5.0/1
Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

Hangwachae is a vegetarian buffet restaurant in Insadong, which serves up dishes made with fresh organic vegetables. The owner of the restaurant first began cooking vegetarian dishes for her vegetarian husband. When her friends tasted her cooking, they encouraged her to open a vegetarian restaurant, which lead to the opening of Hangwachae. The owner prepares the food as if she were preparing it for her husband and friends, therefore the ingredients are all fresh and of high quality.Soup, rice, rice porridge, and Korean pancakes are offered as the basic menu and are also included in the buffet. The rice served is made with 20 different Oriental herbs. The buffet offers some 20 to 30 different dishes. For protein supplements, the buffet offers walnuts, homemade tofu, and muk (nut jellies). It also offers rice cakes and bananas. One of Hangwachae’s most famous dishes is the green salad served with cheonggukjang (thick soybean paste) sauce made with choenggukjang, milk, and papaya. The kimchi is flavored with fruit instead of pickled fish. Hangwachae only uses grape oil in its cooking.


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

Sungkok Art Museum is an art gallery built by the Korean corporation Ssangyong to promote Korean art. To help talented writers there is an individual exhibit. For the development of art culture in Korea, there is a planning exhibit, and finally there is an international exhibit that enables the public to keep in touch with the flow of foreign art as well. They hold more than 15 exhibits a year. The art gallery building can be roughly divided into two. The main building that holds the exhibition, and the annex building that harbors many diverse facilities. In the sculpture park there are about 100 kinds of trees that are decades old, which form a forest. Together with the sculptures the forest itself also plays a role as an art piece. Inside the forest a wood path exists. If you slowly follow this path you can soak in all of the sculpture park. Here you can the view the sculptures of famous artists from Korea and abroad in harmony with nature. If you want to buy practical craftwork for a mid-low price, there is an art shop inside the main building. You may encounter the Seonggok Museum’s own products, as well as high quality artwork by famous artists. These are the kind of products that make you happy even though they are small. After viewing the museum, if you want to rest for a while, try visiting the teahouse. At Seonggok Museum’s teahouse you will be able to enjoy the sculpture park’s four seasons with a delightful cup of tea. In the spring time the fresh and green scent of nature, in the summer, the vivid life of the forest, in fall, the forest’s brilliant change of color, and in the winter, you will be able to see the world covered in white. Outside the building there are terraces and outdoor tables awaiting you. Perhaps you might want to relax there inhaling the fresh air, and contemplate your trip and your life. The teahouse offers green tea, tea, citron tea, coffee and cookies. The citron tea and the sweet cookies with walnuts inside are made personally by the director herself, and they are the house specialty; so you may want to try them.


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

The Museum of Korean Art consists of the temple museums in Wonseo-dong and Changsin-dong, in Jongro-gu in Seoul. They are specialized Buddhist art museums with about 6,000 relics related to Buddhism including statues, paintings, ceramics, and folk crafts. Some of them are national cultural assets: Treasure No. 1204 is Uigyeomdeungpilsuwolgwaneumdo and Treasure No. 1210 is Cheongnyangsangwaebultaeng. The museum in Changsin-dong has on exhibit the Daeungjeon Sinjungdo, a cultural asset of Seoul City. The museum was established to promote not only Buddhist art but also other genres and traditional art forms.


Seoul(Gwangjin-gu)

Frisbee is the largest Apple premium reseller in Korea. iPhones, iPads, iMacs, Magic Trackpads, Magic Mouses, Mac Minis, Mac Pros, and a wide assortment of other Apple products are on display for customers to test out before making their purchases. Serious shoppers can visit customer service on the 3rd floor for additional information and shopping consultation.Frisbee Geondae is conveniently located right in front of Konkuk University Station, inside the Star City Mall. Inside the mall is the Lotte Department Store, E-mart, Lotte Cinema, a food court, and restaurants.


Seoul(Jung-gu) , Namdaemun・Seoul-Station

Daedo Shopping Center is home to various imported goods, clothing, flowers, and accessories. Its first floor houses all kinds of food, clothing, and accessories. The Accessory Shopping Center on the second floor boasts over 470 shops selling accessories with unique designs. They are also involved in exporting them to many countries. Daedo Flower Center on the third floor deals with both natural and artificial flowers. Visitors will find finely crafted artificial flowers with animal or plant shapes. Because of its large selection of merchandise, Daedo Shopping Center is wildly popular among both Korean and international visitors.


Seoul(Jung-gu) , Namdaemun・Seoul-Station

Queen Plaza offers diverse items for people with varying ages from children to seniors. Consisting of many shops, it is particularly popular among families. Its third floor boasts high-quality clothing and accessories.


Daegu(Dong-gu)

Otgol Village was named for its concave topographical features, as three sides (except for the southern side) are surrounded by a mountain. Others believe that the name derives from the groves of lacquer trees (locally called otnamu) in the nearby mountains and fields. Otgol is the clan village of the Gyeongju Choi family, who settled with the arrival of Choi Dong-jip, a scholar in the mid-Joseon era who came and established himself in the area.Otgol Village has a beautiful earthen wall and stone wall spanning about 2.5 kilometers. A tree stands along the wall path: it was not cut down, but the wall was instead built low to accommodate the tree, showing the wisdom and the respect for nature of the people at the time. In the Baekbul Residence, the document bestowed by King Jeongjo to Baekburam Choi Heung-won in appreciation of his deeds remains. Various other relics are also preserved, including old books and identity tags that have been passed down over the generations in the head family, the Seonghaksipdo (The Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning) folding screen, and dishes used in religious services. Nearby is the forest of Oriental Arbovitae in Dalseong, which is the No. 1 Natural Monument of Korea, as well as the Bullo-dong Tumuli Park and Palgongsan Provincial Park.


4.0/1
Seoul(Gangnam-gu)

The Renaissance Hotels are a subsidiary of the Marriott International Hotel Group. Founded in 1988, Renaissance Seoul Hotel on Teheran-ro Street in the business district of Gangnam is a 5-star hotel that features 493 spacious guestrooms, including 19 luxury suites, and a recreation center equipped with an indoor swimming pool, a golf range, a jogging track, an aerobic room and a fitness center. In addition, the hotel has six fine dining restaurants, which were selected as the best hotel restaurants in Korea by The Korea Times in 2001.


Busan(Suyeong-gu)

There are two stories about how Busan's 415m high Geumnyeonsan Mountain got its name. One suggests that the mountain resembled lotus flowers and the other argues that Buddhists served Buddha with golden flowers. Although the mountain used to be home to two temples, Banyaam and Banyamilda, there are only traces of those sites left. Renowned for majestic tolling of temple bells, the mountain belongs to one of eight scenic sights in Suyeong and offers a training facility for children, mineral spring spots, and hiking trails.


Seoul(Jongno-gu)

Opened in 1992, Seoul Art Center Gongpyeong Gallery is a 17,791 sq. ft., two-story building with four exhibition halls. It is one of the main pavilions of Insa-dong, displaying diverse artwork ranging from Western and Korean paintings to sculptures. Due to the great interest in Korean paintings, 2~3 of the annual long-term exhibitions focus solely on them.