How foreign students can explore South Korea on the cheap

Tomi Setianto

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How foreign students can explore South Korea on the cheap
Here's how foreign students in Korea can explore temples, rock out at music festivals, and more for free!

As an exchange student who lived in South Korea for only 5 months, I should have managed my time better to divide my schedule between studying and traveling. In a country where education has become the priority, South Korea has successfully attracted people from around the world to their country for study. The students will not only get best quality of education, but they will also get to experience the beauty of Korea, with its dazzling natural scenery and its cultural events. 

However, getting to the places you need to visit is not cheap at all. The cost sometimes doesn’t match the students’ pocket money, especially when you want to explore the temples and other palaces, which are located far away from Seoul. Bus or rail tickets don’t come cheap. This financial problem might hamper your sightseeing experience in Korea. 

But guess what? There are several field trips, cultural events, and even k-pop concerts that are offered free for foreigners by South Korean organizations in the central and local government, and the private sector.

Central government

NAMI ISLAND. Nami Island is one of the spots near South Korea that tourists can visit. Photo by Tomi Setianto

For information on the the free trips or cultural events offered by the central government, check out the Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) Facebook page. It’s a must to follow and like their page, where you can get information on anything related to tourism, like recommendations for places to visit on certain seasons and information on k-pop concerts.

Sometimes, those events – like the Incheon K-Pop Concert and the Gwanggju Music Festival – are looking for the international participants, and those who want to join only have to complete the registration form on their website.

The KTO also gathers information for some cultural events from local government units. When they get new trips, they will post it on the KTO Facebook and other social media.

Local government

NAMSAN SEOUL TOWER. Get a view of the city from the Namsan Seoul Tower. Photo by Tomi Setianto

On the other hand, the local government emphasizes cultural events more, to give foreigners a better understanding of why Korean culture is special. I lived in Suwon City, which is quite near Seoul, and the Suwon Center offers programs and events that change every year. 

For example, for one of the programs they held last October, they enriched the foreign student with Korean History in a diverse class on the first day. After the session, the participants had dinner at a Korean restaurant and could choose whatever food they wanted. The next day, the participants were divided into several groups based on the activity they were interested in, whether they wanted to experience making Korean food, Korean archery, or wearing traditional Hanbok dress while wandering around the the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. After that session, the participants had dinner again in a different Korean restaurant. 

Private sector

NAESOSA TEMPLE. Naesosa is one of the temple tours provided by Kim's Free Travel. Photo by Tomi Setianto

While other travel services scramble to get their customers to use their services by offering different prices, some organizations offer field trips for free. 

In the beginning of September 2016, I joined the field trip program held by Kim’s Free Travel to go to the Naesosa Temple. They picked up right in front of each participants’ university and we went there by private bus. When we arrived the temple, we got a free lunch of Korean food and continued exploring the temple. We later joined the Seafood Festival and the Medical Exhibitions where students can check their health for free. 

For additional information, the Naesosa Temple is located in Jeollabuk Province, which is quite far away from other cities. The area has inadequate public transportation available, and the Naesosa Temple became one of the main goals for our free trips – nothing else than to promote an unexplored temple in a remote area in South Korea. 

At the end of the trip, they offered to provide for the next two days of the trip.

Lastly, my college also supported foreigners exploring more of South Korea. There is a special program designed for foreign students wherein they cover all the trip’s costs. The only requirements to be funded are that we have to set up the itinerary by ourselves, give clear and reasonable budgets, and make the trip into a unique proposal.

One of my friends’ proposals was selected by the university and they truly funded all the costs needed for the trip.

South Korea has made serious efforts on its tourism to attract more visitors from around the world to visit their country. No wonder the administration of Korean tourism is very well-managed and their website makes it easy to check for information online. 

Both public and private sectors also insist on helping each other promote culture and tourism in the country. The free cultural events, field trips, and k-pop concerts are one of their efforts that promote and give foreigners a better understanding of their culture. In return, they gain more and more visitors.

Studying in South Korea will give foreign students other advantages, especially with its free interesting cultural programs. Those programs might be the right choice to save money yet still be able to explore more of South Korea.

Simply check their Facebook pages frequently and be quick to register if you find something interesting, as the slots are very limited. – Rappler.com

Tomi Setianto is a Public Administration Student at Padjadjaran University, Indonesia, who is currently part of the Exchange Program Fall Semester 2016 at Ajou University, South Korea. 

 

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