SKKU was a great choice because…

• Many opportunities for cross-cultural exchange. We had groupmates of various nationalities
• Fun “cultural activities” AKA field trips! We went to attractions including the Nanta Show, Everland/Caribbean Bay, and a Folk Village.
• Affordable tuition fees

So for those of you looking for a short and sweet exchange, do consider doing summer school in Korea!

Best Places in Seoul

Dongdaemun:

Stay near the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), because the subway station has 3 subway lines, so travelling to anywhere at all is very easy. The neighbourhood itself comes to life at night, and some malls close only at 4am.

Ewha:

The shopping district around Ewha University is no doubt the cheapest place to shop at in Seoul! ☺ The university itself is really beautiful and insta-worthy too.

Hongdae:

This is the place that everyone goes to and it gets crazy crowded on weekends. There are many street performances to catch, food variety is awesome, and shops are aplenty.

Myeongdong:

TBH this is a place that locals told us to avoid because prices are jacked up. But it’s a tourist attraction after all, and you can still find 1000 won ($1.25 SGD) earrings here HAHA. Pro tip: if you wanna make spectacles, visit “Davich Optical” here for affordable prices, English speaking staff, and free coffee! 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

This is the hallmark touristy thing to do in Korea! There are many rental shops around Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Bukchon Hanok Village. We got ours from Hanbok Plus (Exit 2, Gyeongbokgung Station) and it came with hair braiding service + accessories. Entrance to the palace was free because we wore hanboks. It was really fun and easy so make sure you try it yourself! ☺

Theme Parks

YAYYY!!! Best 3 theme/water parks in Korea ☺ Pro tip: use the Korea Tour Card (bought at the airport) for % off tickets!

Lotte World

Super cool mostly indoors (4 floors + basement) and partially outdoors theme park! There’s an app called “Lotte World Adventure” that you can download to get Magicpass (ride reservation) and to check waiting times. We loved the virtual reality (VR) rides in the basement, as well as the outdoors “thrilling” rides. Pro tip: Tickets are cheaper after 4pm and most rides close only at 10pm.

Everland:

Traditional outdoors theme park with 5 themed areas including a zoo! The main attraction here is the T-Express but we were too scared to ride it (ok just Kim). The flower garden is really v pretty!! Good for dates haha.

Caribbean Bay

Located right next to Everland, we visited both places within a day (thanks to SKKU). Supposedly the best water park in Korea, the park did not fail our expectations! Our favourite attractions include Mega Storm, and the Wave Pool.

Other Summer things to do

• Boryeong Mud Festival: A 3 hour ride from Seoul for downright cheap and dirty fun!! Tickets range between 10-12k won and 4 hours is just enough time to cover all the rides. Skip the tour packages and do a day trip by yourself like we did ☺
• Baseball Match: Fan chants, draft beer + chicken, kiss cams, cheerleaders, and crazy enthu Koreans are things that make the experience so unique!! Tickets start from 8000 won for outfield seats
• Cycling by the Han River: do it at Yeouido Park, or by the Banpo Bridge for the best sceneries

Busan

The perfect weekend getaway is only a KTX (high speed train) away! We were there for 2D1N and we covered

1. Gamcheon Culture Village: shag 2 hour round walk, but quite pretty la
2. Haeundae Beach: visit only from late July/Aug onwards for sunny weather!! We went in early July and it was too chilly.
3. Gwangalli Beach: perfect for a night time chill by the beautiful Diamond Bridge
4. Spa Land @ Shinsegae Centum City: hands down best jimjilbang in Korea ☺ Very modern saunas and relaxing facilities. Every entry is limited at 4 hours only. If this spot is full, you can try other services like that Luxury Adult Massage and Spa.

It was fun!! Do it!!

Jeju

Did you know: A round plane ticket to Jeju (from Gimpo Airport) can cost below $100 SGD if you purchase early ☺

We spent 5 days on this island and it was the best. Highlights of the trip:

1. Mount Hallasan: We hiked the Yeongsil trail up and Eorimok trail down, and the whole journey took about 5 hours. The view is amazebombz and definitely worth the effort!!
2. O’sulloc Tea Museum: There’s a café in the museum and the green tea fields around are very insta-worthy
3. Jeong Bang Falls: Pretty waterfall that you can visit at the bottom
4. Gimnyeong Maze Park: amaze-ing little place that takes ~20-30 mins to play
5. Seopjikoji: For the seaside view ?

There are plenty of “nature” places to visit on this island and we highly recommend it if you have enough time and budget. We took public buses the whole while to save $ so that’s definitely possible!

Name:Kimdrew Home university: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Country/ City: Singapore Exchange university: Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Country/ City: South Korea