KCCNYC Journeys: Bryce’s Trip
KCCNYC Journeys: Bryce Allison
By Bryce Allison
South Korea: (Apr 17-27, 2026)
Flight to Korea: Days 1-2
2 years and 2 months. That’s how long I had been waiting since I first made the decision to put a down payment on a trip to South Korea and on April 16th, 2026 in the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, GA, I found myself staring at the well-known blue/white aircraft representing Korean Air. In my life, I’ve had the fortunate opportunities to travel to countries in Europe and Africa, but this would be my first venture over the Pacific Ocean to Asia.
Black Pink
Was I excited? Absolutely! Was I also terrified? Very much so. I was no stranger to traveling overseas alone, but this trip was different. In none of my previous trips had I spent additional time trying to study the culture or language months in advance. My passion for Korean culture started with an introduction to BLACKPINK back in 2020 and had since spiraled to watching K-Dramas and learning Korean Hangul. Armed with roughly 6 months of Korean language training through the Korean Culture Center NYC, I shouldered my carry-on duffel bag and prepared myself for the longest flight I’ve ever been on!
Seoul: Days 2-4
You’re the Apple of My Eye (그 시절, 우리가 좋아했던 소녀)
After a 16-hour flight that consisted of me watching several Korean movies such as You’re the Apple of My Eye (그 시절, 우리가 좋아했던 소녀) and Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy, I finally arrived at Incheon Airport late afternoon. Though the signs throughout the airport had English lettering or well-known symbols representing different areas of the airport, the ability to read and phonetically pronounce most of the signs written in Korean already gave me some confidence in myself that I was initially lacking when thinking about navigating the airport.
Now, when it comes to customs, Incheon Airport wins top prize for fastest passport control process ever. I’m not sure if I just arrived during a time where the only plane to arrive was ours, but I spent a maximum of 5 minutes navigating through customs. Nearly half of it was probably spent just walking around all the barriers leading to the control booth where I was asked only one question related to where I was staying.
Aesthetically, Incheon Airport also ranks high on my list as huge LED screens with various artistic elements danced around displays of arrival and departure times. Booths for transportation, money exchanges, and general assistance were also conveniently located close to the exit from baggage claim.
Took a shuttle to Seoul Dragon City located in Yongsan where I met up with other members of my tour group. Our hotel was conveniently located 10-15 minutes from Gyeongbokgung Palace via cab which made the start of the next morning very simple.
Entrance to the palace requires a small fee and I was aware that you could enter the grounds if you wore a traditional hanbok, but unfortunately timing was not in our favor to rent one. The palace itself was way more spacious than I originally anticipated and had a beautiful array of pink Azalea shrubs all throughout the grounds. My time learning how to read in Korean also greatly helped when looking at a map of all the palace zones with one of my favorites being Gyeonghoeru (경회루), a banquet hall on a small artificial island surrounded by water.
However, the main attraction was of course Gwanghwamun Gate, the historic southern gate constructed in the early Joseon Dynasty that only a month prior served as the backdrop for BTS’s long-awaited comeback. I stayed long enough to witness the Changing of the Guard in the square inside Gwanghwamun Gate where I was pleasantly surprised to see a section completely dedicated to children so they could also watch without having to struggle looking through a sea of people.
Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, photo credit KCCUK
Left the palace soon afterwards and found ourselves shopping at both Ikseon-dong Hanok Village & Insa-dong Culture Street where I purchased a set of traditional wooden Korean wedding ducks to give to some close friends who had just celebrated their one-year anniversary. The ducks symbolize both love and fidelity and are widely believed to be monogamous which reinforces the idea of loyalty in marriage. Having these showcased in one’s home while facing each other is a sign that the two partners are in good spirits, whereas if the ducks are facing away from each other, it suggests the relationship is currently strained. If you are a lover of coffee or tea, this is also the place to go!
Myself and a few other members of our group later traveled to a local kitchen on Ewhayeodae-gil where we learned how to make Japchae and Gimbap. One of the best takeaways from this class was when we had to roll our gimbap in seaweed and our instructor praised my rolling skills even though I had never done it before! I’m usually not the best in the kitchen, but the end result was very delicious!
We did some additional shopping in Myeongdong which seemed to stretch endlessly and was crowded with both tourists and locals alike. Myself and several other K-Pop lovers found a department store with a bunch of idol cards, lightsticks, and other various knick knacks. They really had an interest in TWICE as their songs were the only ones playing inside. Ate dinner at a Korean chicken restaurant nearby where everyone got a soju bottle each! I was also pleasantly surprised by an advertisement for Chum Churum Soju featuring JENNIE from BLACKPINK.
Banpo Bridge at night!
Finished the night at one of the most anticipated locations for me personally: Banpo Rainbow Bridge in Banpo Hangang Park. I had seen many videos on Instagram of the lights and music playing as jets of water shoot rhythmically out from the top of the bridge into the Han River and it did not disappoint! The park was filled with people just hanging out and enjoying the nice weather while music and colors danced in the jet streams. Then we walked over to the Beer Garden on Sevit Island and enjoyed a few drinks before turning in for the night.
Our second full day in Seoul started with an activity I had been looking forward to since I arrived: K-Pop Dance class! Early in the morning, a group of us traveled to Real K-Pop Dance Academy located in Hapjeong-dong where we learned the choreography to the pre-chorus and chorus sections of the relatively new song at the time BANG BANG by IVE. After spending an hour and a half learning roughly 40-50 seconds of choreography, I left with a greater appreciation for K-Pop idols and the dedication needed to learn intense dance sequences for multiple songs and sing on top of it all! I’d like to think I did very well, but I’ll keep the video evidence of it to myself.
Left the Academy and made our way to Lotte World Tower, a 123-story supertall skyscraper and is currently the 6th tallest building in the world. The tower itself has numerous stores on every level, but the highlight was obviously getting to the very top of the tower and having an unobstructed view of Seoul from all sides. Not sure if this was a temporary collaboration, but the tower was filled with Star Wars characters, pictures, and music with a life-sized figure of the fictional character Darth Vader. Certainly added to the experience!
Gwangjang Market was my next stop and it was certainly packed! Food stalls were jammed into every space conceivable and the smells of all sorts of food filled the air. One of the highlights was Bindaetteok, a traditional Korean mung bean pancake which was featured on a Netflix series called Street Food: Asia. I didn’t get the chance to try it, but you can also eat live octopus here as well.
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Around 10pm when the lights of Seoul were shining brightest, I took a cab by myself to Cheonggye Plaza and walked alongside Cheonggyecheon Stream. I learned this stream used to be a highway until the city decided to turn it into a stream that ran throughout the city to give citizens a place to walk or relax. During the day, this urban park space is usually filled with people sitting or walking by the stream, but at 10pm there were only a handful of individuals with most being young lovers likely on a date. It was quite peaceful sitting next to the stream just listening to the water rush by and it was a great finish to my last day in Seoul before heading south to Gyeoungju.
Gyeongju: Day 5
교촌삼백년집 경주본점
Took a charter bus down to Gyeongju, which I believe was the capital of the Silla Kingdom many years earlier. We stopped at Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village where we ate a traditional Korean bibimbap bowl served in golden-toned metal bowl at a restaurant roughly translated as A 300 years restaurant of Gyochon (교촌삼백년집 경주본점). The village itself was very quaint and had a very nice waterway with stepping stones that spanned the entire width. It was here I unfortunately sprained my ankle while walking down a stone staircase, but luckily was able to wrap it up and carry on with my trip without too much of an impact. So note to everyone: be careful walking down rocky staircases!
Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond
Other areas of interest included Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond (secondary palace sites of Silla) and Gyeongju Historic Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage site which includes royal tombs and the Cheomseongdae observatory. The grounds were covered in a beautiful array of flowers that included Modern Vintage Tulips, pink Azaleas, and pansies. Before leaving the area, we shopped in a popular street called Hwangnidan-gil that houses numerous cafes and shops. The tour guide and I stopped inside a makgeolli store and each purchased a bottle of makgeolli which we later drank at our hotel called Kolon Hotel.
For dinner, a group of us ventured down into a neighboring village and found a recently opened Korean BBQ restaurant. Here I was able to use basic Korean sentences to converse with the waiter as the menu was entirely in Korean and I was the only one who could read it. We ordered several bottles of soju and multiple trays of pork meat before heading back to rest for the next day.
Jikjisa Temple Stay: Day 6
For Day 5, our group traveled up north a bit to Jikjisa Temple, located on the slopes of Hwangaksan in Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon. It is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Seon Buddhism, founded by Venerable Ado during the Silla Dynasty. The name of the temple ‘Jiki’ refers to ‘pointing directly’ to the Original Mind, derived from the teaching of Seon (Zen) Buddhism. During our stay, we learned that in 1592 during the Japanese invasion of South Korea, Venerable Samyeong gathered a small force of monks to join the army to fight against the Japanese. Unfortunately, the Japanese force carried out an arson attack on the temple and 40 buildings were burnt down leaving only 3 buildings (Iljumun, Cheonwangmun, & Birojeon) standing.
After donning temple clothing which consisted of a gray vest and sweatpants, we were given a tour of the facility as well as a brief demonstration of the meditation practices performed by monks living in the temple. A unique feature in this temple is a maze which represents the path of enlightenment. It has raised brick beds filled with pink creeping phlox (moss-like flowers) and there is only one entrance/exit. By walking through the maze, visitors will be guided through the principles of Dharma which will hopefully help them reflect on their own journey towards self-discovery and inner peace.
Throughout the stay, we joined monks for silent meals, participated in a 4am meditation ceremony with the monks, and hiked up to other various locations on the hillside overlooking the valley. I was able to really test my Korean skills by trying to read many of the guides or maps located throughout the grounds. All-in-all, it was an experience that will be hard to forget, especially the sweatpants because of how comfy they were!
Busan: Day 7-9
We said good-bye to the peace and quiet of Jikjisa Temple and headed towards the bustling city of Busan. Our hotel (Toyoko Inn) was located right off Haeundae Beach where a group of us visited SEALIFE Busan Aquarium which was built underneath the beach. We also got to witness the preparation of the Haeundae Beach Sand Festival where artists were already carving out incredibly large and detailed sculptures of cathedrals, cityscapes, etc.
Standing tall on the horizon was Haeundae LCT Landmark Tower, another skyscraper with 100 floors and incredible views of the city. At the top was BUSAN X the Sky 100, a series of floors at the top of the tower that allowed visitors to see the city from every angle. As we approached, a fellow traveler and I kept noticing a lot of propaganda for Rosé of BLACKPINK’S album Rosie. Turns out, there was a pop-up event at the top of the tower celebrating the 1-year anniversary of her solo album coming out and they were selling exclusive merchandise. Forget the views! We rushed to the top and immediately were checking out all the merch. I ended up walking away with a magnet and a pink hoodie! Following our impromptu shopping frenzy, we enjoyed the sunset at the top of the tower and watched the lights of Busan come to life.
We returned to ground level where we walked through Haeundae Traditional Market, tried different foods, and did some minor bar-hopping to end the night.
The following day, we traveled to Geumseong-dong where we learned about the creation and fermentation of makgeolli and even made our own bottles for us to take with us! After eating lunch, we arrived at Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, a 14th-century seaside Buddhist temple with incredible views of the East Sea, 동해 (also known as Sea of Japan) and is often featured in K-Dramas. There were a series of restoration/construction efforts around the temple which unfortunately prevented us from being able to cross the bridge located just out front, but it was still a spectacular sight!
By mid-afternoon, we returned to Haeundae Beach and walked towards Dongbaek Island which houses the Nurimaru APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) House, the venue for the 2005 APEC Summit where dignitaries from the Asia-Pacific region gathered with the intent of enhancing economic relations, trade, and investment between each other. The venue had displays of the meals served during the visit as well as a summary of the visitors in attendance. The rest of the day was spent simply vibing on the beach.
Busan ARTE Museum, a huge immersive media art exhibition with a theme of “Eternal Nature”
For our last day in Busan, we first traveled to Gamcheon Culture Village, originally a 1920s working-class settlement turned into a colorful and vibrant cultural hub with all kinds of restaurants and local wares. I was able to have a pleasant half-Korean, half-English conversation with a nice shopkeeper who made tiny glass figurines. She even had an entire Labubu set!
The highlight for me though was the ARTE Museum, a huge immersive media art exhibition with a theme of “Eternal Nature”. Rooms filled with unique lighting displays and endless mirrors mixed with evocative music/soundscapes allowed the displays to look almost 3D. Definitely add this to your list of places to visit.
Seoul and End of Trip: Day 10
We returned to Seoul via train, briefly visited Starfield Library, and shared one last Korean BBQ dinner with my fellow travelers before heading back to Incheon Airport to fly back home. Not knowing what to expect from a trip like this, I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer volume of things to do and places to visit. So much so that I have every reason to return someday and explore other areas like Jeju Island. I was also proud of myself for using as much of my Korean language skills as I could and it certainly gives me motivation to continue learning more.
Thanks for reading! 감사합니다!
