The media

Korean media has come a long way since bursting out of the dictatorial straitjacket of the 1970s and 1980s, but most of it is only accessible to those fluent in Korean.

Newspapers, magazines and the web

The two big English-language newspapers are the Korea Times (koreatimes.co.kr) and Korea Herald (koreaherald.com), near-identical dailies with addictions to news agency output and business statistics. That said, both have decent listings sections in their weekend editions, which detail events around the country, as well as the goings-on in Seoul’s restaurant, film and club scenes. For Korean news translated into English, try the websites of Yonhap News (english.yonhapnews.co.kr), or Dong-a Ilbo (english.donga.com); the Chosun Ilbo (english.chosun.com) has a translated version too, but it’s rather conservative.

The International Herald Tribune is pretty easy to track down in top hotels, with copies containing the eight-page Joongang Daily (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com), an interesting local news supplement. You should also be able to hunt down the previous week’s Time or Economist in most Korean cities – try the larger bookstores, or the book section of a large department store. Lastly, Seoul has its own clutch of useful websites and magazines, some of which also cover destinations elsewhere in Korea.

Seoul onLine

Websites

10 Magazine 10mag.com. A fun publication with good listings sections.

Kiss My Kimchi kissmykimchi.com. Food blog with a pleasingly user-friendly interface.

Roboseyo roboseyo.blogspot.com. Expat blog that takes an often offbeat view of Seoul society.

Seoul magazine.seoulselection.com. City-sponsored magazine that’s usually more interesting than its name may suggest.

Seoul Eats seouleats.com. Food blog with an admirable selection of restaurant reviews, though not updated as frequently as it once was.

The Seoul Times theseoultimes.com. Though the news itself is stale to say the least, the site has good job listings and is a useful place to hunt for flatmates.

Visit Seoul english.visitseoul.net. The official tourist site of Seoul’s city government.

Apps

KakaoTalk Almost everyone with a smartphone in Korea has this (ie, almost everyone under 85), and so should you, if you want any kind of social life.

KakaoTaxi Also from the KakaoTalk folk, this taxi-hailing app can come in very handy.

Korean Dictionary, Translator, Phrasebook No prizes for guessing what this app does – not perfect, but none of its competitors are, either.

Seoul Bus Seoul’s bus network can be hard for newbies to use, but this makes it slightly easier.

Subway Korea When you’re in a crowded subway carriage and can’t see the maps, it pays to have one in your pocket, and this one’s “last train” function can save you from getting stranded.

Yogiyo Named after the word you’d utter to get attention from restaurant staff, this food-ordering app can get a tasty meal right to your doorstep.

Television

Korean television is a gaudy feast of madcap game shows and soppy period dramas, and there are few more accessible windows into the true nature of local society. Arirang (arirang.co.kr) is a 24hr English-language television network based in Seoul, which promotes the country with occasionally interesting (but often propaganda-like) documentaries, and has regular news bulletins. Arirang TV is free-to-air throughout much of the world, and though not free in Korea itself, it comes as part of most cable packages. Such packages are what you’ll get on most hotel televisions (try OCN for films, SBS Sports for Premier League or local baseball, CNN for comedy news, or Tooniverse for midnight runs of old Simpsons episodes), but as with internet access, many motels have beaten them to the punch, and offer video on demand – though it can sometimes be tricky to navigate the menus if you’re not able to read Korean.

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