BAR HOPPING IN HONGDAE
Thanks to the 16,000 students of Hongik
University, one of Korea’s most prestigious
arts colleges, the surrounding neighborhoods
of the Hongdae area have become the
epicenter of the city’s youth culture, brimming
with bars, coffee houses, indie music and
dance clubs, street art, flea markets, fashion
boutiques, and singers hoping to catch the eye
of the K-Pop record label reps that regularly
troll the scene looking for the next big act. At
night, it comes fully to life, and even death, as
in bars like Noneun Zombie, which likes to kill
the lights and unleash a horde of scary shot-
pouring zombies, while Thanks Nature Café
one-ups the cat café craze with a few fluffy
resident sheep.
JOGYESA TEMPLE
As the chief temple of the largest
denomination in Korean Buddhism, the
Jogyese remains a quiet retreat for the mind,
body, and spirit in the heart of the city and
provides direction with rituals, lectures,
ceremonies and events throughout the year.
Not only are all people welcome to visit, they
can even stay for a day or two to experience
the life of a monk firsthand. During that
time, you’ll take part in communal meals,
a traditional Korean tea ceremony, sitting
and walking meditation, pre-dawn chants
to the Buddha and more, all with the goal
of reconnecting you to your “true self” and
“original nature.”
OLYMPICS 2018
Tranquil PyeongChang typically sees few
tourists throughout the year, but for 17 days in
February 2018, this forested mountain region
79 miles east of Seoul will become the center
of the world as host of the XXIII Olympic
Winter games, the first in Asia in 20 years.
The opening ceremony will take place in
the brand new 35,000-seat stadium custom
made for the event, while the more than 100
medal events — skiing, jumping, ice skating,
bobsledding, curling, hockey, and more —
will move out to Jeongseon and Gangneung,
both within 30 minutes’ driving distance and
linked by extensive public transport, not to
mention a brand new $3.7 billion bullet train
connecting Seoul with PyeongChang.
Among the new events this year is the
first Olympic “Big Air” competition for
snowboarders who launch skyward from a
160-foot ramp to perform acrobatic feats. The
main story of grit and determination may be
the first ever bobsleigh team from Nigeria,
made up of three women: Seun Adigun, Ngozi
Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga.
The 2018 Olympics also gives South Korea the
chance to show off its technology, starting
with 5G mobile networks that promise
internet speeds of up to 20Gbps, drones,
virtual reality and automatic interpretation
and translation technologies, linking
spectators with the action more intimately
than ever before. Plus, there’s a super cute
robot-served café.
Demonstrating their commitment to safety
and security, South Korea has named its spirit
animal, the white tiger, as mascot. Closely
tied to Korean folk tales, the white tiger is
a symbol of trust, strength and protection,
as demonstrated in the mascot’s name,
“Soohorang,” drawn from the Korean words
for “protection” and “tiger.” His white fur
also promises lots of snow.
GETTING THERE
KOREAN AIR
OFFERS DAILY
NONSTOP
SERVICE FROM
IAD TO ICN
Ihwa Mural Village
Credit: Madeleine Lee/Flickr Commons
Kimchi Field Museum
Credit: Evgeniia Smirnova/Flickr Commons
FLYWASHINGTON.COM 52 WINTER 2017/18