I was responding to a fellow member's request for info on Korea when I realized a thread might be better...
I was there for one year at the same time Korea co-hosted the World Cup with Japan, 2002...
It was interesting because the preliminary warm-up matches were being played and I was walking through the airport when a huge crowd of people raced across the floor, and I thought WTF?...Turns out Korea had scored a goal and the place went nuts with them yelling and rushing towards the TV screens...And this was just a warm-up friendly before the tournament began...
That was the first experience I had of how fierce a pride these people have...And I hadn't even left the airport...
I enjoyed Korea very much, travelling throughout most of the country, including Jeju Island (The Hawaii of the Orient)...I lived in Pohang City which had a population of around 600,000 at that time...This is the home of Posco Steel, and the whole city is built around it...
I enjoyed the food in Korea more than in any other Asian country...And I ate almost everything, everywhere...I was lucky to have a very good friend who took me to different restaurants in different areas every weekend...
I met her at a tiny Information Booth down by the beach where the Ferry Terminal is...I was asking how to get somewhere (go figure), and she said, "I will take you there tomorrow."...So, I thought, what a fooking country and what an info booth...Still, I wondered WTF was gonna run the booth while we were off galavanting across the country...And should I bring a condom?...