Tourist and Traveler Welcome Packet

South of Seoul volunteers would like to welcome you to South Korea. Deciding to travel to Korea may bring both excitement and nervousness.

Who travels in South Korea?

Individuals from all over the world travel to South Korea to explore the culture and food. Many young people come for the pop culture while other populations may come to learn about Korean history, food, and beautiful landscapes.

Does everyone have the same travel experience in Korea?

Each tourist experiences travel in Korea from their own social/cultural lens. Such lenses may be based on their country of origin, health care needs, culture, race, Korean language ability, location, and so much more. This means that each tourist may experience Korean travel in different ways unique to them. South of Seoul volunteers seek to provide information that can be easily emotionally accessed and viewed through a variety of social/cultural lenses. We do this in order to support tourists with empathetic and equitable honest information. Information that addresses both the easily accessible and somewhat inaccessible areas of Korea.

What’s in a Virtual Welcome Packet?

South of Seoul volunteers compiled a Tourist Virtual Welcome Packet to help with planning a trip to South Korea. Such a virtual welcome packet for tourists includes information regarding commonly asked questions or shared experiences:
  • Itineraries
  • Lists of activities
  • Cultural insights

Where does this welcome packet information come from?

South of Seoul volunteers compile lists of commonly asked questions from a cross-section of ex-pat-focused Facebook Groups and personal interviews. We then review the information available online and contact the appropriate government agencies to confirm, clarify, and verify the information. After researching the information, we create blogs that address the information needed in the educational community. That said, South Korea uses an agile government model which means information may change quickly and with minimal notice. Always confirm and cross-reference information between sources.

Will I read this information once and have the best trip in Korea ever?

Maybe or maybe not. As previously mentioned, each international student brings their own social/cultural lens. Such lenses may impact such things as 1) the perception of information included in blog articles, 2) the meaning of interactions and experiences in daily life, and 3) perceptions of how information, interactions, and experience relate in life. South of Seoul volunteers HIGHLY recommend reading each of these blog articles more than once over time. Such articles provide readers with a great deal of insight which it might take time to relate to.

I read all the blogs but I still have questions!

If you have ideas for blogs that need to be added to this list, feel free to let us know in the comments or message us at southofseoul@gmail.com.

Where can I find all of South of Seoul’s information?

Download the South of Seoul app! We have designed an app specifically for international residents living in South Korea with a focus on Pyeongtaek and the surrounding areas. After you read these blogs the app will take your life to the next level. Click on the Google Play or App Store icons.