Hi, I’m Rin — a Seoul local sharing the places Koreans actually go.
I was born in Seoul and have lived here my entire life. These days I work in finance at an office job, which means weekdays belong to spreadsheets and weekends belong to the city. Trying new restaurants, hunting down cafes, walking through neighborhoods, chasing the best city view at night — this is how I spend most of my free time, and has been for as long as I can remember.
Why I started LocalsKorea
A few years ago, I started noticing something: the places I’d been going to for years were suddenly full of international visitors. Cafes in Seongsu, restaurants tucked in Jongno alleyways, lookout points over the Han River — all of them had more foreign tourists than before.
That made me really happy. I love that more people are discovering Korea. But I also started wondering: are they seeing the real version of Seoul, or just the top-10 lists every guidebook recommends? Are they eating at the places locals actually line up for, or the ones that happen to show up first on English-language search?
I wanted to help. If someone is going to spend their precious vacation days in my city, I want them to leave genuinely satisfied — not with a camera roll full of the same five tourist spots, but with a taste of how Seoul actually feels.
That’s why LocalsKorea exists.
What I write about
I write about the things I personally love and spend time on:
- Food — proper Korean meals, not just the Instagram-famous ones
- Cafes — Seoul has one of the best cafe scenes in the world, and I treat it as a serious hobby
- Shopping — from traditional markets to Daiso hauls to edible souvenirs worth bringing home
- Nature and views — Han River parks, mountain walks, rooftop sunsets
- Night scenes — Seoul at night is a different city, and I’ll always argue it’s the better one
My favorite Seoul neighborhoods are Jamsil, Seongsu, and Jongno — each for completely different reasons, which I write about often. Beyond Seoul, I’ve traveled widely across Korea — Busan, Jeju, Gyeongju, Gangneung, Jeonju, Daejeon, Sokcho, and more. That’s where my “Beyond Seoul” posts come from.
How I make these guides
Every place on this blog is somewhere I’ve actually been. Most of the time I’m there with friends, family, or my partner — the recommendations are shaped by what we actually ordered, what we liked, what we wouldn’t go back for.
I take almost all the photos myself. The only exceptions are things I couldn’t personally capture — a seasonal shot of fall foliage when I visited in summer, for example. When I use someone else’s photo, I say so.
I try to write the guide I wish existed when I first started showing international friends around: specific addresses, subway exits, how to order, what to expect at the door, what things actually cost, whether cards work, whether there’s an English menu. The practical details that make the difference between a smooth visit and a stressful one.
Get in touch
Have a question, a suggestion, or want to let me know how a recommendation worked out? I’d love to hear from you.
- Email: rin970703@gmail.com
- Contact form: [Contact page]
Thanks for stopping by. If this blog helps you have a better trip to Korea, that’s exactly what I was hoping for.
— Rin