very attractive to the ancient aristocracy.

The higher up you lived, the higher up you felt.

Today, the village serves as a center for traditional Korean culture, and Justin wants me to visit the home of a respected practitioner of an ancient Korean art form.

Hello!

How are you?

Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Nice to meet to you.

Nice to meet you.

-Yeah.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -So I'm learning how to do jogakbo.

-[ Laughs ] -Ooh!

-See?

Hey!

Jogakbo.

What does jogakbo mean?

-Jogak means pieces.

-Pieces, okay.

And then what does bo mean?

-Bo means like this kind of silk.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -Mm-hmm.

-When our ancestors were living, these kind of textiles was very expensive and rare.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -But after they finished their making clothes, always those kind of leftover came out.

-Scraps.

-Like scraps, those leftover... -Leftovers, odds and ends.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -So they didn't want to waste those expensive textiles just like this, so they started collecting all those leftover textiles.

And now, here we come.

-But even something like this she can use?

-Yes!

-Yes?

-[ Speaking Korean ] -Even these tiny piece would work.

-Oh, my goodness.

Can I take that out?

-Oh.

[ Speaking Korean ] -Okay.

-Yeah, yeah, no problem.

-She said we could take it out of the... -Yeah.

-So you even save those tiny scraps?

-Yes, that's what it is.

-Wow!

And so each of these pieces here, will you then create... -Okay, yes!

-I'm getting ahead of myself there.

"Oh, well, yeah, sure.

Slow down, though!"

[ Laughter ] All right.

Oh, I haven't sewed in a very, very long time.

I'm talking, like, 4th grade.

But, so, just a basic stitch like this?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, just like this.

-Keep going?

-Okay, okay.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -Right, yeah.

-Okay.

-Oh... -[ Laughs ] -All right.

Oh, okay.

Aw.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -What was that?

Was that bad?

-It's this process.

-All right.

So is it important for her to keep sort of the arts and crafts of a more ancient Korea going?

-[ Speaking Korean ] -She thinks it's very important.

-Mm-hmm.

-And she also wants to point out the basic core philosophy that Korean artists, unlike the European artists, they were not educated.

Most of the women in Korea at that society, they had to live in, like, indoor.

-Oh, okay.

-So, but these... -They were cloistered.

-Yes, yes, yes.

-They could not go outside.

-Based on their society.

-Oh.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -So what she's saying is, this would have been a way for women back then to express themselves and to be creative in a time that they weren't allowed to be.

-Yeah, it's the way of their expression.

-This is how they got through.

-There we go.

-So jogakbo is about patience.

-Yes.

-It is about creativity... -Mm-hmm.

-...precision... -Mm-hmm.

-...and instinct.

-[ Speaking Korean ] -As well as the emotion.

-Korea has had a long history of being colonized and ruled by Japan as early as the 16th century.

The most recent occupation ended after the Second World War, and for the last 40 years, Korean businessman Chun Shin-Il has made it his mission to return these remarkable stone statues to their original country.

You can find the results of his efforts in one place -- the Korean Stone Art Museum.

How would you describe Korean stone art?

-I think Korean stone art basically has natural beauties, including simplicity, modesty and purity, and it's very close to us for common people.

-This is both a private collection and a national museum, with over 1,250 stone figures that range from 3 feet tall to 70 feet tall.

A lot of times when stone sculpture is supposed to ward off evil spirits... -Yeah.

-...the stone sculpture itself looks mean.

-Right.

-These do not look mean.

They look very peaceful.

-I think so.

Yeah, make us calm and give us energy.

-Oh, these are beautiful.

-Yeah, yeah, they now having a concert.

-Oh, yeah!

-They are all playing some Korean traditional instruments.

-Oh, my gosh.

-So cute.

-So who would have had these?

Would it only be noblepeople having these type of statues?

-It's now okay for everybody.

-Everybody?

Even common people would have them.

-Yeah, yeah.

-That's pretty rare... -Right.

-...that the common person would enjoy art like this.

-Is very common in the normal people, yeah.

-The stone art was created to express the important values and emotions of everyday people.

Nothing brings that out more than the arrival of the cherry blossoms.

♪♪ I happened to be in Seoul on one of the most festive weekends of the year, the Yeouido Park Spring Flower Festival.

Now, Japan may have a bigger reputation as a destination for cherry blossoms, but tell that to the thousands of visitors who come here for the beauty and romance of these glorious flowers.

As for me, I've been learning a lot about the Korean culture from learning the art of jogakbo to stone art to how to dine, but now I'm going to participate in a part of the modern culture that might be my biggest challenge.

Right now, I'm on stage two -- beer and chicken.

I've heard a lot about this stage, and it's the one I've looked forward to most.

-It's usually the second stage when you go out.

You start with the barbecue, which a lot of New Yorkers and Californians probably know because they have Korean restaurants.

-Right, there was that moment I realized I didn't have to keep calling it Korean barbecue.

-Yeah, it's just barbecue.

-It's just barbecue!

Yeah, you're like, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Where do I go get Korean barbecue?"

They're like... -Everywhere.

-You mean, "barbecue?"

Yeah, yeah.

All right.

So first stage would have been meat, but we're skipping to the beer and chicken.

-Right, which is actually a light stage of the stages, so... -I see fried chicken and french fries.

-That's important to remember.

You're not loading up.

This is, like, nachos on the table, so... -Nachos on the table.

-So don't fill up.

You're always eating.

Focus on that.

-So you're always eating at each drinking stage, which is important.

This is different from the American stage, stages of drinking, So Young, where if we see food, we eat as much as we possibly can because we're never going to see it again, so you're telling me, "Just take a few pieces."

-Yes, yes.

-Each of the five stages is in a new location with new food, and, of course, something alcoholic.

It's not only a popular pub crawl ritual among friends, but sometimes... -Sometimes it can be like almost mandated sometimes.

Your boss is like, "We're going out tonight," and then nobody can say no.

-It's like team-building.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, it's a hierarchy system in Korea, so if your boss says it, then you just have to do it.

-You got to drink.

-I must.

-You have to go.

-Yeah.

-You can be tired.

-Yeah, yeah.

-You got to wake up early in the morning, but you still have to go drinking all night.

-Yes.

-Be honest.

When was the last time you actually did all five stages of drinking?

I mean, this, to me, seems like a real young person's sport.

-Well, like I said, I have a 3-year-old, so at least five years ago is probably the last time.

-So Young, you're young, so... -I'm still going.

[ Laughter ] -You're still in this stage of your life!

-Yeah, yeah.

-I don't think I'm going to last that long, to be honest with you.

-I won't either.

-Geonbae.

-Geonbae.

-Geonbae.

♪♪ -The third stage is traditionally a light helping of dried fish and nuts and is served with rice wine, and we found ours on one of the busiest and youngest streets in the entire city of Seoul -- Hongdae.

-What makes Hongdae the place to be?

-The nightlife.

-I guess so.

-It's surrounded by, like, four universities, so... -Oh, okay.

-So lots of students means lots of energy, and it's an easy area to have a five-round night in because everything is here.

[ Chanting in Korean ] [ Cheering ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -They're here because they're aspiring K-pop stars?

They're trying to create a following?

-A lot of groups here, they'll come out here, and they'll be busking and singing, and then they might have scouts come out as well, and they'll find them and pick them up.

[ Korean pop song playing ] ♪♪ -This is a pretty amazing area because there's just one, like, K-pop band after the next performing.

♪♪ ♪ I like feeling like, feeling like this ♪ ♪♪ -[ Laughs ] That made me very uncomfortable.

-Geonbae.

-Geonbae.

-On to the fourth stage of the evening.

-Oh.

-Yeah.

-That is not good beer.

That is going to go perfect with my singing.

-Okay, let's go.

[ Singing in Korean ] -♪ It's in Korean ♪ [ Singing in Korean ] ♪ It's lucky, lucky, lucky day ♪ ♪ I want you every single day ♪ -In Seoul, you want to book karaoke rooms with a view so you can share your performance to all the adoring fans below.

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ -♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah ♪ -How often do you get to sing karaoke to a hit record and then get to see the band playing their record?

How about Every Single Day, which is the name of the band?

♪ It's lucky, lucky, lucky day ♪ -Like Hallie said, the Hongdae neighborhood has everything, including a vibrant indie music scene.

The fifth stage of drinking usually happens late into the night, so I'm pretty much stopping here, but still, that's two more stages than I'm used to.

[ Cheers and applause ] -I'm Janet Han.

I was born in Korea, raised in Seoul.

We moved to the United States with my family and have lived there for 35 years, and I came back to hometown a few years ago.

-What is the market that we're in right now?

-It is more comfortable older generation than young generation.

They rather go to a supermarket that is so convenient.

You can pick everything, but this market can give you a bargain and give you a little bit extra.

-A little better price, right?

-Price, yeah, yeah.

-The strawberries here are 5,000.

The ones over there are 3,000.

I'm already saving money in Korea.

-My daughter told me I express my love through food, and I love to show the market and then teach how to make food with fresh ingredients from the market.

It's good, isn't it?

-It's good.

-Yeah.

-And what are these?

-That is silkworm.

-And how do you eat silkworm?

-You cook them in water, and then we eat it as a snack.

-Like chips, that kind of thing?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's a little bit wet and chewy, and it doesn't really taste good.

Yeah.

We don't have oven cooking in Korea.

In Asian most of countries, we don't have an oven in our kitchen.

-You don't have an oven in your kitchen?

-No.

Most of them stuff is we cooked in a stove top, either boiling or sauteeing, braising and steaming.

-This is sort of the meal that really made a big splash in the United States.

-Oh, yeah.

-Is this a family favorite, when Mom is making this?

-Well, children love it.

That means foreigners love it.

-[ Laughs ] -Easier for them to eat.

-We eat everything, the guts and everything.

That's why they sell the whole fish.

For example, they take the fleshes out like this.

We make a famous hangover soup.

-Hangover soup?

-Yes, it's a hangover... -You've mentioned that a couple of times to me.

-Right.

-Have you ever done the five stages of drinking?

-Yes.

-[ Laughs ] -I didn't even...

I woke up in my bed, and I didn't even know how I got there.

-[ Laughs ] -Yes.

-I'm making a few dishes today with Janet, including kimchi.

The market has a huge variety of what's considered to be the national dish of Korea.

That's the green... -That's a scallion kimchi.

-That's a scallion kimchi.

-This is a radish, small radish kimchi.

-They all look so good and ready to take home, but what's that saying?

"Give a man a fish and he eats for the day, but teach a man to fish"?

Janet is showing me a kind of express version of kimchi, which is basically just two ingredients -- cabbage and Korean radishes.

We'll mix in a spicy sauce when it's wilted a bit more, but the core ingredient in making traditional kimchi is time.

The fermentation process takes hours or days or months.

-And then used to keep them in clay jar, and put a 2/3 of jar into the ground.

-Into the ground?

Okay.

-Yes, so now Koreans live, most people, they live in apartment.

-Mm-hmm.

-So they don't have any ground.

-They don't have the underground.

-Yes, so now we have a kimchi refrigerator.

Every household has a kimchi refrigerator.

-In Korean households, there are no ovens.

-No.

-But there's a special refrigerator for kimchi.

-Right.

That's correct.

-Okay.

Once the sauce is mixed in by hand for a nice, even coating...

Looking good.

...you can eat it right away as a kind of kimchi salad.

Excellent.

-Yes, you made a kimchi today.

-I just need a clay pot... -Right.

-...and go bury it in my backyard.

-Right.

No.

People in Korea love to gather together and share the food together and drink together and have lots of fun together, and so there's lots of places you can go to enjoy the life in Korea until very late at night.

To some foreigners, seems like Seoul never go to sleep.

-The city of Seoul, you could enjoy the ancient and the modern at the same time.

-Koreans are really, really eager to share their culture with visitors and with outsiders, and so people who come here are going to find a very warm welcome.

They're going to find Koreans really enthusiastic about sharing their culture and sharing their way of life.

-When a destination shares treasures that range from ancient to pop, when you are shown respect and allowed to return it, as well, when its charm makes your heart sing on the inside and then encourages you to belt it out, that is when we share a love of travel, and that's why Seoul, South Korea, is a place to love.

-For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" was made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... pedal... and journey beyond the beaten path on storied rivers with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations, member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at aaa.com/livetv.

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