Korea - another Japan?


Korea has given us a high-tech and hip image in recent years. Korean fashion as well as LG and Samsung phones are quite a hit in Hong Kong and are being embraced by many young people. Cosmetic brands such as Skin Food, Laneige, Missha and Mioggi are quite popular, too.

However, friends have been telling me that they love Japan but none of them find Korea a fun travel destination. So I decided to check it out myself and give it a fair judgement.

Is Korea another Japan? Definitely not. I can only say that it lies in the middle of Japan and Taipei. Some of the shopping alleys do look a bit like Japan but the products are not that innovative and creative as in Japan. There are a lot more excitement wandering around the streets of Shinjuku or Subuya or even Omedesando in Tokyo. But I wasn't that impressed by the shopping areas in Korea.

Is it high-tech? Maybe I didn't have a chance to check out its electronic stores so it's not fair for me to say anything I believe its mobile technology is top notch but its buildings do not portray any high-tech image at all.

One thing that I'm sure is Koreans are patriotric and are faithful to their culture. They love Korean food, drive Hyundai or Daewoo cars and use Korean-made mobile phones.

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