Where after Seoul? Choose Gangneung, Gyeongju or Jeonju by what you love
Coffee by the sea, walks beside ancient tombs or soup for breakfast: three ways to choose your next Korean city.
STORY INDEX · 29
29 stories for your next trip
Find something to see, taste or bring home from each destination.
A view, a meal, a gift for the journey home. Choose a story for your next trip.
29 stories for your next trip
STORY NOTES
Love BTS? Let their hometowns choose your next trip
Bias Trip: Busan for Jimin and Jung Kook, Daegu for SUGA and V, and Gwangju for j-hope. Discover food and neighbourhoods along the way.
A bowl of soup, a bottle of Busan
Choose a Busan makgeolli to go with dinner: Saengtak for pork soup, or pear-scented Gamcheon beside boiled pork.
The Busan bottle worth heading uphill for
A fortress walk, a village brewing tradition and a distinctly tart makgeolli: another side of a Busan trip.
Give Busan’s beaches a day off
Plan a walk and a meal around Geumjeongsanseong, starting with the route from Oncheonjang Station.
Busan Sky Capsule or Beach Train: which ticket should you book?
Compare the Haeundae Sky Capsule and Beach Train by route, ticket type and return journey, from Mipo to Cheongsapo and Songjeong.
Make dinner plans in Mangmi-dong
Meet Dongbaek 1917, where a Busan brewery also gives you somewhere to eat.
Landing in Cheongju: what’s for your first dinner?
Consider Seomun Market’s pork-belly street or Bongyong Bulgogi, with your arrival time in mind.
A Cheongju place name on a Chamgadeok bottle
Read the older records of Gadeok separately from the history of today’s producer.
Chojeong then and now: following King Sejong’s visit
Read a 1444 royal record before exploring the palace complex recreated in 2020.
Ancient tombs in a neighborhood called “Never Old”
A walk through Daegu’s Bullo-dong, where an unusual place name also appears on a makgeolli label.
Fogmag 7 or 10: what changes besides the number?
Compare two bottles from Dalseong Brewery by aroma and texture, not just alcohol strength.
In Chodang, tofu gets the whole table
Mild soft tofu or a spicy seafood broth? Choose the Chodang meal that suits your appetite after a morning by the sea.
A sweetcorn gift for the train home from Gangneung
EARL’s ganache sandwiches turn local ingredients into a gift near Gangneung Station. Here is what to consider before choosing a box.
First stop after Gangneung Station: Anmok Beach
Start with one stretch of coast and a coffee, then leave space for lunch. A simple arrival-day plan for Gangneung.
Two neighborhoods, three Gongju chestnut bottles
Meet Wangbamju and Wangbam from Sagok, then Gunbam from Uidang. The similar names hide different choices.
Which Gongju chestnut makgeolli would you choose?
Wangbamju, Wangbam and Gunbam differ in sweetness, toasted character and bottle size.
What’s for dinner in Gwangju?
Choose between tteokgalbi, beef jeon and lettuce-wrapped fritters, then explore a local bottle to match.
Before you mix that Gyeongju bottle
Compare a little of the clear upper layer with a gently mixed pour of Gyeongju Beopju rice makgeolli.
Why does Poseokjeong’s watercourse have a drinking story?
Follow the curved stone channel into a Gyeongju story about wine cups and poetry.
Gyeongju without a car: a day from ancient tombs to evening views
Get from Gyeongju Station to the centre, walk Daereungwon, Hwangnidan-gil and Cheomseongdae, then choose one evening stop.
Jeju’s buckwheat and citrus, by the bottle
Meet buckwheat makgeolli from Gujwa and mandarin takju from Seogwipo.
How Jeju makgeolli reached Japanese barbecue tables
A story of early exports, drawn from 2009 records and a producer’s recollections.
The Jeju bottle you like has a back label, too
A short guide to checking who made your makgeolli, what is in it and how to store it.
Before Ishibo, there was a family’s Jeju drink
The story begins with a great-grandmother making omegi and gosori liquor in Shindori.
In Jeonju’s makgeolli alley, dinner steals the picture
Explore Samcheon-dong’s shared tables and meet moju, Jeonju’s spiced drink.
Eating solo in Jeonju: bibimbap or bean sprout gukbap?
Choose between Jeonju bibimbap and Nambu Market bean sprout soup with rice, from yellow mung bean jelly to the egg served alongside.
Seoul makgeolli has more than one personality
From Naru in Seongsu to Chowol in Mapo and hop-infused Coolmak, choose by what interests you.
Two rocks, a Taean legend and a local bottle
Read the story of Kkotji Beach’s Halmi and Halabi rocks, then meet a traveler’s account of Sowon makgeolli.