I am an American who moved to Korea a little over three years ago. I had previously been working at a job that I didn’t enjoy, so while I still had the opportunity to do it, I fulfilled a dream of mine to live abroad for a while.
I came to Korea not knowing much about the country, but during my time here, I’ve truly fallen in love with everything it has to offer. There is so much history as well as modern excitement going on and I feel like it is a city that is vastly underrated.
It’s hard to ignore the political undertones with the neighbor to the north, so I feel like many people outside of Korea have a misconstrued view on what life is really like here.
I hope that these pictures can show a few people on what this great city has to offer! Also, if you’re interested, you can find my previous post here!
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#1
The ancient wall at Namhansanseong. This wall was used to protect the city from invaders.
#2
The lake in front of the National Museum of Korea. There is a nice park around the museum, so it’s a good place to relax on a nice day.
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The view from Namhansanseong, a mountain in southeastern Seoul, is, in my opinion, the best in the city. I had to control myself to not post too many photos from here, but if you’re ever in Seoul, I highly recommend it.
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Yesterday there was a beautiful service at Jogyesa for Buddha’s Birthday. I happened to be nearby right as this ceremony started, so it was really neat to see!
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It was a beautiful firework display last night at Lotte Tower. The event was a show of support for peace between the two Koreas. As an outsider, I’ll never truly understand the turmoil and divide that is between these countries, but I do hope there can be peace one day soon.
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Jogyesa is a Buddhist temple in the heart of the city. During the celebrations for Buddha’s Birthday, all of the temples in Korea are decorated really beautifully!
#11
If you live in or visit Seoul and you don’t go to Ikseon-dong, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. It’s becoming one of my favorite areas for sure.
#12
We had a beautiful sunset one night overlooking Yeouido, a big business district in western Seoul. Those two buildings under construction have been like that for over ten years as the company that was building them went bankrupt in the middle of construction. Another company took over, but coincidentally also went bankrupt before it was completed. At this point, no companies want to take it over as it is now getting old and the structures are dated, so it’s a huge financial burden to finish. It would also be too expensive to tear them down right now, so they just sit there… doing nothing.
#13
Getting selfies along the wall.
#14
The area around Gyeongbokgung, the old palace in the middle of Seoul, is always so well maintained.
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I often wonder what these streets would look like without all the wires.
#17
The iconic Namsan Tower was a radio tower built in the 1960s. It is no longer used for that, but it is still a symbol of the city and popular tourist spot. The tower will light up with different colors at night depending on the air quality. Blue is great, green is good, yellow is poor and red is staying at home with the air purifier on.
#18
Even though people think of Seoul as being a major city, there is a ton of nature that surrounds it. The mountains are gorgeous and many great trails to hike on.
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Frame it up and wait for someone to walk by.
#20
This was taken last summer when I was taking photos around Jongro. It started to rain so I ran under this bridge along the Cheonggyecheon for some cover and these two came and sat right across from me. Sometimes a scene presents itself that’s too perfect.
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The busy streets of Hongdae. This is near a bunch of big universities in the city, so it’s a lively area with a lot of young people.
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At the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan. It is a really fantastic museum showing the history of Korea.
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When the light is just right.
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We have had some nice days the past few weeks, so lots of people have been out enjoying it. With the pollution problem, these precious days are always special.
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The house in the back is the Blue House, where the president of South Korea lives. In front of it is Gyeongbokgung, where kings and queens of the past lived.
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The street I walk down every day to and from work. The sun sets perfectly right down the middle of the road and it’s been really nice lately.
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The quaint streets of Gyeongju.
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Gwangjang Market isn’t only famous for the food. There are many shops selling fabrics for traditional clothing as well as shops for any other random thing you might want.
#32
The streets of Ihwa Mural Village are some of my favorite in all of Seoul. This old neighborhood has so much character and is also the location of many Korean dramas.
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It’s definitely biking weather now.
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In Jung-gu, a neighborhood that is one of the oldest in Seoul, but as you can see has obviously been renovated quite a bit.
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The clouds last night were so good. Now that the rainy season is upon us, I’m hoping for a few more days where the clouds start to work their magic in the sky.
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A walk along Gwanghwamun Plaza.
#42
Yesterday was one of the nicest days Seoul has had in a while. The warm weather was met with good air and that meant that I was out shooting as much as I could. I went to Iwha Mural Village with Minjeong, which is somehow a place I’ve never been to before. The colorful streets were neat to see and the little shops and cafes were nice as well. It was truly a perfect day out and I’m glad I got to spend it with my lovely partner!
#43
I will never get tired of photographing these streets.
#44
The streets of Mullae, an old industrial neighborhood that is currently experiencing some major gentrification.
#45
How many ways can Namsan Tower be framed up?
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