More and more tourists visiting Seoul are interested in experiencing everyday Korean life, not only famous places like temples and palaces. This new travel trend is strongly linked to the global success of Korean content, also called K-content, such as K-pop, Korean dramas, and social media videos.
For Halle and Macy, their first trip to Korea is all about living like locals. During their visit, they stop at a street-side instant photo booth. These booths were once popular mainly with young Koreans, but today they are a must-do activity for foreign visitors who want to create memories the local way.
They also visit Olive Young, a well-known beauty store in Korea. There, they receive personalized skin analysis and beauty advice. Many tourists want to bring Korean skincare products back home because Korean beauty culture is famous worldwide.
Tourists also enjoy visiting local cafés and bakeries. One popular example is Korean-style salt bread, which has gone viral on social media. Visitors from Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, and other countries are lining up to try it.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, this trend is natural. As Korean daily life is shared globally through K-content, tourists now want hands-on, real-life experiences. Traveling like a local is changing what it means to visit Seoul.
Vocabulary:
• trend (noun): a general change or development that becomes popular
• everyday (adj): part of normal daily life
• local (noun/adj): a person or thing from the place you visit
• visitor (noun): a person who travels to a place
• instant photo booth (noun): a machine that takes photos immediately
• personalized (adj): made for one specific person
• skincare (noun): products used to take care of the skin
• viral (adj): very popular on social media in a short time
• hands-on (adj): involving real action and experience
• daily routine (noun): things people do every day