The heart and Seoul of it all

MANILA, Philippines - Let’s face the facts: in the past few years Korea has developed a huge presence in the Philippines. From Tagalog-dubbed Korea-novelas all over our local networks, K-Pop songs sung in every tune (except the proper one, of course) by any yaya and driver near a karaoke machine, Korean convenience stores located on what seems to be nearly every block in the metro and the countless English language schools dedicated to teaching the many Korean nationals who move to the Philippines to study, and who are quite literally footing the bill for this booming business. The business, that is, of turning Manila into Korea-town. (It’s just like Chinatown, but on a whole other level.)

So what is it about Korea that has captured our hearts so definitively and, well, so quickly? This journalist makes the trip to the heart and Seoul of it all (pun intended) to find out.

With no previous notions or expectations of what Korea had in store, the trip began with an early Cathay Pacific flight spanning MNL-HK-ICN, with much of the morning spent making the most of the free coffee and food at the Cathay Pacific business class lounge. (Yes, as a hard-hitting journalist I fly business class, it is the only way to fly.) Cathay Pacific flies directly to Incheon, but I managed a quick stopover at the Hong Kong Airport where the three business class lounges are much like home, but 100 times better. With free dimsum, Håagen-Dazs ice cream and fine liquors, it is amazing that I even made it to Korea at all. (Seriously, the lounge has showers and free flowing 24/7 buffet – I could live there.) But I did manage to get on the plane, and it was nestled in my roomy seat with a kiwi shake in hand that I finally managed to buckle down and do some real research: that is, watching a true blue Korean film, one of the many available on the Cathay Pacific repertoire. I chose The Suspect, a fast-paced, action-packed, socially relevant thriller about a North Korean refugee/spy being framed by the South Korean government. I’m not going to lie: it was gripping. Not only because of the excellent production values, but also because the main character (played by Gong Yoo, an extremely famous Korean-novela actor) was super hot.

Upon arriving in Korea in the evening, I was greeted by extremely pleasant weather. A refreshing change from the unbearable humidity of Manila, and much like Hong Kong in December, I was pleased that I could finally wear my faux fur and gloves. (A bit much, but who says journalists need to wear pocketed vests all the time?) Dinner was the only thing on the itinerary for the day, and really the only thing on my mind at that point. A hidden restaurant Ba Lat (www.balat.co.kr) on the famous street of Gangnam (made popular by the Psy song Gangnam Style in case it sounds familiar) was the best Bibimbap I have ever had in my life. And if a bowl of purple rice topped with sautéed vegetables hasn’t blown your mind yet, this certainly will. Served with grilled local fish and, of course, the kimchi (spicy, pickled vegetables) that comes with every meal, the dish was simply brimming with simplicity and flavor. I could see how the very healthy dinner of rice, fish and vegetables would appeal to Filipino taste because I could simply not get enough of it.

The next few days I spent wandering around the city. On the schedule: trips to famous Korean landmarks, found in the middle of a busy and bustling Metropolis. Much like Rome, Seoul boasts office buildings on the right, then age-old gates and temples on the left, remnants of a time forgotten. Incredibly beautiful and crawling with tourists like myself, the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace sits peacefully in Northern Seoul, where it has been since 1395 (since burned down then restored to its former glory). A sprawling estate and home to kings, it is the largest and most complex palace of the Five Grand Palaces built during the Joseon dynasty. Composed of the king and queen’s private quarters, the throne hall, executive office, the banquet hall and many other halls besides, the palace is a maze of breathtaking architecture and landscaping, a picturesque backdrop to the Korea of yore – filled with the ghosts of armies and invasions, assassination attempts and swordfights.

A short trip to Gyeonggi-do province necessitates a visit to the Hwaseung temple, at the center of Suwon (capital of Gyeonggi-do), built in 1794 by King Jeongjo of the Josean dynasty to honor the memory of his father, Prince Sado (who was locked alive in a traditional rice chest after failing to obey orders from the king to commit suicide… how macabre is that?). The fortress was built by the King with the intention of moving the capital of Korea from Seoul to Suwon, but apparently it did not work out. Serving now as a veritable tourist destination, Hwaseung temple is a testament to Korean architecture and culture, fairly new in comparison to the older gates (like Namdaemun in Seoul, built in the 14th century and still standing) but echoing its grandeur and design.

Having had my fill of Korean history and ancient culture, I endeavored to find entertainment a little more my speed: a trip to the popular amusement park, Everland (a bust, because the lines were so long but fun nonetheless) to see the tulip festival, a highlight of spring; a Klive concert (aka K-Pop Live, but not really live as I ended up watching "live" hologram performances of 2Ne1 and Psy), and a trip to the Korea Tower, the tallest building in South Korea with an amazing view of the city. Special mention has to be made of the Korea Tower, with a wonderful cherry-blossomed filled walk up the Namsan Mountain and my first experience of cherry blossoms in all their glory. The tower also boasts a wonderful Korean restaurant called Hancook with an amazing buffet of Korean specialty foods, one of the best souvenir shops I had come across during my trip, and a trippy photo place called the Alive Museum (with life-sized murals for fun souvenir photographs depicting different contemporary and imagined situations. SO FUN.)

My favorite part of the trip, however, was a nighttime escape to the Hongdae district (named so for its close proximity to Hongik University, and therefore crawling with bagets) where I met up with Filipina singing sensation Kate Torralba for a night out on the town with some locals. Kate, being the darling that she is, managed to find a secret bar called Club Freebird, apparently an institution in the Korean indie music scene, and kindly took me along with her for a night of drinking, dancing, and good old rock and roll. While K-Pop might be the speed at which most of the Koreans drive at, the Brit-rock jams of The Killer Drones and hard beats of punk band Dead Buttons were more up my alley. The night ended with a fairly long and winding walk to a super cool hidden bar decorated with jukeboxes and racks upon racks of vintage Korean vinyl, but I was unfortunately too inebriated to remember the name.

With some time left to spare before my weekend of journalistic integrity would run its course, I spent time shopping. (Because what better way to show my appreciation for the Korean people and their wonderful country then to spend my hard-earned money on their already booming economy.) I may sound sarcastic, but the Korean shopping business is nothing if not booming, and I am a sucker for a booming shopping day. With a 1 USD to 1000 Korean Won exchange rate, math became less difficult, and thus buying much more fun. Having everything from cheap nighttime street markets to six level malls of shopping heaven to an endless maze of streets lined with quaint local designer shops, Korea is basically a high- to low-end fashion heaven, boasting luxury brands like Chanel, Valentino and Saint Laurent alongside High Street brands Topshop, H&M, Forever 21, as well as local brands 8 Seconds (a local Korean fashion chain created and run by the daughter of the Samsung president) and Style Nanda. While Gangnam and Cheongdamdong are more popular high-end shopping destinations, Garosugil street in Sinsadong, a little off Gangnam road, is one of my favorites. In close proximity to a fashion and modeling school, the street is lined with quaint coffee shops and boutiques of local, upcoming designers and art and design bookshops, as well as some very well-dressed and attractive locals.

As I sat comfortably in my reclined business class seat on my Cathay Pacific flight back home to the hot and bristling city, I neglected the wide selection of in-flight entertainment in favor of my own thoughts. I sipped on what would probably be my last kiwi shake, and couldn’t help but wonder: why would Koreans even dream of moving to Manila? They have everything we do not: a functioning bus system, fantastic weather, and all the K-Pop and Korea-novelas their hearts could possibly desire. It wasn’t the communist North; quite the opposite, it was the fabulous South! But that must be exactly it, the Filipino's attraction to a dream of a country so beautiful and not unlike our own, but still so different. We can’t help but be drawn to it. From billboards of Korean superstars on EDSA and C-5, to the numerous Korean beauty brands in all the biggest malls in Manila, to the Koreans living in your apartment building, to your favorite new ice cream (because yes, their ice cream is divine, it must be made of crack), Korea is here to stay – at least for a little while longer. Sure, you can easily chalk it up to Sandara Park and her infiltration of the hearts of the Filipino people, but this journalist know better: she’s seen its Seoul.