Some fantastic all-inclusive fares to Seoul, South Korea from one of the world's best airlines. Cheapest ones are spread out from mid January to August 2016, so hope you find the dates you need. Safe travels :)
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Cathay Pacific to Seoul (Return): PER $715, MEL $720, ADL $721, CNS $732, SYD $734, BNE $738
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Shhh, gotta inflate that post count ;)
Premium Economy only $1628 return from Adelaide during those dates, amazing!
Premium economy on average is about twice economy prices, so it's just an alright PE price
I am always curious as to what sth korea is like as a holiday destination. Japan gets all the glory,but what about Korea?
crazy night
I've heard that there's a lot of similarities between Seoul and Tokyo, but only been to Tokyo.
Never been to Japan but Seoul was great. I went for 5 days since I picked up this same deal with a long China stop over a few years ago.
Korea is probably good for spicy food. Love the Fried Chicken Wing bars.. Korean BBQ was great as well.
Other than food.. DMZ tour is cool.. It's probably the best place for anything fashion related, they have alot of fashion markets.
I think main reason to travel their would be for food and for Fashion for the Mrs. I stayed at a traditional Korean guest house, that was a cool factor.
I should probably go to Japan now.. :-/
Most beautiful women in the world!
@noskich:
That's debatable. Many Korean men I met said Japanese women are more beautiful. It's just an opinion by an individual.I've known many Korean women, some beautiful, some not so much. My friend was the Vice Consul for SK in Sydney - her first job out of Uni - a beautiful woman. Also some older women are very scary in my experience - shouting at people for no particular reason. Even locals looked scared. Now that's not beautiful.
I've sat with a bottle of Makgeolli outside a GS25 in Hongdae Seoul, casually observing the young women who walked by. I offended Moon, a beautiful young Korean woman by observing so many dress like their Grandmothers. There is a tight control on most young Korean women. It's a generally conservative country.
Seems some disagree - am interested in what I have said that offends or is incorrect. Beauty is a value judgement which is personal.
Of course I would not be open like this with my hosts in SK, except Moon.@noskich:
Ranking countries based on perceived beauty of their women… is this 2015?With the issues of sex tourism & sexual assault on Korean women in Australia, this is a worrying view.
I have had meetings with a Korean Government official in Australia to see what can be done to prevent the sexual assault of Korean women here. I suggested educating the women about how to handle the more forward & persistent ways of men in a country like Australia. The politics of taking that approach, & discussing the taboo subject of sex, meant it was not possible.
I have seen walls covered with trophy photos of young Asian women at one predator's home. He offered very cheap & very clean accommodation to lure young Asian women. He also had photos of himself with an Australian Prime Minister at an Anzac service - wearing his medals. With the assistance of a State authority I helped shut him down & counseled a young Korean woman I got out in time. She asked how an old man could treat her with such disrespect - it would never happen back home. He did not think he was doing anything wrong. He thought Korean women were very beautiful.
Another young man provided free organic farm stays to Korean women. He told me in detail of a gang rape he initiated of one young Korean woman, justifying it as "She wanted it". He was a campaigner for animal rights! It apparently wasn't an isolated incident. Just sickening some people's attitude to Korean women.
Of course I understand that was not the thought behind the comment, but it does present a country as a location to find beautiful women. There's much more to see & experience in beautiful Korea.
@noskich: Try to see them without those "Inch-thick makeup" you might have a different idea.
Been to both cities many times as well, Tokyo is pretty awesome mostly car stuffs/parts, Seoul is great but a bit behind Tokyo, btw Disney(s) in Tokyo are the most polite and cleanest among others, cause you line up an hour for a hot dog then another hour for drinks.
Been to both many times. I prefer Japan.
S Korea seems more like China in many ways. Nature in SK seems always subdued by the dust & pollution that blows in from its neighbour. Nature in Japan is beautiful & colourful in comparison.
There is technology but also old ways in SK. And the war is always present. I've sat in a restaurant overlooking a beach at night, but the beach has barbed wire & search lights. Seeing soldiers training on the beach, or appearing from sentry towers hidden among trees in a public park takes some getting used to. I don't understand people's fascination with the DMZ. (My friend just travelled there from within North Korea - now that's a different view.)
While the toilets in Japan usually are high tech, in SK you often need to place used toilet paper (yes after wiping your bum) into a basket beside the toilet where everyone can see it.
Love the spicier food in SK, it's cheaper, and comes with wonderful side dishes that fill a table in some areas. But many restaurants won't serve a single traveller, so I missed out unless I found a friend.
TempleStay is a good introduction to the culture & Buddhism.
And the key word in SK is efficiency. Even Hangul - The Korean alphabet (24 characters against 26 in English language) is efficient & wonderful in its democratisation of communication.
I have only been to South Korea on business 5 years ago, but my impression of it was it felt like Tokyo 10 years prior.
I don't meant it in a negative or positive way, just my own observation.You can drink alcohol everywhere, anytime with cheap cost. Also, 7/24 stores sell alcohol as around $2 per bottle.
Otherwise, you can train your gaming skill. For example, Diablo 3, you can kill Diablo within 8 hours.Anyway, I prefer Japan.
Why South Korea as 'Sth Korea'?
FYI, "South Korea" is the name of the country, while "Korea" is actually the peninsula (region, not a country)… so there's no reason to call it 'sth Korea' etc. in my opinion.
Anyhow, I haven't been to Japan, but have been to Seoul in 2012 (Ultra Music Festival… first in Asia), and have done some research. I know a thing or two:
TLDR: My opinion: Japan - traditionally portrayed as the high tech country, and so it stuck, and they get 'all the glory'. South Korea, though as prosperous as Japan., has been overshadowed by its neighbours (the 'sleeping giant') China, (the traditionally 'high tech') Japan, and (the suicide bomber) North Korea. Justifications below:
I think people need to see some 'truth'.
South Korean media is no doubt the dominant foreign Asian media in Asia, and there are large following around the world. E.g. Australia - SBS's 'Pop Asia' TV program, is pretty much all Kpop… or was until they got complaints.
There's a lot of respectable high tech stuff coming out from there, that we see everyday. Samsung Electronics has surpassed Sony over a decade ago to become the largest consumer electronics company, Samsung Mobile is the biggest smartphone maker, Samsung built (or partially built?) the world's largest building (Burj Khalifa in Dubai), Hyundai, Kia, LG etc. have become respectable household names etc.
South Korea has progressed very quickly after being ravaged by Japan in WW2, and the Korean War. Economy went from being poorer than most African nations, to the 13th largest in the world. GDP per capita is very high too, close to Japan's, higher than many European nations (and obviously way higher than either giants China or India).
South Korea's one of Asia's "High-income OECD member", along with Japan and Israel. They're also on the World Bank's 'high-income economies', IMF's 'advanced economies', and is one of Asia's two 'Development Assistance Committee members', along with Japan. They are also one of two Asian nations in the OECD (which is basically a rich countries club). Furthermore, South Korea has a higher Human Development Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Dev…) than Japan. Sources
Sporting wise, they punch well above their weight considering its size, compared to Japan, and especially compared to China. ALmost every single time, they come second in Asia (after China) in all Olympics, winter or summer… and usually within the top 10 in the world. (BTW, Australia thrashes all in this regard… but my country NZ takes the top) Football-wise, they've been the most successful team in Asia, competing in almost every single World Cup since the 50s (?).
South Korea punches well above their weight in all aspects in Asia. It does very well for such a 'small country'. "How powerful is South Korea?"
Nightclubs… the Octagon has been in the international top 10 nightclubs list for the past few years now, according to DJMag …kind of why I went there for Ultra.
Sure, South Korea's got its problems like any other countries. Problems include unusual ones: One of the highest suicide rates in the OECD. "War" with North Korea.
…but overall, it shouldn't hinder your experience; I enjoyed my time there, and it's a damn shame that my passport has expired.
No idea why you got negged, gave you a plus ;)
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I think my points and sources are clear. Maybe some can't handle the (surprising) truth.
@inose: Dude, they don't call Soccer a "Football" which only Goal Keeper uses hand for the whole world except here and there (NZ), in term they need to grab the ball and run on foot - FootBall.
? Didn't fully understand what you've written… But yep, thought I'd get called out for soccer / football.
"Soccer" - the term I've grown up with :) But the trend in NZ seems to be in favour of "football", leading to the renaming of "NZ Soccer Association" to "NZ Football".
I prefer soccer though, but my younger sibling (gen y?) who grew up in OZ gets irritated by the term, prefers football.
¯(ツ)/¯
I haven't met anyone that's been to both Japan and South Korea recommend SK over Japan. The most I've heard about SK is that it's very 'concrete', i.e. there's really not much to see other than concrete buildings. Food is great there though, but beef is really expensive apparently. I would still love to visit but I don't think I'd enjoy it as much as Japan from the stories I've heard.
There's more to both countries than just the cities!
Japan is also very 'concrete' - it's the nature of building in earthquake prone countries.
Some Prefectures in Japan give a concrete allowance. One man I met on a small island, was building his steep driveway with that allowance, extending it a bit more each year.
I miss both countries.
I've heard that it's not easy to get around South Korea as very few people speak English. I found it very easy to find my way around Japan with signs in English everywhere.
As I haven't been to South Korea I can't compare the two, but I'd go back to Japan any day.
For all the Japan vs Korea comments. I have lived in both countries. Speak both languages. Married into one of the cultures. Work very very closely with the other. You cannot compare them. They are very different from each other. Many people make the mistake of thinking one is like the other. I made the same mistake. They aren't. It is like comparing hot and cold, or spicy and sweet (in this case umami). If you haven't been to Korea, please go. There are many, many awesome things to see and do; culturally and alcohol related (which is culturally related). This is the same if you haven't been to Japan. That part of the world is really unique and worth a look.
Nice prices BTW. Why no discount code like Tightkorea or Koreaass??
Tightkorea without A and Koreaass without Tight, therefore no discount dude.
yeah funny to read those comparisons and sounds like something that they heard from 'friend' who never been anywhere.
It's like saying Canada and US is similar or all south American countries are similar. Even within Australia, doesn't people find Syd, Mel, Brissie different?
Been to couple of cities in Japan, China, and Korea, they are all interesting places. I would recommend Seoul -> Gyeongju -> Busan route and then take a plane from Busan to Osaka or Tokyo and do whole Japan again and then to Shanghai or Beijing.
Was there literally until three days ago. Seoul is great if you like busy cities, it's relatively clean and polite. People like English speakers and are very polite. Pollution unlike some Asian countries is relatively well managed, and no (not much) radiation.
Seoul for the streets, food and night life (less clubs-but still have em, more bars and cafe's).
Korea in general is very good for scenery. Many Many hiking trails and no bears :P I wasn't there long enough this time to do that, but if you're ito that kind of thing, set aside a good week. The flora is very different from what you see in Australia.
As @bhm133 said, if you have not gone before, don't think, just do it, you won't regret it, especially at these prices!
No radiation…lol
Hiking in Japan is magnificent in comparison. Try some of the trails at 3000+m or the easier & ancient UNESCO listed Kumano Kodo! The Lonely Planet guide "Hiking in Japan" is a good resource. There is no equivalent guide I know of for Korea.
Very few bears left in Japan, but the fear of Kuma is there. For bears try the Shiretoko Peninsula in Eastern Hokkaido - wonderful for nature. I didn't see any, just the ringing of the bells on people to warn off bears.
In SK I like to hike Seoraksan National Park in the North-East. Wonderful in Spring. Take in some Temples (free lunch) or arrange a memorable TempleStay & rise with the monks. Koreans love hiking socially, and will often offer food & tea to foreigners on mountain tops. And bring back photos of the cute warning signs on those hikes.
Of course the best hikes in Korea are North of the border - or so I'm told, but that takes more organising & you need a guide.
Great, the cheap flights are during exam time. Would love to go to korea :(
Gee Gee Gee
I am going to SK tomorrow using Cathy's last sale!This happened last time around, was in Seoul and a Cathay fare deal popped up. Absolutely love it here.
Edit: Only minor issue with Cathay is the 20kg baggage allowance. Quite low compared to some of the other airlines.
Yap, their business' 40Kg really meant 40KG +/-500gram.
Been to Japan and South Korea. I enjoyed both, but in the future I want to travel and go somewhere new, to a place I've never been.
Major Brazil cities…. though might already be too late (westernisation).
Laos for a perfect relaxed trip. Highly recommended.
This, this: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/216700 are all this deal:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/215430 on sale till November 11 to "over 50 destinations in Asia, including Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and 20 cities in China"