Is South Korea Worth Visiting? Our Honest Review 2026

Short answer: yes, completely — and it's the people and the food, more than any single landmark, that make it worth it.

We spent 11 days across Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan, and Jeju as part of our gap year through Asia. Here's our honest, whole-country take.

What Surprised Us Most

We went in with the usual assumptions — K-pop, skincare, maybe some good barbecue — and came out talking about something much bigger: how a country that went through a brutal, recent war has rebuilt itself into somewhere so organised, advanced, and still full of life and humour. That contrast stuck with us more than any single sight.

Koreans are genuinely obsessed with food and eating out, in a way that matched our own travel style completely. If you plan your days around where you're going to eat, South Korea will feel like home almost immediately.

The Food, Specifically

We'll say it plainly: Korean beef (Hanwoo) beat Japanese wagyu and Kobe beef for us — and we say that as two people who consider Japan our favourite food country in the world. Markets like Gwangjang in Seoul and Jagalchi in Busan, plus a proper splurge dinner at Solbam, made this one of the best food legs of our entire Asia trip.

The Range Across Cities

Each stop felt genuinely different. Seoul is hyper-modern and deeply traditional at once, with the DMZ as a sobering, essential day out. Gyeongju slows everything down — walkable, historic, the "Museum Without Walls." Busan trades Seoul's intensity for ocean views, colourful hillside villages, and fresh seafood. Jeju is the outlier — spectacular on paper, but genuinely weather-dependent, and ours was rained out almost entirely.

The One Honest Downside

If we're being fully honest: Jeju was the one disappointment of the trip, purely because of weather. Everything else — Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan — we'd do again without hesitation.

Quick Facts

FAQ

Is South Korea worth visiting?

Yes, without hesitation for Seoul, Gyeongju, and Busan. Jeju is worth it too, but only with good weather.

Is South Korea good for food lovers?

Extremely — we'd put it right up there with Japan, and in some specific dishes (Korean beef especially), we preferred it.

How many days do you need for South Korea?

We did 11 days across four stops and it felt like the right amount, though we could easily have spent longer in Seoul alone.

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