Melissa, a USAC Korea alumna, shares the quintessential, historic, and stunning places she fell in love with during her yearlong study abroad.
Exploring the world is important to me, and since I recently graduated with a degree in anthropology, I’m a bit obsessed with history and culture. Korea was an ideal country for me to explore those interests!
Here are my top five must see locations in Korea:
Gyeongbokgung
Gyeongbokgung is the main and largest palace in Seoul. It was originally built in 1395 but burned down in 1592. The structures we see today are more recent, as they were rebuilt in 1865. The palace grounds cover over 100 acres, so you can spend a whole day wandering around the site.
You can rent a hanbok — traditional Korean clothing — at one of the many shops just outside Gyeongbokgung, then walk to the palace for an amazing photoshoot. Bonus – if you’re wearing hanbok, you can get into the palace for free!
Tangerine market on Jeju Island
An entire market dedicated to tangerines? Count me in!
The Maeil Olle market in Seogwipo is full of bright, cheery vibes, perfect for the rainy day I explored it. You can find tangerine-themed souvenirs, snacks, candy, and street food along with tons of fresh, sweet Jeju-grown tangerines.
Gyeongju
If you love history and museums the way I do, you’ll love Gyeongju. The entire city is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and sometimes is called “a museum without walls.” The most prominent site in Gyeongju is the royal tomb mounds, but the city is also home to a temple, the remains of a palace, and one of the oldest standing astrological observatories in the world.
My personal favorite, though, is a Buddhist man-made shrine called Seokguram Grotto. I loved it so much that I wrote my senior research paper on it.
Boseong Green Tea Fields
Whether you like green tea or not, you’ll love visiting this site. After you walk through a cedar-lined pathway to the base of the tea fields, you’ll find a teahouse and souvenir shop. Sample some green tea ice cream, or head straight for the trails that loop around the fields. At the top of the hill, you can see even the ocean in the distance.
The tea fields are beautiful at any time of the year, but if you want to see them in their brightest green color, visit in April or May.
Yeosu Odongdo island
Odongdo is a small island just outside the coastal city of Yeosu. In the winter, thousands of camellia flowers bloom and cover the island in red, but it’s lovely in any season.
To get to the island, you can either walk across a boardwalk over the water or take a short train. Once you arrive, stroll along walking trails, enjoy bamboo groves and great ocean views, and be sure to visit the lighthouse. There’s also a “dragon cave” and musical fountains.
Runner up: Changdeokgung
I couldn’t resist putting one more palace on my list. Changdeokgung is one of five palaces in Seoul— and it has a secret garden. You have to book a tour to see the garden, but it’s 100% worth it.
Melissa Beals studied abroad in Gwangju, South Korea at Chonnam National University for the 2023-2024 academic year. While in Korea, she made it a priority to explore as much of the country as possible and visited over 10 cities in total. She dreams of moving to Korea one day and eating lots of bindaetteok and gamjatang again.
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