Sokcho

By Brandan Tang, Foster Undergraduate who participated in an exchange with Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to Sokcho, roughly a three hour bus ride east of Seoul. Sokcho is known for the Seoraksan mountain range which has great trails for hiking and offer beautiful views of nature. I was accompanied by two German guys I met in the hostel and we decided to use the three day weekend of Chuseok for this trip. Coming from a highly populated city life, it was nice to get away from the bustling streets and see another side of South Korea. Coming from a nature dominant area in Seattle, it was refreshing to be able to walk up the mountain and appreciate the outdoors. Below are some pictures of the hikes that we were able to do, and the food we enjoyed.

Additionally we were able to go to the night market in the inner city of Sokcho that offered a variety of seafood and other treats. Being so close to the water, the city is known for the fresh Korean seafood dishes as well as some calming beaches. A common activity that people do in the area are shoot fireworks off the beach as they drink a bottle of soju.

Overall, I thought that the three day weekend was a great chance to see a different side of South Korea. I had a great time meeting new people and exploring the wilderness that surrounded us. If you have the opportunity to go to South Korea I recommend taking the bus to Sokcho and seeing all of the joys for yourself. Something to keep in mind though is that English is less common in Sokcho than in Seoul so I recommend knowing at least a little Korean when going.