Despite the size and grandeur of their royal capital Hanseong – modern-day Seoul – the kings of Joseon were only too happy to sprinkle secondary “capitals” across the realm for special or emergency use. The fortified city of Hwaseong in Suwon is probably the best-developed example, with a full circuit of walls and a sprawlingContinue reading “Field Report: The Northwestern Walls of Namhansanseong Fortress, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (24 March 2019)”
Category Archives: Korea 2019 (2nd)
Field Report: Deoksugung Stone Wall Road, Seoul, South Korea (23 March 2019)
After exploring the old royal palace of Deoksugung, I left by way of the main gate – but didn’t stray far. There’s quite a bit of history to discover in the neighbourhood if one can spare the time for a leisurely walk.
Field Report: The Seokjojeon Hall of Deoksugung, Seoul, South Korea (23 March 2019)
In some ways, Deoksugung (덕수궁) is the odd man out amongst the former royal palaces of Seoul. With its eclectic mix of Eastern and Western architecture, this walled compound offers an interesting contrast to the rigidly traditional forms employed in Gyeongbokgung just up the road. Today, we’ll take a close look at one of Deoksugung’sContinue reading “Field Report: The Seokjojeon Hall of Deoksugung, Seoul, South Korea (23 March 2019)”
Field Snapshots: Seoul’s National Museum of Korea and Yongsan Family Park (23 March 2019)
I gave myself a nice, easy, relaxed start to my holiday in Seoul this past spring. So relaxed, in fact, that there isn’t much to say about those first few hours. I paid my old friend the National Museum of Korea a visit – as is my habit whenever I’m in Seoul – and, sinceContinue reading “Field Snapshots: Seoul’s National Museum of Korea and Yongsan Family Park (23 March 2019)”
Flight Report: ICN-MNL on Jeju Air Flight 7C 2305 (25 March 2019)
In my previous flight report, I painted an image of Jeju Air (7C) as a reliable LCC alternative to the full-service airlines I usually fly with between the Philippines and Korea. Let’s see if we can complete the picture with the same positive strokes by looking at how they’ve performed on the home-bound leg. WelcomeContinue reading “Flight Report: ICN-MNL on Jeju Air Flight 7C 2305 (25 March 2019)”
Flight Report: MNL-ICN on Jeju Air Flight 7C 2306 (22 March 2019)
When it comes to airlines based in South Korea, I’ve only flown with full-service carriers – namely, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air. That is, until a few days ago when I travelled with one of their LCC compatriots on the busy, competitive route between Manila and Seoul. Welcome aboard Jeju Air flight 7C 2306.
Within striking distance 