Essentials: Seoul

Unbreakable Trust

In Seoul, it's normal for delivery services to arrive with real porcelain dishes. After the meal, you simply place the used dishes outside your door, and the delivery person comes back to pick them up later. It's not only classy and reduces waste from disposable packaging – it also reflects the high level of trust in Korean society: restaurants assume that customers won't damage or keep the valuable porcelain.

The Struggle to Become a K-pop Starlet

Become a K-pop star overnight? Not in Seoul. All over the city, there are so-called "K-pop training camps" where young talents are taught singing, dancing, and acting for up to 15 hours a day before they're even allowed to step on stage. On top of that, there are fitness programs, skin-care routines, and nutrition plans. Many participants spend their entire youth in these camps – hoping to become as famous as BTS or BLACKPINK.

Seoul Has Buried the 90s

In Namsangol Hanok Village, there's a time capsule that was buried in 1994 to mark Seoul's 600th anniversary. It contains 600 items representing modern life in the city, including traditional Korean clothing, household goods, electronic devices, and of course letters to future generations. The capsule is scheduled to be opened 400 years later, on Seoul's 1,000th birthday, to amaze future citizens with how people lived in the late 20th century. Or will they just shake their heads?

Seoul Has Some High-powered Baristas

Making the perfect cup of coffee can be a science in itself – but in Seoul, they take it one step further and leave it to robots. In some cafés, robot baristas are at work, crafting espresso or cappuccino at the highest level. Efficient, delicious – and so fast it might make you dizzy just watching. An express espresso, so to speak. The only question left: do you tip a robot? Definitely not – tipping is considered rude in Korea.

Free the Fresh Water!

The Cheonggyecheon Stream, which runs through the heart of Seoul, used to be a highway. In a major project in 2003, the road was removed and the stream uncovered. The curious part: the eight-kilometer-long waterway seems to "start from nowhere" right in the city center and has been a popular spot for strolls, romantic dates, and cultural events since it reopened in 2005. In the evening, it comes to life with colorful lights and art installations along its banks.