Seoul’s ten million-plus population has had over two thousand years to form its cultural identity, and there are ten-million plus ways for the traveler to experience it.

The National Museum of Korea tries to represent the country’s entire heritage, even in its architecture—the buildings depict images of history, time, and cultural accumulation.  Celebrating its past, perpetual development, and persistence of tradition into the future, the National Museum of Korea is the perfect starting place in stringing together a list of attractions to visit.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace houses the National Museum.  Constructed at the turn of the fifteenth century, the construction dates back to the  initiation of the Chosun Dynasty, when the city began to come into being.  Destroyed in a Japanese invasion in 1592, it was rebuilt from its ruins in 1865 until being torn down by the Japanese once more in 1910 and then rebuilt again.

Another palace open to tourists, Changgyeong , dates back to 1104 and was also destroyed in 1592 and in the subsequent Japanese invasion three centuries later.

Created in 1974, the Korean Folk Village is another cultural center located in Seoul.  Combining artifact museum with performing arts in music, dance, tea, and acrobatics and an open air market of the finest Korean cuisine and retail, the Village is a necessity for any visitor eager to understand and embrace the culture of Seoul and the Korean Peninsula as a whole.