Major. JAVIER MUNOZ
29 April 2015
Essay Final Draft

After 35 years of Japanese occupation and WWII ends, the Korean peninsula is occupied and divided along the 38th parallel by the Soviet Union and the United States into two independent countries – North Korea and South Korea –. North Korea decides on the 25th June 1950, to launch a surprise attack against South Korea taking over Seoul, the South Korean Capital. On 1953, both Koreas started rebuilding their countries totally torn down. Sixty-two years later, according to Tom Downey, a writer for Smithsonian Magazine, the once poor South Korean City has bloomed into a cultural capital with high-profile architecture, top museums and an influential arts scene. According to Choi Kyung-Hwan, Minister for Strategic Affairs and Finance to South Korea, last year 14.2 million new foreign tourists visited South Korea; an increase compared to just 12.2 million in 2013. Traveling to Seoul for the first time requires three steps to be followed – knowledge of visa requirements and Korean culture, currency and an adventurous spirit –.

The first step before traveling to Seoul for the first time, a person needs to know about visa requirements and Korean culture. Going for the first time to a Country in a totally different Continent can be scary. But following the next steps may turn it easier instead of painful. Foreign nationals entering the Republic of Korea are generally required to have a valid passport and a Korean visa. However, many are permitted visa-free entry for a limited time (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr). Look for information in advance on your own interest related to Korean culture such as traditional customs, lifestyle – cuisine and dress code – and cultural heritage can relief pressure on your thoughts and expectations in what Seoul looks or is like. Even though some places are English spoken; having a dictionary of your language to Korean could be useful while wandering Seoul or getting to know to a new Korean friend.

The second step after arriving to Seoul is to exchange money at an Exchange. The South Korean Won is the currency of Korea, introduced in 1902 as the official currency of Korea, and it consists of ten thousand, fifty thousand, and one thousand won bills, and five hundred, one hundred, fifty and ten won coins (http://visitkorea.or.kr). One U.S. dollar is approximately equivalent to 1,200 won, and it is very convenient to exchange your foreign currency into Korean won visiting a bank, exchange service center, or an authorized exchange.