Movie Theaters

The movie industry in Korea is quite big, and as such, finding a movie theater is never a hard thing to do. The bigger cities will have larger and more modern theatres, of course, with Seoul having the best ones in the country. The Megabox in the Coex Mall is the largest movie theater in Asia with 17 megascreens, 4,336 seats, amazing sound and hot buttered popcorn! Another popular theater in Seoul is located at TechnoMart at Kang-byun station (number 2 subway line), which is also famous for fantastic electronics shopping.

Foreign movies (including Hollywood movies) are shown in their original languages with Korean subtitles down the right side of the screen. Seating is assigned, so make sure to check your ticket for your seat number.

Nightlife

Every city has an abundant nightlife and Korean style nightclubs can be found everywhere, though Korean style nightclubs do differ from the western style. To get into a Korean nightclub, you must first pay for a table up front. Depending on the clientele level, this can cost anywhere from 50,000 won for a normal club to 500,000 or 1,000,000 won for the classiest up-scale joints. The charge always includes food dishes, beer and a bottle of whiskey or two, depending on the club. Tipping is not required. Normal drinking establishments can be found anywhere in Korea, with the widest selection in Seoul. Itaewon, Hong-dae and Apgujong have some of the most famous western-style nightclubs and are always bustling with Korean and foreign fun-seekers Friday and Saturday evenings. Normal bar hours run late into the wee hours of the morning, sometimes 5 or 6 am, and it’s never hard to find a taxi to take you home.

Outdoor Adventuring

Korea has an abundance of outdoor recreation choices;

Mountain hiking: The Korean Peninsula is dotted with mountains of various height, most of the easily hiked in a few hours. Koreans love to flock to the mountains in the spring and fall, when the weather is just right. Most mountains have well-used paths and Koreans are not shy about their hiking attire. The best mountains to visit are Sorak Mountain on the east coast and Hala Mountain on Jeju Island of the south coast.

Beaches: The most famous beach in Korea is Hyundai Beach near Pusan. In the summer months the sand is literally blotted out by skin and beach umbrellas. Prices skyrocket during this peak time so expect to have to shell out for hotel and seafood. Fun here is never hard to find.

If you don't fancy the super-intense beach scenes of Hyundai Beach, the east coast resort towns of Sokcho and Kangnung can offer a more relaxed atmosphere. While not anywhere near quiet by western standards, the pace here is much slower, the prices much cheaper and the beaches considerably less crowded. Fantastic seafood and great prices can be easily found, though one may have to venture away from the vacation centers.

Ski resorts: Numerous vacation resorts operate year-round throughout Korea, though skiing can only be done during the winter months. Thought the slopes tend to be quite crowded, the die-hard skier will at least be able to stretch his legs a bit.

Amusement parks: Every population center in Korea has an amusement park nearby, and Everland, the six-largest amusement park in the world, is located in Yongin, about an hour outside of Seoul. The rides are thrilling and the prices extremely reasonable.