BY DUANE WELLS SEOUL UNVEILED: A JOURNEY THROUGH CLASS AND CULTURE
Seoul is a city defined by vertigo-inducing contrasts.
On the one hand, it is a sprawling metropolis of some 26 million people, the nerve center of global titans like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, and the cultural engine that unleashed K-Pop, K-Beauty, and a cuisine so addictive it has become a global staple. On the other hand, it is a city steeped in centuries of tradition, where 14th-century palaces stand in the long shadows of soaring glass-andsteel towers, and mist-shrouded Buddhist temples tucked into forested mountains are just a subway ride from the neon-lit buzz of downtown.
But Seoul’ s contrasts run deeper than its architecture. This is a city of deeply stratified social worlds, including old-money yangban families whose lineage traces back to the Joseon aristocracy and the chaebol dynasties, the industrial royalty behind those global corporate juggernauts. Together, these elite circles have cultivated enclaves of remarkable exclusivity, and tracing where they dine, stay, and socialize offers a fascinating window into Korean society’ s most rarefied echelons.
Seoul and Washington, D. C., have been connected by air service for over 30 years. Starting April 24, 2026, travelers will have a new nonstop option between the two iconic capitals when Air Premia begins its service. Korea’ s first hybrid airline will operate four times a week on a Boeing 787-9 featuring their Wide Premium cabin— the only premium economy product offered nonstop between Seoul
FLYWASHINGTON. COM 16 SPRING & SUMMER 2026 and Washington, D. C.