Reuters Business Traveller

Seoul – Overview

Everywhere you go in the South Korean capital, the cutting-edge technology so eagerly embraced by the country’s inhabitants is in evidence. Decades of development have catapulted this sprawling metropolis of 23 million people into the ranks of the world’s top destinations; Seoul has gone from concrete jungle to modern Asian super city.

From the greener and more design-oriented downtown streets of Seoul, the evidence of South Korea’s ongoing transformation can be seen just about everywhere you look. Newly polished after a multi-billion dollar facelift for November 2010’s G20 summit, Seoul’s pavements are resurfaced; new flower boxes line the roads. Outside the centre though, this is still a city devoid of green, an example of urbanism gone wild.

And yet for every gleaming new skyscraper (many more are planned in a new riverside development) an effort to better preserve the nation’s 5,000-year history finds a foothold. Seoul’s historic legacy owes much to its rulers for whom its grand palaces were built. Changdeokgung is one such treasure; built in 1405 and recently renovated, its immense courtyards and intricately carved pagodas bring to mind Beijing’s Imperial Palace, but it is the splendid gardens that capture the heart, evoking a sense of quiet harmony.

Seoul’s large downtown area centres on forested Nam Mountain, encircled by what remains of a now 600-year-old fortress wall — its four “great gates” stand to this day. But access to the country’s rich historic past is not just contained in heritage buildings, it is found in the fist-sized calligraphic brushes dangling in tiny Insadong art shops and in the Imperial food served at Korea House.

The Han River bisects Seoul into two distinct sections. The north is the seat of government, ministries, newspapers and established industries such as banking and finance; the south is home to fashion, IT, entertainment, and venture capital firms. Insa-dong to the east is the centre of traditional culture, with scores of shops, galleries and restaurants. Downtown are the pedestrian-jammed streets of Myeong-dong.

Somewhat more wallet-friendly are the mid-range stores of one-time garrison town Itaewon. On weekend evenings, it’s here and in Hongdae — a nightlife district west of the downtown core — where Seoul’s expatriate and tourist populations congregate.

For business travellers, the city’s transformation has meant a wider selection of world-class hotels and restaurants. With dazzlingly clean taxis, impeccable, courteous citizens and a dichotomous culture of old and new, Seoul needs to be visited to be believed.

-Money: Won (KRW; ₩)

Notes are in denominations of ₩50,000, 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000.

Foreign banknotes and travellers cheques can be exchanged at foreign exchange banks and other authorised money changers.

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted at major hotels, shops and restaurants. ATMs are ubiquitous, but not all of them will accept international cards. Cards with the Plus and Cirrus logos are the easiest to use and most widely accepted in Korea.