[Winter Korea] Tips for Inaugural Ski Experience

Tips before going on your first ski. It is not going to be feasible to buy the full set of ski equipment if you stay in a tropical country like me. Instead, everything that you need can be rented. That includes the skisuit, skiboots, skis, skipole, goggles and helmet.

What you need to buy is a pair of waterproof gloves suitable for this cold and wet sports.

Do note that ski suits are insulated and waterproof, which means you are protected from the icy snow even if you fall. Many people (that includes me) think that thick sweaters underneath the ski jacket will be needed. If you did that, you will regret big time. Thick jackets not only will cause obstructions to your movements, it will also cause you to perspire and get uncomfortable. In fact, a piece of lightweight comfy top should be sufficient. If you are really concerned about withstanding the cold, wear a set of heat-tech and that should be enough.

The ski boots is the most uncomfortable part of the suit. It is heavy and tight. Hence, it is best to avoid wearing socks that are thick and bulky eg. wool socks. If you are skiing in Yong Pyong, you can measure your foot size before asking for the shoe size at the boots rental counter. As a general guide, get a size that is 10mm (or 1cm) bigger. Getting a pair of shoes that fits snugly can greatly prevent aches and pains after your ski session. Good luck!


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List of Ski Resort in Pyeongchang - www.skiresort.info/ski-resorts/pyeongchang


There are 2 ways to get the ski resorts in Pyeongchange:

1. By bus from Incheon Airport or from Seoul (www.yongpyong.co.kr/eng/about/bustShuttle.do)

2. By KTX from Incheon Airport or from Seoul Station. Depending on the ski resort you are going to, you may alight at Pyeongchang station (for Phoenix Snow Park) or Jinbu station (for Alpensia Ski Resort, Yong Pyong Ski Resort or Jeongseon Ski Resort) .


Between the 2 options, KTX will be the faster option but the fare is higher compared to taking the public bus.

Gangwon-do Delicacy - Makguksu

One of the good things about Singapore is that, we are really a foodie city.  And especially with the rise in interest in Korean culture, the number of Korean restaurants in Singapore have increased significantly.  I recently checked out Singapore's first Handmade Korean Noodles House - Guksu 1945, located at Suntec City and was treated to the variety of guksu options available.

But wait... what is Guksu?  It is essentially the collective term for Korean noodles or colloquially known as myeon eg. ramyeon (Korean instant noodles), naengmyeon (Cold noodles), jjajangmyeon (Korean-Chinese noodles with black bean sauce).

With Korean's long history, many guksu varieties have been created.  The commonly known ones will include gamja guksu (main ingredient for the noodles: potato starch), hobak guksu (main ingredient for the noodles: pumpkin and wheat floor), kong guksu (noodles in cold soybean soup), janchi guksu (noodles cooked in clear anchovy or beef broth).

(Guksu from Jeju - 국수회관, 신제주점)

I had a lasting impression of a bibim naengmyeong (spicy cold noodles) which I had at the Incheon Airport in 2015 and have been searching for a naengmeyon which resembles what I had.

Seeing that naengmyeong was on Guksu 1945's menu, I didn't hesitate to place that order.  But it turned out to be another variety of naengmyeon which comes with ice cubes in the soup and tasted entirely different.

When will we be able to try ALL the guksu varieties?  But one thing for sure, Makguksu (buckwheat noodles serve in cold kimchi broth), is one of the 2 Gangwon-do specialty dishes.  The other dish is Dakgalbi, which I have introduced earlier.  Click on this link if you missed the post.

Makguksu became a Gangwon-do delicacy because buckwheat is the staple crop that is widely cultivated in the province.  This delicacy has come a long way and it has been around since the Koryeo Dynasty.  And now, the go-to place for Makguksu is the Dakgalbi Alley where you can get enjoy both Gangwon-do delicacies at the same time!

Makguksu is similar to naengmyeon with the key difference being in the high concentration of wheat flour used in Makguksu and the greater use of vegetables in this dish.  In terms of taste, it is chilly, spicy, savoury and wheaty.  Doesn't this make the best combination to go with the warmly pan-fried spicy chicken during the cold seasons?!  Go for it!

(source: Korea Herald)

[Gangwon-do, Korea] The Must-Go Place in Chuncheon

There are many scenic places in Gangwon-do (aka Gangwon Province) such as Nami Island, Seoraksan (Mount Seorak), ski resorts.  Besides the play and fun, there is a famous place in Gangwon to visit for it's specialty food - Chuncheon Dakgalbi!  Dakgalbi is pretty common in Korea but Chuncheon is THE place where the famous dakgalbi restaurants congregate.

Getting to Chuncheon Station (in Gangwon Province) from Seoul is easy with ITX connecting Yongsan / Cheongnyangni stations to the Gyeongchun Line.  Chuncheon station is the last station on the Gyeongchun line and it takes about an hour to travel by ITX.  Fret now that the journey is long and boring, you can enjoy the scenic scenery while travelling or if you prefer to get connected, Olleh wifi is available on the ITX.

The local specialty in the Chuncheon region is that Chuncheong Dakgalbi, a stir-fried marinated chicken dish in chilli pepper paste with vegetables (cabbage, sweet potato, onion, scallion etc) and rice cakes.  For years, the chuncheon region has been famous for its abundance in poultry produce.  This dish started off as a side dish to go with drinks in the early days in the 1960s, it gradually grown to become so popular, so much so that a street has been dedicated to this dish.   There is even an annual festival held in Chuncheon to commemorate this dish.  The festival is known as the Chuncheon Dakgalbi and Makguksu (spicy buckwheat noodles) Festival.  The 2017's festival is happening now from 26 August to 3 September and is held in front of the Chuncheon Station.

Exiting from the station entrance, the most convenient mode of transport would be to take a taxi to the Chuncheon Dakgalbi Street.  When I was there, loads of taxis were lining along the side of the road.  The exact location is Myeongdong.  So, you can simply inform the taxi drive to go to Myeongdong Dakgalbi Golmok (명동닭날비골목).  Golmok means alley or street.  The journey is should not take more than 5 mins.  Alternatively, you can walk to the Dakgalbi street if you have a map on hand and know the way.  It takes about 20 mins by foot.

The taxi should let you alight at this entrance signage.  Follow the directional sign and walk into the alley.  There are approximately 20 dakgalbi restaurants in the alley. 



The dakgalbi restaurants are all rather traditional and require guests to sit on the wooden floor.  Once seated and order has been placed, they would start cooking almost immediately, right on the dining table.  The round flat pan is filled with freshly cut vegetables, topped with richly marinated de-boned chicken chunks that were also cut into bit sizes.  No oil is added in the process.  The moisture from the vegetables and the fats from the meat is sufficient for the cooking.  Generally, this is a rather healthy dish since white meat is generally healthier than red meat.

The cooking takes about 10 to 15 minutes.  When done, the chicken is tender and juicy.  The portion is usually generous so my advice is not to eat any heavy meals before having a dakgalbi meal.  At some restaurants, they may even add rice to the remaining dakgalbi and turn it into dakgalbi fried rice!



Dakgalbi is a very flavourful dish that is sweet, salty and spicy at the same time.  That is also one reason why it is popular amongst the general population.  It was said that sweet potato and rice cakes were not part of the original recipe.  Sweet potato, not only added to the sweetness of the dish, it was used as a gauge as to whether the meat is cooked.  When the sweet potato turns soft and edible, it means that the meat is already cooked too.  How interesting!

Getting there: Point A refers to the position of Chuncheon Station and Point B is the Dakgalbi street. 

View Larger Map

Winter Sports at 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics

The PyeongChang Olympics will kick start the games in less than 200 days.  If you do not know yet, Soohorang and Bandabi are the mascots for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to be held I PyeongChang, Gangwon, South Korea.

Soohorang is a white tiger.  The tiger is an animal closely related to Korean mythology and is a symbol of trust, strength and protection.  Bandabi is an Asiatic black bear.  The bear is a symbol of strong will and courage. 

A total of 7 snow sports, 5 ice sports and 3 sliding sports will be held during the Olympic games.  Let trusty Soohorang introduce you to these games.

The Paralympic will feature 4 snow sports events and 2 ice sports events.  Courageous Bandabi will introduce you to these games.

For those who are familiar with Korean reality show, these was a special episode on the PyeongChang Olympic games.  Park Bo Gum was the guest celebrity who took part in programme and introduced several sports by attempting them together with the show hosts and national team athletes.  The sports which really got me interested in the Olympic games was Bobsleigh.

Bobsleigh began to be practiced as a sport in Switzerland in the late 19th century.  In bobsleigh, athletes ride a steerable sled down an ice track. And there are three events comprised of 4-man bobsleigh, 2-man bobsleigh, and women´s bobsleigh. 2-person bobsleigh includes a pilot and a brakeman. The pilot uses the inner steering rope to drive the sled. And the brakeman puts on the brake to bring the sled to a halt after it has passed the finish line. 4-man bobsleigh adds two pushmen.

For bobsleigh, the track length is 1,200 to 1,500m long with an average slope of 8% to 15% while the curve radius is minimum 20m. The pressure an athlete feels while going around a curve is nearly four times the gravity, and the bobsleigh reaches an average maximum speed of 135Km an hour. It is important to glide around 14 to 22 curves on straight, curved, and circular segments of the track increasing the speed.

Watch the clips to experience the excitement in riding a bobsleigh!

The city for the next Olympic Games - PyeongChang, Gangwon

What opens up a new horizon?

Passion. Connected.
Where everyone around the world is connected with their shared passion for winter sports.

In another 7 months, approximately 6.500 athletes will gather in South Korea for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.  The XXIII Olympic Games will be held for 17 days from 9 to 25 Feb 2018, 30 years since the last Olympic Games held in Seoul in 1988.

A total of 7 snow sports, 5 ice sports and 3 sliding sports will be held in Gangwon Province.  PyeongChang takes central stage as the opening and closing ceremonies as well as most snow sports will be held there.  Alpine speed events will take place in Jeongseon and all ice sports will be competed in the coastal city of Gangneung.

6 new events such as Snowboard Big Air (Men, Women), Speed Skating Mass Start (Men, Women), Curling Mixed Dubles, Alpine Skiing Team had been added to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.  A total of 102 events will take place in the 15 sports disciplines.  This will be the first ever Olympic Winter Games with over 100 gold medals.

PyeongChang is 1-hour away from Seoul via the newly constructed KTX ling.  And all competition venues are located within 30 minutes' driving distance from the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium.

For those planning a winter trip to Korea in 2018, it will be timing to catch the Winter Games while travelling or visit the Olympic village to immerse in the festive atmosphere.  I am certain this experience will go a long way down your memory lane. 

On A Related Note

The PyeongChang 2018 Paralympics will be held for 10 days from 9 to 18 March 2018. Approximately 1,500 athletes will participate in 4 snow sports events and 2 ice sports events.

Official Websites

Visit the following official websites for event and spectator information:

PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games (website)
PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games (website)

For ticketing information, please visit 
www.kingdomsg.com/index.php/ticketing-programs/pyeongchang-2018