Busan is not that bad really. There is a great children’s park which is the nearest you get to rural access. I thought Texas street was an interesting feature! And a park built on an old American air base. Wee museum here and watch towers still on site.
Most will speak English or have an English menu for you. Google translate app is handy.
<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Food is excellent, accomodation is also usually excellent and cheaper than you’d think. Korean barbecue everywhere. The smaller places are often better than the big touristy ones. Street food is good. Food is life for Koreans. They also love baking and in some places there is a big french influence. Try hite beer and milkis! </span>.
Traffic cops on are often not local and no use for directions. They would be considered cadets in the uk.
Note how the underground system is designed with nuclear war/sheltering/typhoon in mind.
Bank cards worked perfectly fine most places. Think we had one issue somewhere but just used the one along the street. Card worked in hotels and shops too.
Lots of shrines and museums. Some are deserted, others can be mobbed.
We stayed in a traditional bed and breakfast with heated floor and mattress in the floor. Ok for a night or two. Lovely host who cooked proper trad food.
If you are in Seoul and climb the hill to the north take your passport as you can’t access the top otherwise. It’s been a fortified position for the last 500 years at least and is still doing the same job.
The jeju diver woman do a demonstration but you can see them all over the place. The south of jeju is pretty , and more up market.
The mountain hike on jeju looks good but access is restricted. If you are not halfway before the cut off time you cannot proceed to the top.
The local population on jeju were massacred at one point by the mainland government so there is a wee bit of history there. They are also not keen on the building of a new naval base on the island.