Korean and Taekwondo

Seoul, Korea

Home to over 10 million people, Seoul is South Korea’s capital and a city full of contrasts where the old city blends its ancient character with the sophisticated, hustle and bustle of modern day Korea. Situated in one of the most mountainous regions in the world, South Korea offers breathtaking scenery including plunging coastlines, undulating hills, valleys and coastal plains. This ancient city has been the capital of Korea since the 14th century. Some of the old city gates can still be seen - most notably the South Gate (or Nam-Dae-Mun), which like Paris' Champs-Elysees, is situated right in the middle of a modern city, serving as a constant symbol of Korea's proud past intersecting with its bright future.

Seoul’s subway system is clean, punctual, and goes everywhere. Street signs are usually in both Korean and English which make it easier than one might imagine to navigate.

South Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula that lies between the Yellow Sea and the East Sea. It is bordered to the north by North Korea, China lies to its west and Japan lies across the Korea Strait to the southeast. For most of the 20th century, South Korea was hardly the Land of the Morning Calm, as it calls itself. From the Japanese occupation to the Korean War to 1997's economic crisis, life there was mostly about calamity. But the country seems to have left most of its troubles in the old century.

In its headlong rush to modernize and get ahead, South Korea has put much of its traditional heritage at risk. Yet, despite the ever-widening gap between the modern and traditional aspects, there seems to be a comfortable balance between the two. The country's age-old search for tranquility lingers in the pockets of traditional culture and unspoiled scenery that remain.

Outside of the urban areas, the country is green and mountainous(about 70% of its land is mountains). The South Korean people enjoy the outdoors and nature and as you travel throughout the country you’ll see many sporting the latest in “adventure fashions”. South Korea may look small on the map, but it is full of wonderful pockets of culture to explore.