South Korea

Pour drinks for others, never yourself. Someone will return the favour

South Korea went from one of the poorest countries in the world in the 1950s to a cultural export machine in about two generations, and both halves of that story are visible. Seoul has palaces and 600-year-old gates sitting under glass towers, and a subway system that is arguably the best on earth.

Beyond Seoul, the country is compact and easy. High-speed trains reach almost anywhere in under three hours. Busan has beaches, a colossal fish market and a hillside village painted every colour. Gyeongju is an entire city of burial mounds and temples from the Silla kingdom. Jeju island is volcanic, subtropical and where Koreans honeymoon.

The drinking culture is worth understanding because it is where a lot of social life happens. You do not pour your own drink, you pour for others and they pour for you, and you turn slightly away when drinking with someone older. Soju is cheap and deceptively strong. The food alone justifies the trip, and it is far broader than barbecue.

Annual events and festivals

• Seollal, Lunar New Year (Jan-Feb) — families gather, ancestral rites are performed and the country largely stops.
• Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival (Apr) — the biggest blossom event in the country, along a railway line and stream.
• Boryeong Mud Festival (Jul) — two weeks of mud wrestling, mud slides and general filth on the west coast.
• Buddha Birthday, Yeon Deung Hoe (May) — a lantern festival and parade through Seoul. UNESCO listed.
• Chuseok (Sep-Oct) — Korean harvest festival, the other major family holiday. Expect closures and full trains.
• Andong Mask Dance Festival (Sep-Oct) — traditional masked satire performed in a folk village.
• Busan International Film Festival (Oct) — the most important film festival in Asia.
• Jinju Lantern Festival (Oct) — thousands of lanterns floated on the river around a fortress.
• Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (Jan) — ice fishing through holes in a frozen river, with over a million visitors.
• Kimjang, kimchi making (Nov-Dec) — communities make winter kimchi together. UNESCO listed.