-ƎHH H Ż ƋŶ -Ƈ With fine food, curiosity-piquing cultural attractions


and stellar style, Alice Barnes-Brown discovers why Seoul is an unbeatable base for a South Korean adventure


S


eoul sparkles. After dark, from the rooftop bar of my high-rise hotel on the Han River’s southern banks, I see a galaxy


of red, white, green and orange lights twinkling back at me. Seoul is known as Asia’s ‘city that never sleeps’ – now, I can see why. The Korean capital’s 24-hour lifestyle


offers ample opportunities to explore historic palaces, Buddhist temples, luxury shopping malls and spicy food: the tempting scent of beef sizzling on a Korean barbecue is never too far away, no matter the time of day. With the astronomical rise of K-pop, K-dramas (such as Squid Game and Parasite) and K-beauty makeup and skincare in the past couple of years, Seoul is featuring on more travel wish lists – and with visa and Eta-free travel to South Korea available to British travellers until the end of the year, there’s no better time to capitalise on the K-wave.


WHY SELL IT?


If your clients like Tokyo, they’ll love Seoul. Besides the sleek skyscrapers, there are picturesque and pagoda-packed palaces to discover, quiet hanok (traditional) villages tucked behind city blocks, gorgeous green spaces or chimaek – chicken and beer picnics with fellow city-dwellers – plus premium shopping aplenty. What sets Seoul apart, though, is its


extroverted youth culture. Fashion from haute couture to street style is celebrated by Seoul’s inhabitants, and the bi-annual Seoul Fashion Week is setting trends across the world. Plus, the arts scene is undergoing a renaissance: in 2022, the Frieze Art Fair launched its inaugural Asia event in Seoul.


WHAT’S NEW?


Art in all its forms can be found in Gangnam – which Korean musician Psy made famous ª


Ŵ


34


ASPIRE JANUARY 2024


aspiretravelclub.co.uk


Seoul


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116