Hong 
Most people who visit South Korea stick to Seoul, Busan, maybe Gyeongju if they’re feeling adventurous. But tucked into a quiet valley in Gyeongsangnam-do, there’s a place where you can learn how red seaweed becomes jelly, make your own desserts from scratch, and sit down to a full meal built around an ingredient you’ve probably … Read more
Most people only know Jinjuseong Fortress because of the Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival in October. I showed up on a regular day — no festival, no special event — and ended up walking the entire fortress twice. Once in the afternoon, when sunlight spilled across the stone walls and the river below looked impossibly calm. … Read more
There’s a small city about an hour and a half west of Busan that most tourists never hear about. No viral TikToks. No long lines of influencers posing with street food. Just a covered market where vendors have been selling the same recipes for decades, and two dishes so good that I rearrange my schedule … Read more
This trip to Jinju was unplanned. We had originally come just to check out a local market, but when I started searching for something to do with a child in the area, Jinyangho Park kept coming up. A zoo with cheap admission, a lakeside observatory, and walking trails — all in one place. On a … Read more
The first time I ate at Lian restaurant in Daegu was seven years ago. It was a Sunday, the wait was long, and parking was a disaster. So when I came back this time — on a Thursday, with two friends, by car — I expected things to be easier. The parking situation was not … Read more
Most national treasures come with velvet ropes and security guards. Yeongnamnu Pavilion in Miryang flips that expectation entirely. I climbed the wooden steps, slipped off my shoes, and sat cross-legged on the same timber floor where Joseon-era scholars once composed poetry — with nothing between me and a sweeping view of the Miryang River but … Read more
I showed up before dawn on New Year’s morning, half-awake and cold, to a clifftop in Gijang where a white church with a red roof stood against a still-dark sky. The sun hadn’t risen yet. A handful of photographers had already claimed their spots along the rocks. When the light finally broke over the East … Read more
When most people think of Busan, they picture waves crashing against Haeundae Beach or the colorful rooftops of Gamcheon Culture Village. I did too, until I found myself standing in a bamboo grove so dense that the sky nearly disappeared. Ahopsan Forest is the kind of place that doesn’t show up on the typical Busan … Read more
I’m not particularly religious, but whenever life feels heavy, I find myself heading to a temple — just to sit for an hour and let the silence do its work. This time, with crape myrtle season in full swing, I made my way to Pyochungsa Temple in Miryang, a place I’d been meaning to revisit … Read more
Most visitors to Busan never think to leave the city. But a short train ride away, there’s a small city called Miryang with a cafe I didn’t expect to stay in as long as I did. Yeoldudal Cafe Miryang (meaning “Twelve Months” in Korean) is built around a concept where each room feels like a … Read more