The ski season in South Korea lasts from December to March, but most of the country’s ski resorts are also focused on recreation in the summer, golf courses and various attractions are equipped here. An important feature of ski resorts is that they are located near the capital of the country – Seoul.
In the southeastern part of Gyeonggi Province, on the slopes of Mount Dokjo, surrounded by pine forests, is Yangji Pine Resort. It operates all year round and is more suitable for families. The resort has 7 slopes, including 1 for beginners and 3 for experts, as well as 6 ski lifts. On its territory there is a special snow park for the whole family, a swimming pool, a hotel, hostels, supermarket, equipment rental and sportswear shop. During the summer, the golf club opens.
Also located in Gyeonggi Province is Star Hill Ski Resort. It is more suitable for young people, it is a noisy place with opportunities for skiing in the evening and at night. The resort has 5 slopes with a maximum length of up to 700 m, a toboggan slope and 5 lifts, including a gondola. There are also equipment rental offices, an emergency room, a ski school, a playground, a restaurant and a karaoke club.
In addition, in the province of Gyeonggi, near Icheon, there are Jisan Forest with three runs and Bearstown, which has seven runs up to 2900 m in length.
The largest number of ski resorts are in Gangwon Province. To the west of the city of Sokcho is the ski resort “Alps”. This is the northernmost ski resort in South Korea. The snow cover stays here until mid-April. Holidays here are suitable for families with children. On the territory of the resort there are equipment rental offices, a ski school, a children’s club, a health center, restaurants and cafes.
According to Anycountyprivateschools.com, south of the Odae-san National Park, at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level, there is a ski resort Yongpyeong.. Its name means “Dragon Valley” in Korean. The resort is open all year round. Here is the longest ski slope in the country with a length of 5600 m. The elevation difference in these places ranges from 30 to 700 m. The resort offers tourists 31 slopes of varying difficulty. Half of the slopes are illuminated at night. The slopes are served by 15 lifts, among which is a gondola lift for 6 people. For snowboarders, the resort is equipped with a half-pipe. For families with children, there is a special Snow Sledge park. The resort has ski schools, experienced instructors, several hotels, a medical office, a playground, equipment rentals, a restaurant, an Internet cafe, a nightclub and even a hippodrome. During the summer, golf courses open here.
Daemon Vivaldi Park Resort perfect for unprepared skiers and snowboarders. There are 11 trails with a length of 350 to 1070 m, as well as a slope for sledding. The slopes are served by 10 lifts. The resort has a ski school, restaurants and cafes, night and karaoke clubs. In the summer, tourists are invited to golf courses and a huge water park.
Hyundai Songgu Resort has 20 slopes of various difficulty levels, a toboggan run and 8 lifts, including a gondola lift. A half-pipe is equipped for snowboarders, where in 2009 the Snowboarding World Championship is to take place. The resort has ski and snowboard schools, equipment rental, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym, a billiard room, a bowling alley, restaurants, cafes, a nightclub, karaoke, an Internet cafe, a kids club and even souvenir shops.
The Phoenix Park ski resort has 12 slopes of various difficulty levels from 230 to 1110 m long, a snowboarding area and 9 lifts, including a gondola lift. On the territory of the resort there is a ski school, a hotel, villas and small motels, equipment rental, skating rink, swimming pool, bowling, billiard rooms, shooting range, Korean and Chinese restaurants, karaoke club and children’s playground. During the summer, golf is practiced at the resort.
In the northeastern part of the province of North Jeolla, in the mountain valley of Muju Gucheongdong, the country’s largest ski resort Muju is located. The resort has 19 runs, 3 for beginners and 7 for experts, a toboggan run, 13 lifts, including a gondola lift. The resort’s infrastructure includes a ski school, three upscale hotels, a children’s amusement park, a water park, a medical center, equipment rental offices, a nightclub, a golf club, restaurants, cafes and a shopping center.
Banks in South Korea
Banks are open from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 16:30, on Saturday – from 9:30 to 13:30.
Money in South Korea
The official currency of South Korea is the won. Banknotes of 10,000, 5,000, 1,000, 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1 won are in circulation, while banknotes of 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1 won were put into circulation a long time ago and are now practically not used., but officially approved for use. Coins of South Korea are issued in 500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1 won. Coins in denominations of 5 and 1 won are almost never found.
You can exchange foreign currency in banks, specialized exchange offices or in hotels. Credit cards are ubiquitous in major cities. They are the most profitable means of payment when traveling in South Korea. Traveler’s checks can only be cashed at the offices of major banks, and in order to avoid high exchange fees, it is best to purchase them in US dollars.
Rate: 1000 South Korean Won (KRW) = 0.8 USD
Cuisine in South Korea
Korean food is very spicy. Almost all dishes are added with red pepper, garlic or onion. Rice is the main ingredient in Korean cuisine. The most popular rice dishes are “pap” rice porridge, “chalteok” or “tteok” rice chops, “bibimbap” (pilaf made from rice, fried vegetables, eggs and hot red pepper paste) and rice rolls with various fillings. kimbap”. Rice is always served with panchang snacks, which include pickled vegetables, sauerkraut with radish, garlic, onion and red pepper – “kimchi”, bean curd “tubu”, as well as snacks from meat and seafood.
No meal in South Korea is complete without soups. Be sure to try beef rib broth “kalbi thang”, fresh soybean soup with egg yolk and shellfish “sundubu chigae”, thick soup with fermented soybean paste “dwenjang chigae”, spicy seafood soup “hemul thang”, spicy fish soup” maeuntang, served with boiled rice, guk soup, khonnamulguk soybean sprouted soup, seaweed soup, and luotal meat soup with rice.
Along with rice and soups, seafood dishes are also popular. The table is usually served with raw fish “sashimi” or “hoe”, fried fish “sanseong gui”, seafood hodgepodge “hemul jeongol”, fish soup “chhuotang”, fried sea carp “oktomkui”, cakes with green onions and seafood ” pajeon, seaweed salads, various squid (odjino) and octopus (nakji) dishes, abalone jeongbok juk porridge and shellfish in lemon or grapefruit sauce.
Meat dishes in Korean cuisine are “bulgogi” (beef tenderloin, thin strips of which are marinated in soy sauce with the addition of sesame oil, garlic and other seasonings and fried in a dome-shaped frying pan), “kalbi” (beef ribs fried on a roasting pan with a grill), “kalbichim” (stew with pork or beef ribs), “takkalbi” (chicken stew with onions, sweet potatoes, rice and dry seaweed), large dumplings “mandu”, “samgyetkhan” (boiled chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng) and “sinsollo” (beef with vegetables that are dipped in meat broth). Delicacies include dog meat dishes, which are becoming increasingly popular among tourists.
Dessert includes acorn jelly “tojorimuk”, “hangwa” biscuits, “tteok” rice flour cakes, “gangjeong” rice and honey dish, “tasik” honey, ground chestnuts, beans, sesame seeds and medicinal herbs, and persimmons and tangerines.
From drinks, Koreans use sweet rice water “sikhye”, a decoction of cinnamon and persimmon “sujeongkwa”, herbal infusions, aloe juice with pulp, and recently coffee.
Of the alcoholic beverages, the most popular are McCory or Nonju rice wine, rice beer, rice vodka and moonshine, as well as all kinds of tinctures.
