It's a 5,000-year-old country that preserves its sacred villages and palaces, and respects rituals when it comes to dining, religion and culture. But its capital city, Seoul, is also a mover and shaker in technology and design.
In a way, Korea is Asia's underdog.
It doesn't have a Great Wall or sumo wrestling, but there's something very refreshing and real about being there. When you're in a Korean Buddhist temple, people don't treat you better or worse if you're a tourist. This is how life is everyday and visitors get to be a part of that.
When you set foot inside one of the many traditional folk villages, it's like a time warp.
The only authentic site is the Naganeupseong Fortress Folk Village, where 259 farmers, hemp weavers and teachers actually live, work and play.
The fortress was built to protect Koreans from Japanese invasion in 1592. Many homes still have roofs made of hay bales, which need to be replaced every two years because of weather damage.
"Of all the natural folk villages in Korea, this is the only one where people are living, not for money or display," a tour guide said. "It's registered as a historic zone in 1983 (by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the most important point is common people are living here, following our traditional life and housing style."
From the highest point of the fortress walls, there is a panoramic view of the town. Gazing upon Mt. Geumjeonsan ("golden money") -- in front of the village -- is said to make a person rich.
The Korean Folk Village in Yong-in City in Gyeonggi-do is a large scale replica village with more than 250 homes that attracts visitors who want to experience life in the late Joseon dynasty. The traditional-style homes resemble huts and include examples of Korea's early ondol (underfloor) heating system, which dates to ancient times.
Women in traditional hanbok dresses teach workshops where visitors can learn various Korean handicrafts. There are about 20 options such as pottery, baskets, bamboo and wooden wares, paper, brass goods, knots, fans, musical instruments and embroidery.
Twice a day there are performances of traditional music and dance, and tightrope acrobatics. In spring, autumn and on major holidays, traditional customs and ceremonies -- coming of age, marriage, funeral, ancestor memorial, etc. -- are recreated for visitors.
Over time, Korean houses expanded from simple shelters into places where people raised cattle and stored grain. The homes of wealthy noble families include a shrine in the corner of the house that serves as a memorial to honour dead parents and grandparents.
Another way Koreans honour their relatives is by carving ancestral totems out of wood, usually with whimsical asymmetrical faces, often laughing. The carvings follow the curvature of the wood so they occasionally lean.
Customs aren't only found in folk villages, but also at the dinner table.
Lee Charm, the new CEO of the Korea Tourism Organization, said Koreans base their architecture and food on the five elements of the universe -- wood, fire, metal, earth and water.
"Fire corresponds to a spicy taste, earth and wood harmonizes it with a sweet taste, metal is sour and water is salty," he explained.
In Korean tradition, this is not so much the physical reaction but more the spiritual energy that comes with it, which explains why the five tastes are always present in every meal. The idea is to absorb the maximum amount of cosmic energy you need to balance those elements.
"There's not several grams of this and that, but adequate amounts," Charm said.
Take the Korean staple, kimchi.
For those who are unfamiliar with the delicacy, it's spicy cabbage (baechu) seasoned with chili pepper and pronounced "kim-chee." It's also used as a common ingredient in things such as kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) and kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeumbap).
Different types of kimchi are traditionally made at different times of year, based on when various vegetables are in season, said Oh Jung Chul, of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, during a traditional Korean barbecue lunch.
It's unfathomable to comprehend why kimchi is a necessity of our life, because it's always been there," he said, adding that he believes it has health benefits as well.
"When the SARS pandemic was going on in Southeast Asia, Korea was the only country that was immune to SARS because of kimchi. Maybe some researchers did studies. It might have been the spiciness and it's a fermented food and they produce enzymes and those enzymes helped filter out the illness from bodies," he suggests.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute even developed a kimchi to accompany Yi So-yeon -- the country's first astronaut -- to the International Space Station in April 2008.
There's definitely no shortage of the red-and-white side dish at a Korean barbecue (goi gui, which is the Korean method of grilling beef, pork, chicken and other types of meat). In fact, you may find more than a dozen side dishes at a barbecue lunch or dinner, including crab legs in chili sauce, green salad, garlic, sliced king mushrooms, eggplant, veggie tofu sour soup and brown triangular slices of acorn jelly.
In Canada, restaurants have their own versions of Korean grilling but in Korea the custom of removing your shoes and sitting on the ground with many people still thrives.
The dishes are often prepared at the diner's table over gas or charcoal grills built into the centre of the table itself. A waitress brings a platter of galbi -- rolled marinated short ribs -- and unravels it on the grill. She then uses scissors to cut the meat when it has been cooked for several minutes.
"We really like to share ideas over food," Jung Chul said. "There aren't really any strict formalities unless you talk too much."
Metal chopsticks are traditionally used with Korean meals to mirror tradition from the Joseon Dynasty. In the 1400s, brass chopsticks were used to make it more obvious that someone was trying to poison the king.
"Their subordinates would dip them into the food they were serving and (the) brass would detect poison," he said.
But as much as Korea follows tradition, it's also ready for innovation.
One of Charm's goals is to put Korea on the international map. While the country receives about eight million visitors -- mostly business travellers -- per year, 95% of them only stay in Seoul and then leave.
"Korea is a society that reinvents itself constantly," Charm said. "About 30 years ago, it was a military dictatorship and a regulated economy, now, look at it. If you go away for a year, you come back and don't know what's going on because there's so much construction going on."
To illustrate how the country is moving forward, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design designated Seoul as the 2010 World Design Capital.
More hi-tech Korean consumer products have been hitting the international market -- including well known brands such as LG Electronics Inc., Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo, Helio and Kia.
"Design is a growth driver of the Seoul economy," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a statement. "We have surprised the world with the Miracle on the Han River (the rapid industrialization and growth of Seoul) and advancements in the IT sector. Now we would like to bring global attention to Seoul with strong design."
The KTO is also trying to bridge the gap between South Korea and the politically isolated North Korea by trying to get tours started again. Previously, it was possible for tourists to visit Kunsan Air Base, Paektusan (at 2,744 metres, the country's tallest mountain) and the Panmunjom (the last outpost of the Cold War in the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea). But border tension put an end to that.
"The South government is basically saying before we okay any flow of tourism from South Korea, we need an assurance that (tourists getting killed by soldiers) won't happen again. But the North isn't ready to give any kind of assurance," Charm said.
"It would be good for the North American market to see the last remaining tourist communist dictatorship. It's like a 30 of the absurd. It's living history."
IF YOU GO TO SOUTH KOREA
GETTING THERE
Korean Air operates multiple flights per week from Toronto so Seoul. Roundtrip economy airfare runs about $1,800. See koreanair.com.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Korea has accommodations to suit every budget. In the Gyeonggi area, try the Ramada Plaza Suwon, 940 Ingye-Dong Paldal-Gu, Suwon City, +82-31-2300001. In Seoul, check out the Seoul Plaza Hotel at 23 2-ka Taipyung-ro Chung-ku, Seoul West Downtown, +82 2-771-2200, and The Shilla, 202 Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, +82-2-2233-3131.
MORE INFORMATION
For details about travelleing to Korea, contact the Korea Tourism Organization in Toronto at 416-348-9056 or see visitkorea.or.kr/intro.html. For Gyeonggi-do, specifically, to english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/BU/why06_7.jsp
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