Book Description
Seoul is a city where centuries of history meet one of the world's most dynamic contemporary
cultures. SEOUL: A Cultural Travel Guide offers a different way to explore it—not through a checklist
of landmarks, but through the people who shape its cultural landscape.
Featuring 18 leading figures from Korea's cultural scene—including architect Choi Wook, fashion
designer Woo Youngmi, musician Jang Younggyu, photographer Koo Bohnchang, graphic designer
Ahn Sangsoo, and chef Yim Jungsik—the guide introduces Seoul through the perspectives of those
who live, create, and define the city. Their recommendations lead readers to cultural institutions,
neighborhood restaurants, independent shops, natural retreats, and other places that reveal Seoul's
everyday rhythms and creative spirit.
Alongside practical information on climate, transportation, language, and Korean history, the book
also includes introductions to Korean cuisine and useful Korean expressions, making it both an
inspiring cultural companion and a practical travel guide.
More than a guidebook, SEOUL: A Cultural Travel Guide invites readers to experience Seoul not
simply as a tourist destination, but as a living cultural landscape shaped by the people who create,
inhabit, and continually redefine it.

Editor’s note
Seeing Seoul Through Culture
The City Through the Eyes of Its Creators
SEOUL: A Cultural Travel Guide explores Seoul through the lens of arts and culture. Moving beyond
conventional travel guides built around tourist attractions, it reveals the city through the
perspectives of 18 leading figures from Korea's cultural scene, spanning architecture, design,
fashion, music, photography, and food. Here, traveling through Seoul becomes a journey of reading
the city through culture and understanding its places through the stories of the people who shape
them.
Seoul is a city where rapid urban transformation exists alongside centuries of history and everyday
traditions. Historic alleyways meet contemporary architecture, traditional markets stand alongside
independent bookstores, and royal palaces coexist with museums of contemporary art. Through the
experiences and perspectives of its featured creators, the book reveals the many layers of Seoul's
cultural identity.
Drawing on years of reporting on culture and travel, author Yun Suhyoung spent six months
interviewing artists, designers, architects, chefs, and other creative practitioners in their studios,
workshops, and workplaces across the city. The book features 18 influential figures—including
architect Choi Wook, fashion designer Woo Youngmi, musician Jang Younggyu, furniture designer
Choi Byunghoon, graphic designer Ahn Sangsoo, photographer Koo Bohnchang, and chef Yim
Jungsik—whose work has helped shape Korea's contemporary cultural landscape.
The interviewees reflect not only on their work and creative philosophies, but also on Seoul as the
city that sustains their practice. Their neighborhoods, favorite restaurants, museums, and walking
routes are more than recommendations; they are places where everyday life, memory, and creativity
intersect. Across 55 neighborhoods, the guide brings together destinations selected through the
interviewees' personal insights, recommendations from specialists in each field, and the author's
own reporting and research.
From major museums and art spaces to long-established restaurants, independent bookstores,
cinemas, galleries, parks, and historic sites, the book combines celebrated landmarks with places

that remain deeply rooted in local life. Practical information on Seoul's climate, transportation,
language, and history, together with introductions to Korean cuisine and useful Korean expressions,
makes it an insightful companion for exploring the city.
Rather than encouraging readers to simply check off famous attractions, SEOUL: A Cultural Travel
Guide invites them to experience Seoul as a living cultural landscape shaped by the people who
create, inhabit, and continually redefine it.

Praise
Seoul unpacked by its local creators. The much-needed cultural guide to South Korea‘s pulsating
metropolis. A proud and loving ode to the city.
Sebastien Falletti - Asia correspondent, Le Figaro
This book may wear the clothes of a travel guide, but at heart it is a love letter to Seoul—not the
breathless kind that seeks to sell the city on the back of Korean cultural fever, but something more
measured, honest, and enduring. Suhyoung Yun tells the story of her city with quiet confi dence
and distinctive grace.
Both insider and outsider, Yun portrays Seoul with unusual clarity, acknowledging that the city is not
instantly seductive while suggesting that visitors who give it time will fi nd themselves drawn into an
ever-deepening aff ection for it. The book brings together 18 pioneering cultural fi gures who off er
a richly layered portrait of Seoul.
The result is a guide unlike any other—at once a cultural excavation and an immersive journey
through one of the world’s most dynamic cities.
Oh Youngjin - CEO of The Korea Times
Following the success of Switzerland: A Cultural Travel Guide, this personal and thoughtfully curated
book goes beyond the typical travel guide to reveal Seoul through the eyes of the creatives who
know and love it best. Insightful and deeply immersive, it captures the subtle spirit and magnetic
energy that make Seoul one of the world’s most compelling cities.
Nadine Olivieri Lozano - Ambassador of Switzerland to the Republic of Korea
Yun Suhyoung deftly pulls back the curtain on creative practices that have paved the way for
younger generations of Koreans to make a global impact. Insightful interviews shed light on shifting
perspectives toward Korean cultural identity and its contemporary interpretations, while the book’s
travel guide format offers useful recommendations for alternative tourist itineraries in Seoul that
include off-the-beaten-path picks by some of the city’s most influential cultural producers.
Andy St. Louis - Director, Frieze House Seoul
Yun Suhyoung has an extraordinary gift for revealing the deeper layers of a place—its rhythm, its
spirit, and the quiet forces that shape its identity. For years, she has crafted transformative design
experiences for executive groups in Parsons School of Design’s Global Executive program, intuitively
understanding the sparks of innovation that emerge when people encounter Seoul with curiosity
and openness. Her ability to bring together visionary creators, meaningful places, and thoughtfully
curated encounters has helped countless leaders return to their organizations with renewed insight
and imagination. This book is a natural extension of her brilliance: a beautifully woven portrait of
Seoul told through the voices of its cultural pioneers. By illuminating the people and places that

define the city beyond its surface, she offers readers not only inspiration but a profound
understanding of what makes Seoul truly Seoul.
Melissa Rancourt - Senior Director for Parsons School of Design, Executive Educator in
Creativity, Experiential Learning & Transformative Leadership
Seoul is a city that must be uncovered; its sparkling stories and secrets hide beneath an otherwise
unvarnished surface. Having reported on Seoul’s cultural, gastronomic, and artistic rise for over a
decade, Yun Suhyoung is the perfect guide to discovering this extraordinary place. Yun has
intertwined colorful exposés of Seoul’s most fascinating neighborhoods with enlightening interviews
with those who have shaped the city into a must-visit Asian destination. This guide introduces Seoul
as a lively and quirky character that balances a love for boundary-shifting innovation with a
reverence for history and rituals. Whether you know this city or not, SEOUL: A Cultural Travel Guide
will change how you engage with this urban gem.
Gary Liu - CEO at Terminal 3, former CEO at South China Morning Post

Quotation
Socially and culturally, Seoul is safe and vibrant—its “software” is excellent. But the “hardware,” meaning
the built environment, is where we architects share responsibility for its shortcomings.
p.72 ARCHITECTURE - Cho Byoungsoo, Architect
In Korea, the movement began more from K-pop idol culture than from designers. K-fashion is seen as
young and trendy. For K-fashion to mature, we need more strong Korean designers. Even if everyone has
a different color and style, I want our time to be remembered as the era
when Korean fashion took the world by storm. That kind of power is what we need. That’s how fashion
can grow as both culture and industry.
p.90-1 FASHION, Woo Youngmi
I first approached it as music, but the more I studied it, the more I realized it’s closer to literature.
Originally, it was a way to tell long, novel-like stories to audiences. To keep listeners engaged for three to
eight hours, performers varied speed, pitch, and volume—shouting, whispering, shifting rhythms—to bring
the narrative to life.
p.116 MUSIC & ART, Jang younggyu, Bassist of Leenalchi
My works reflect the Korean sensibility: the beauty of restraint, calmness found in meditation, and the
fusion of primal and modern elements to create something new. I am also deeply interested in
balance—both literally, as in the chairs and scales I study, and philosophically.
p.151 MUSIC & ART - Choi Byunghoon, art furniture designer
If I had to choose one keyword for Korean design characteristics, it would be “contrast.” Soft yet strong,
delicate yet rough, straight yet curved—a dynamic contrast that reflects Korea’s energy.
p.189 DESIGN - Lee Sukwoo, Designer
Hangeul is an extremely graphic writing system. It is a script where sound itself is designed. In that
sense, it’s often described as a “cosmic script”—a writing system designed based on a clear
understanding of the principles of the universe as they were perceived at the time. It carries a very
explicit worldview within its structure.
p.204 DESIGN - Ahn Sangsoo, Graphic Designer
If I look at ink drawings from Japan, China, and Korea, I can immediately tell the difference. Similarly, a
distinctly Korean quality emerges in design. If you look at cosmetic packaging, it’s really impressive. It’s
different from expensive European brands—there’s a unique taste and sensibility that’s distinctly Korean.
p.229 CULTURE PLATFORMS - Lee Younghye, President & Publisher of Design House
I feel that the audience is becoming more sophisticated. In the past, few foreigners intentionally visited
Korea, but now, with K-culture gaining global popularity, many come with a genuine interest in learning
more about the country. These visitors often understand Korean culture deeply—sometimes even more so
than Koreans themselves—and they encourage and appreciate our work.
p.250 CULTURE PLATFORMS - Hong Jeonghyun, Chairperson of the Arumjigi Foundation
Influenced by Confucianism during the Joseon period, which emphasized simplicity and restraint, white
porcelains are left plain and untouched—contrary to the previous Goryeo-era celadons which have
patterns and beautiful lines that immediately attract attention. That makes me want to highlight their
beauty more. It gives me creative space and I can bring out their character with lighting, background,
and composition.
p.268 PHOTOGRAPH - Koo Bohnchang, Photographer
It has some of the most diverse flavors in the world. At its core, it’s about fermentation—the transformed
flavors of proteins to create a savory taste. There is also regional influences shaped by ingredients
sourced across Korea’s eight provinces. Seafood from the West Sea tastes different from that of the East
Sea, because our country is surrounded by three seas, each with its own characteristics.
p.319 FOOD & HOSPITALITY - Ok Dongsik, Chef

Table of Contents
Praise for SEOUL: A Cultural Travel Guide
Foreword
Introduction
Cultural Insights
7
ARCHITECTURE
Choi Wook 최욱
Cho Minsuk 조민석
Cho Byoungsoo 조병수
FASHION
Woo Youngmi 우영미
Kim Youngjin 김영진
MUSIC & ART
Jang Younggyu 장영규
Vakki 빠키
Choi Byunghoon 최병훈
DESIGN
Yang Teo 양태오
Lee Sukwoo 이석우
Ahn Sangsoo 안상수
CULTURE PLATFORMS
Lee Younghye 이영혜
Hong Jeonghyun 홍정현
PHOTOGRAPHY
Koo Bohnchang 구본창
Kim Yongho 김용호
FOOD & HOSPITALITY
Yim Jungsik 임정식
Ok Dongsik 옥동식
Park Hyeongu 박현구
Travel Essentials
Timeline of Korean History
General Information
Traveling in Seoul
Seoul’s Neighborhoods
Food Dictionary
Korean Words & Expressions
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Photo Credits

Author
Yun Suhyoung
Yun Suhyoung is a writer, journalist, and creative director working in the field of culture, with a focus on
design, travel, and lifestyle. She is the author of Switzerland: A Cultural Travel Guide (Ahn Graphics,
2025).
Yun has worked in the media industry for over 15 years across newspapers, magazines, radio, and
television. Her career includes working as a staff reporter for The Korea Times and contributing to
international publications such as the London-based design magazine Wallpaper* and Hong Kong’s
South China Morning Post (SCMP), among others. She has also been a regular guest on TBS eFM radio
and worked as a local producer for an Al Jazeera documentary on Korean food.
She previously served as Culture and Public Affairs Officer at the Embassy of Switzerland in the Republic
of Korea, an experience that inspired her first book.
She currently runs The Seoul Collective, a cultural exchange platform that fosters deeper understanding
between Korea and the world through curated programs in Seoul and abroad.
Yun holds a BA in International Studies from Ewha Womans University and an MA in Strategic Design and
Management from Parsons School of Design, The New School