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Korea

Korea (known as 조선/Chosŏn in North Korea and 한국/Hanguk in South Korea) is a peninsula in East Asia occupied by two countries sharing a common culture, commonly called North Korea and South Korea. Korea is connected by land to Northeast China and the Russian Far East to the north, across the Yellow Sea from Beijing to its west, separated from Japan by the Sea of Japan (known as the 'East Sea' (동해, 東海) in Korea) to its east, and separated from Taiwan by the East China Sea to its south.

Regions
The peninsula is divided into two countries:

 * North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK - 조선민주주의인민공화국, 朝鮮民主主義人民共和國)
 * South Korea (Republic of Korea or ROK - 대한민국, 大韓民國)

Both countries regard the Korean peninsula as one country that is awaiting reunification, divided by the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

The shared border village of Panmunjeom in the middle of the DMZ can be considered as part of both North and South.

South Korea also includes many island territories, notably Jeju island to the south, Hongdo to the West, and with Ulleungdo and Dokdo to the east.

Cities

 * (Korean: 평양) – Capital city of North Korea
 * (Korean: 개성) – Capital of the Goryeo Dynasty, now an industrial development zone in North Korea
 * (Korean: 원산) – Port city on the east coast of North Korea
 * (Korean: 서울) – Once the capital of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea's last royal dynasty, and today the capital of South Korea
 * (Korean: 부산) – Largest port and second largest city of South Korea
 * (Korean: 인천) – Large port city near Seoul in South Korea
 * (Korean: 대구) – Third largest city in South Korea

Other destinations

 * The truce village of (Korean: 판문점) in the middle of the Korean DMZ, and shared territory of both Koreas
 * (Korean: 제주도) island is the favorite domestic tourist destination for South Koreans
 * (Korean: 경주) was the capital of the Shilla kingdom, and is full of history
 * (Korean: 울릉도) and (Liancourt Rocks) (Korean: 독도) islands are a remote spot in the East Sea
 * The (Korean: 백두산맥) on the border of North Korea and China have special significance for all Koreans

Itineraries

 * - along the east coast of Korea, both North and South

Understand
The Korean nation is called Hanguk (한국, 韓國) in South Korea and Chosŏn (조선, 朝鮮) in North Korea. Despite sharp political differences, North and South Koreans share a common culture, and regard each other as part of a single people.

History
Historically Korea was divided between various kingdoms. At its height, the northernmost Goguryeo kingdom reached into much of what is now north-eastern China. There were three tribes in the southern part of the ancient Korean peninsula: Mahan, Chenhan, and Benhan, collectively known as the Three Hans. At that time, the northern part of the Korean peninsula was the Han four prefectures (Weiman Korea was destroyed by the Han dynasty, and Lelang prefectures, Xuantu prefectures, Zhenfan prefectures and Lintun prefectures were established, which were called Han four prefectures in history).

Apart from Chosŏn, the region of Korea developed into tribal states. To the north, Puyŏ rose in the Sungari River basin of Manchuria (now northeastern China). Qin, which had emerged south of the Han River in the 2nd century BCE, was split into three tribal states—Mahan, Chinhan, and Pyŏnhan. These states formed leagues, or tribal federations, centred on a leading state. The tribal leagues stretched across a wide area from the Sungari basin to the southern Korean peninsula. They evolved into three rival kingdoms: Koguryŏ (Goguryeo), Paekche (Baekje), and Silla. According to legends, Koguryŏ was founded by Chu-mong in 37 BCE, Paekche by Onjo in 18 BCE, and Silla by Pak Hyŏkkŏse in 57 BCE. The actual task of state building, however, was begun for Koguryŏ by King T’aejo (reigned 53–146 CE), for Paekche by King Koi (reigned 234–286), and for Silla by King Naemul (reigned 356–402).

With the support of China, Silla conquered and subjugated Paekche in 660 and Koguryŏ in 668. Not until 676 did Silla drive out the Chinese and gain complete control of the Korean peninsula. The surviving Koguryŏ people in northern Manchuria established Parhae (or Palhae; Bohai in Chinese), under the leadership of Tae Cho-yŏng (Dae Jo-yeong). The state soon came into direct confrontation with Silla. This period may be called an age of separate southern and northern states; it is customary, however, for historians to place the primary focus on Silla because little is known about Parhae, though it grew into a highly civilized state that the Chinese called the "Prosperous Country of the East". After Parhae’s demise its territory fell under the control of the northern nomadic peoples and has not since been a part of Korean history.

Wang Kŏn founded Koryŏ in 918 at Songdo (modern Kaesŏng, North Korea) and in 936 established a unified kingdom on the Korean peninsula. Wang Kŏn went to great lengths to absorb the people of the overthrown states, even accepting the survivors of Parhae, which had been destroyed by the Khitan (Liao). Proclaiming itself the successor of Koguryŏ, Koryŏ launched active campaigns to recover lost territory and clashed frequently with the Khitan in the north. Koryŏ eventually expanded its territory to the Yalu (Korean: Amnok) River.

When the dynasty was established, the territory under its control was named Chosŏn, with the approval of the emperor of China. The Chosŏn dynasty, with 26 monarchs, ruled from 1392 until the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910. Hanyang (now Seoul) was made the capital. The Confucian ethical system was officially adopted and replaced Buddhism, which had become corrupt. Many Confucian institutions of learning were set up. Chosŏn society was dominated by a hereditary aristocratic class, the yangban (literally, "two orders", meaning civil and military officials). Members of the yangban devoted themselves to the study of Neo-Confucian orthodoxy and, through civil service examinations, held public offices, their sole profession. Since they controlled all aspects of Chosŏn society and owned most of the land, the Chosŏn dynasty can be described as a yangban society.

The Korean nation was occupied and annexed by Japan from 1910 until the end of the second world war in 1945. Shortly thereafter it was divided by the allied forces and a devastating civil war, called the Korean War began in 1950 that ended three years later. Since then it has remained divided into the communist North with a hereditary dictatorship, and a capitalist — and since the 1980s, democratic — South.

The two countries have been in a state of "ceasefire" for the past 70 years; however, the relationship has always been strained and risk of another devastating war is always a possibility.

The people of Korea are known as Koreans, and are ethnically homogeneous throughout the peninsula. There are no other ethnic groups historically associated with living here, although since the 1990s, there has been immigration into South Korea from China and South East Asia. Ethnic Korean communities can also be found in neighbouring China, whose border area with North Korea, Yanbian in particular, is home to the largest Korean population outside Korea.

Although culturally the countries share the same heritage, the different paths they have taken in the past 50 years mean that you have to refer to the Wikivoyage pages for South Korea and North Korea to gain a relevant understanding.

There are not many practical examples of the Korean nation as a concept. The two Koreas occasionally team up at the Olympics under a unified flag, and there was a joint industrial zone in the North Korean city of Kaesong (cooperation lasted 15 years until pausing in 2016). South Korea regards all citizens of North Korea as Korean citizens with a right to live in South Korea (as North Korea does with citizens of South Korea), which incidentally is almost identical to the way West Germany treated East German citizens that reached its territory.

In 2024 the North Korean government adopted a more antagonistic stance against the South and has mostly abandoned any previously held aspirations towards peaceful reunification.

Culture and arts
In the early 21st century, Korean arts and culture are attracting many enthusiasts around the world. Korea’s cultural and artistic achievements through the ages are now leading many of its young talents to the world’s most prestigious music and dance competitions, while its literary works are being translated into many different languages for global readers. Korean Dansaekhwa (monochrome paintings) have become a focus of the global art world.

The first K-pop song to successfully penetrate Western markets was PSY's Gangnam Style in 2012. The world’s craze for K-pop reached its zenith in August 2020, when the South Korean boy band BTS achieved its first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with its first all-English-language single entitled "Dynamite". BTS has become the first all-South Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the first one in Asia since 1963. This outcome reflects the popularity of K-pop throughout the world. Music videos of K-pop stars such as BLACKPINK, a South Korean girl group, have gone viral on YouTube.

The original artistic sensibility of Korean culture reflected in the diverse artifacts and tomb murals of the Three Kingdoms Period became richer and more profound as Korea progressed through the periods of Unified Silla (676–935), Goryeo (918– 1392), and Joseon (1392–1910). This artistic sensibility has been handed down through the generations to today’s Korean people.

South Korea preserves a wealth of priceless cultural heritage, the majority of which have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List to be protected for future generations. As of 2020, 50 South Korean heritage items are listed either as World Heritage Sites or Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, or included in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Talk
The language of Korea is Korean. Since the division of the country into two very different states after the Korean War, differences in language between north and south have increased, with South Korea importing many English words into its vocabulary due to American influences. In addition, it's rare that people from the North and South have the opportunity to interact. Nevertheless, the language is still very much mutually intelligible between Korean speakers.

South Korea has been a strong ally of the United States since the Korean War, and the US variety of English as a second language is highly promoted and a key requirement for everyone in the education system. English proficiency in the general South Korean population tends to be poor, however, although people who deal with foreigners regularly will be able to speak English. Japanese and Mandarin are also spoken by many in the tourism industry.

North Korea will, unfortunately, present you with few chances to speak to North Koreans. Typically your guides will be English speakers (or upon request speakers of other "world languages").

Get in
Entering North Korea is relatively difficult, and as a rule can only be done via a state sanctioned tour group from Beijing. Typically flying from Beijing to the capital Pyongyang is the most common method, although potentially road or rail crossings across the border are possible.

Entering South Korea is relatively easy for most nationalities and can be done most commonly by air globally, or by sea from Japan, Russia and China.

It is worth noting that there are no practical options for directly travelling between the two Koreas. If you are in South Korea then you will typically first need to travel to Beijing and then take a direct flight to Pyongyang in North Korea. Also note that it is criminally subject to up to ten years in prison under the National Security Act (국가보안법) of South Korea for its citizens to travel to North Korea without the prior permission of the South Korean Ministry of Unification (통일부).

There used to be tours of North Korean tourist spots from South Korea — for example, the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region — but they have since been discontinued and are unlikely to resume any time soon.

Get around
There are no (realistic) travel options directly between North Korea and South Korea. The only place you can actually cross the border between the Koreas are inside the peace conference rooms in Panmunjeom that are bisected by the border. There you are not allowed to exit the room through the "wrong" door to the other side.

North Korea has extremely heavy restrictions on personal and group travel. Expect only to travel as part of a state-sanctioned tour with a highly prescribed itinerary.

South Korea has many options for travelling around the country, with an extensive and modern air, train (including high speed rail) and road network. Outside of the DMZ border area there are generally no restrictions on travel outside military areas.

See

 * Visit the 'last frontier of the cold war' in the Korean DMZ.
 * Sites from the kingdoms making up Pre-modern Korea can be seen both in the North and the South.

Korean palaces
There are a number of palaces in various places in Korea that have been built over the course of several thousand years and several historical monarchies. Many have survived into the present. Some have been destroyed and have since never been rebuilt. And some, such as Gyeongbokgung, have been rebuilt after being destroyed.

Although the palaces of Korea were constructed following ancient Chinese principles, Korea has maintained an independent culture for 2,000 years, thus resulting in various differences. Korean people still preserved the original elements of their architecture that show no similarities to China or Japan.

Do

 * Visit a traditional Korean sauna/bath house (jjimjilbang)
 * Go skiing in the former Winter Olympic resort of Pyeongchang, location of the Winter Olympics in 2018. North Korea also has a ski resort for foreigners called Masik near Wonsan

Eat

A spicy fermented cabbage dish known as kimchi (김치) is shared by both Koreas.

Slightly sweet rice cakes (떡, 糕 'duk') are popular, served in multiple colors as a dessert, or in thick spicy sauce as a common street food.

Kimbap (김밥) is a harmonious combination of rice, egg yolk, carrots, ham, flavorful meat, and other ingredients piled high on nori seaweed.

Bibimbap (비빔밥) is a harmonious combination of carrots, raw vegetables, sautéed meat, and herbs served over rice and mixed with gochujang or soy sauce.

Bulgogi (불고기) a meat dish in which thinly sliced meat is marinated in a sweet mixture of garlic and soy sauce and stir-fried with enoki mushrooms, onions, scallions, peppers, etc.

Drink
A liquor called Soju is the shared drink of both Koreas.

Stay safe
Refer to the North Korea page for details on the unique safety issues of the North. Suffice to say that you have zero risk from crime with a real risk of offending the authorities and suffering consequences if you do so. Otherwise it will be hard for you to get into trouble since everything is so carefully planned out for you.

Refer to the South Korea page for safety issues in the South. South Korea is an advanced country with a very low crime rate.

The safety issue shared by both Koreas is the risk of war between them. Again, refer to the relevant country you are visiting in order to understand this better.

Go next
Most tourist journeys for westerners to North Korea are guided tours starting by air from Beijing and returning there as well. You are unlikely to get any other options, although in theory (in practice it is difficult for westerners) you could take the train to Russia's far east as well as take a train between Beijing and Pyongyang.

From South Korea you can continue your journey to Japan, China or Russia by air or sea.

title: Korea


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Korean phrasebook

Korean (한국어 hangugeo or 한국말 hangugmal in South Korea, 조선말 chosŏnmal in North Korea and China, or 우리말 urimal (our language) as a neutral denomination) is spoken in South and North Korea, as well as parts of Northeast China (where it is an official language in Yanbian). It may be distantly related to Japanese, but is certainly entirely distinct from Chinese, although it uses large amounts of imported Chinese vocabulary.

Depending on which part of Korea you go to different dialects of Korean are spoken. The standard in South Korea is based on the Seoul dialect, which is spoken in Seoul and Gyeonggi province as well as the city of Kaesong in North Korea, while the standard in North Korea is based on the Pyongan dialect, which is spoken in Pyongyang as well as North and South Pyongan provinces. Other dialects include the Gyeongsang dialect spoken in Busan, Daegu, Ulsan and the provinces of North and South Gyeongsang, the Jeju dialect spoken on the island of Jeju, and the Hamgyong dialect spoken in North and South Hamgyong provinces. The dialects spoken by the ethnic Korean minority in China also differ by region, with those from Jilin mainly speaking the Hamgyong dialect, those from Liaoning mainly speaking the Pyongan dialect, and those from Heilongjiang mainly speaking the Gyeongsang dialect. This guide is based on the standard in South Korea.

The Korean language is fundamentally the same in North and South Korea, and speakers from both sides of the border are, for the most part, able to understand each other. The main differences lie in the loan words used to represent modern concepts, where South Koreans typically use English words, and North Koreans typically use the corresponding Russian words or create new words instead. The standard form of Korean used by the ethnic Korean minority in China mostly follows the North Korean standard, albeit with a significant number of loan words from Mandarin for modern concepts, though due to the popularity of South Korean dramas, most people also understand South Korean terms.

Grammar
Korean sentence structure is very similar to that of Japanese, so speakers of Japanese will find many aspects of Korean grammar familiar, and vice versa. But there are similar but slight differences to the standardized pronunciations, and the Korean language, even after its simplification in the past century, has a wider library of vowels and consonants than Japanese, hence Japanese speakers may find it difficult to pronounce various words, let alone transcribe them.

Korean word order is subject-object-verb: "I-subject him-object see-verb." Subjects (especially I and you) are often omitted if these are clear from the context. This may seem awkward from an English perspective, but English too has colloquial 1st-person/2nd-person subject omissions, such as "[Are you] Done yet?" or "[I'm] Done." It is a matter of whether sentences are common enough that such lack of subjects doesn't confuse the listener. In turn, some English colloquial sentences without subjects may be confusing from a Korean standpoint.

There are no articles, genders, or declensions. It has extensive verb conjugations indicating tense and honorific level. There is a handy, universal plural form, but it is very often omitted.

Korean has postpositions instead of prepositions: jip mite, "house below" instead of "below the house."

Koreans refer to each other rather in terms like elder brother, elder sister, younger sibling, uncle, aunt, grandmother, grandfather, manager, teacher etc. (like Nepali or Chinese) than by using the word you. Additionally, it's not uncommon to refer to yourself by using such an expression ( example: "[I] Father will cook you a nice dinner." Which feels like saying "This father will..."). You can also call somebody an aunt, uncle or brother even if this person is actually not. Many Korean girls call even their boyfriend "oppa" (older brother).

Keep in mind that the words for older brother and older sister differ depending the gender of the subject. The word for older brother is 형 (hyeong) if the subject is male, and 오빠 (oppa) if the subject is female, while the word for older sister is 누나 (nuna) if the subject is male, and 언니 (eonni) if the subject is female.

Depending on the relation to the person you have conversation with, it's necessary to find the correct level of formality and politeness. If the person is considered to be higher in the hierarchy, a very polite and formal form has to be used, while this person will use a more "vernacular" form to address you as a lower person. Koreans often ask very personal questions (about your age, occupation, family status etc.) in order to find out in which form they should use when talking to you. This phrasebook assumes the highest formality level in most cases. Not only are words conjugated according to 6 existing levels of formality (but 2 are becoming unused), but a few words will also be replaced with different words altogether. Extremely formal places will often use some Chinese postal words as well.

Pronunciation guide
The good news is that unlike Chinese, Korean is not tonal, so you don't need to worry about changing your pitch to get the meaning right. The bad news is that Korean has a few too many vowels for comfort and small distinctions between many consonants, so pronouncing things exactly right is still a bit of a challenge.

This phrasebook uses the Revised Romanization of Korean, which is overwhelmingly the most popular system in South Korea. The McCune-Reischauer romanization, used in North Korea and older South Korean texts, is noted in parentheses when different.

Vowels
Korean vowels can be short or long, but this is not indicated in writing and the distinction rarely if ever affects meaning. (example: 밤 bam, pronounced short means "night", pronounced long means "chestnut")

 * a ㅏ : like 'a' in "father"
 * o ㅗ : like 'o' in "tone"
 * eo (ŏ) ㅓ : like the "uh" in "lust"
 * u ㅜ : A low sound of "oo" as in "hoop". "woo" (Korean does not distinguish between "oo" and "woo").
 * eu (ŭ) ㅡ : like 'i' in "cousin", "dozen". Like the Turkish "ı", Polish "y" or Russian "ы". Kind of similar to the French "eu", but as a clearer, purer vowel sound.
 * i ㅣ : like the 'i' in "ship" (short) OR the 'ee' in "sheep" (long)
 * e ㅔ : like the 'e' in "bed"
 * ae ㅐ : similar to the "a" in "hand", "valve", "gas", and "can"

 * note: ㅐ ae is now virtually identically pronounced as ㅔ e. Only rare words are unconsciously pronounced differently like they were half a century ago ("애", or "child" is one such remnant).

Common diphthongs
Korean has two standalone diphthongs:

 * oe ㅚ : like 'we' in 'west' (it used to be a different sound, now pronounced the same as ㅞ shown below)
 * ui ㅢ : like 'ŭ' + 'i'

In addition, most vowels can be modified by prefixing them with 'y' or 'w':

 * wa ㅘ : like 'wa' sound in "suave"
 * wae ㅙ : like 'wa' in "wagon". Some would argue there is virtually no difference anymore from ㅞ.
 * wo ㅝ : like 'wuh' sound in "wonder"
 * wi ㅟ : like "we" or 'e' in "she" with rounded lips
 * we ㅞ : like 'we' in "west"
 * ya ㅑ : like 'ya' in "yard"
 * yo ㅛ : like 'yo' in "yosemite" or "New York". Not like "yaw" or "yoke".
 * yeo (yŏ) ㅕ : like 'you' in "young"
 * yu ㅠ : like "you"
 * ye ㅖ : like 'ye' in "yes"
 * yae ㅒ : like 'ye' in "yes"; it has virtually assimiliated to be the same as 'ㅖ'

ㅙ = ㅚ = ㅞ = 'we' in "west" ㅖ = ㅒ = 'ye' in "yes"
 * to summarize the assimilated vowel diphthongs mentioned above,

Consonants
Most Korean consonants come in three versions, namely unaspirated (without a puff of air), aspirated (with a puff of air) and tensed (stressed). Unaspirated consonants exist in English too, but never alone: compare the sound of 'p' in "pot" (aspirated) and "spot" (unaspirated). Many English speakers find it helpful to pronounce an imperceptible little "m" in front to 'stop' the puff. Tensing isn't really found in English, but pronouncing the consonant quick and hard is a reasonable substitute.

 * b (p) ㅂ : like 'p' in "spit" (unaspirated)
 * p (p', ph) ㅍ : like 'p' in "pig" (aspirated)
 * pp ㅃ : tensed 'p', like 'p' in "petit" in French

 * d (t) ㄷ: like 't' in "stab" (unaspirated)
 * t (t', th) ㅌ : like 't' in "top" (aspirated)
 * tt ㄸ : tensed 't'

 * g (k) ㄱ : like 'k' in "skate" (unaspirated)
 * k (k', k) ㅋ : like 'c' in "cat" (aspirated)
 * kk ㄲ : tensed 'k'

 * j (ch) ㅈ : like 'g' in "gin" (unaspirated)
 * ch (ch') ㅊ : like 'ch' in "chin" (aspirated). Usually pronounced as a light aspiratd 't' as a final consonant
 * jj ㅉ : tensed 'j'

 * s ㅅ : like 's' in "soon", 'sh' before i or any "y" diphthong. Usually pronounced as a very light 't' as a final consonant
 * ss ㅆ : tensed 's', 's' in 'sea', never 'sh'

Standalone consonants:
 * n ㄴ : like 'n' in "nice"
 * m ㅁ : like 'm' in "mother"
 * l ㄹ : somewhere between 'l', 'r' and 'n', original sound is 'r' or 'l'. and 'n' sound occurs through initial consonant mutation.
 * h ㅎ : like 'h' in "help"

 * ng ㅇ : like 'ng' in "sing". Unpronounced (placeholder) when at the start of a syllable.

While the rules above are usually correct for the first consonant, those in the middle of a word are usually (but not always) voiced, which means that ㅂㄷㅈㄱ turn into English "b", "d", "j" and "k". The best rule of thumb is to concentrate on remembering that the first consonant is "special" and the rest are more or less as in English: bibimbap (비빔밥) is pronounced "pee-bim-bap", not "bee-bim-bap" or "p'ee-bim-bap". Also, if one syllable ends with a consonant other than "ng" and is immediately followed by one that starts with a vowel, similar to liaison in French, the final consonant of the first syllable is instead pronounced as if it were the initial consonant of the second syllable. If a syllable ends with "h" and is preceded by a syllable that ends in a consonant, the "h" is dropped, and the ending consonant of the previous syllable is pronounced as if it were the initial consonant of the second syllable.

The aspirated spellings with "h" are used only in the official North Korean orthography.

Loanwords
Native Korean words can end only in vowels or the consonants k, l, m, n, ng, p or t, and any words imported into Korean are shoehorned to fit this pattern, usually by padding any errant consonants with the vowel eu (ㅡ). For example, any English word ending in "t" will be pronounced as teu (트) in Korean, eg. Baeteumaen (배트맨) for "Batman". In addition, the English sound "f" is turned into p and has that vowel tacked on, so "golf" becomes golpeu (골프).

Written language
"A wise man can acquaint himself with them [hangul] before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn them in the space of ten days."

- King Sejong the Great

Korean is generally written using a native alphabet known as hangul (chosongul in North Korea and China). Designed by a committee and rather scary-looking at first, it's in fact a very logical alphabetic writing system far easier than Chinese characters or even the Japanese kana syllabary, and it's well worth putting in the time to learn them if staying in Korea for more than a day or two.

The basic idea is simple: hangul consists of letters called jamo combined into square blocks, where each block represents a syllable. The block is always in the order (consonant)-vowel-(consonant), stacked from top to bottom, where ㅇ is used as the first jamo if the first consonant is missing, and the space for the last consonant can be left empty is missing. For example, the word Seoul (서울) consists of the syllables seo (ㅅ s plus ㅓ eo, no final consonant) and ul (ㅇ plus ㅜ u plus ㄹ l). Tensed consonants are created by doubling the jamo (ㅅ s → ㅆ ss) and y-vowel diphthongs have an extra dash tacked on (ㅏ a → ㅑ ya). And that's pretty much it!

Many Korean words can also be written using Chinese characters, known as hanja in Korean. These have largely been abolished in modern times, though they may still show up in restaurant menus and signs as an aesthetic choice. Sometimes they are also employed to aid Chinese-speaking Korean learners. Otherwise, the few times you might encounter them are in brackets next to the hangul to describe an unfamiliar term or distinguish a term from a homophone, in some newspaper headlines, and in some legal documents.

It is worth noting that while Chinese characters are seldom written, many words themselves are Chinese words simply written as how they are pronounced — not according to the Mandarin pronunciation, but according to the standardized Korean pronunciation of those same Chinese characters used in China. Like Greek and Latin words in English, Chinese words are often found in the more formal and less vernacular sciences, and even more so with 19th-century new Chinese words coined by the Japanese, and used in both Korea and China. Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese speakers may find some familiarity with some of these overlapping Chinese terms, although pronunciations are different and Koreans only write out sounds and not the original Chinese characters. Although not nearly as much as Cantonese, Korean pronunciation of Chinese words retain more medieval Chinese pronunciations of the Tang dynasty some 1300 years ago, than the Manchurian-influenced modern Mandarin.

Due to American influences since the end of World War II, by far the largest number of non-Chinese loan words in modern Korean as spoken in South Korea come from American English. The Korean words for many modern concepts are essentially the same as the English ones (eg. hotel (호텔), taxi (택시), computer (컴퓨터)), but will be written in hangul. If you can learn how to read hangul, as an English speaker, you will find it surprisingly easy to read many signs.

Regional differences
The official pronunciation of words differs somewhat between North Korea and South Korea. One noticeable difference is that in initial "r" in North Korea typically gets dropped in South Korea when before an "i" or "y", and becomes an initial "n" otherwise, so Korean cold noodles is known as 랭면 raengmyeon in North Korea, but 냉면 naengmyeon in South Korea, while the common Korean surname typically transliterated as "Lee" in English is 리 Ri in North Korea, but 이 Yi in South Korea. The initial "n" in North Korea gets dropped when before and "i" or "y" in South Korea, so the word for "woman" is 녀자 nyeoja in North Korea, but 여자 yeoja in South Korea.

In addition to differences in accent, there are some vocabulary differences in the standard form of Korean language between South Korea and North Korea. One of the most noticeable differences is that South Koreans use many loan words from English due to heavy American influences since the end of World War II, while North Koreans will usually coin their own terms, or use loan words from Russian instead.

Ethnic Koreans from China generally follow the North Korean standard, though they are more likely than North Koreans to understand South Korean terms due to the popularity of South Korean dramas and pop culture in China. In addition, many loan words from Mandarin have been incorporated into the Korean language in China.

One other noticeable difference between the Korean language in South Korea, and that among the ethnic Korean minority in China is the way in which Chinese place names are translated. While South Koreans phonetically transliterate the Standard Mandarin names into hangul, ethnic Koreans from China instead use the Sino-Korean readings of the characters that make up those places' Chinese names. For example, Beijing is known to South Koreans as 베이징 (Beijing) but to ethnic Koreans from China as 북경 (Bukgyeong), while Shanghai is known to South Koreans as 상하이 (Sanghai) but to ethnic Koreans from China as 상해 (Sanghae). Therefore, Chinese cities with large ethnic Korean communities usually have a different local Korean name from the South Korean name; Yanji, a Chinese city known for its large ethnic Korean community, is known as 연길 (Yeon-gil) to the local ethnic Koreans, but 옌지 (Yenji) to South Koreans.

Basics

 * Hello. (formal) : 안녕하십니까. (annyeonghasimnikka) Common in North Korea, Yanbian, provincial South Korea.
 * Hello. :안녕하세요. (annyeonghaseyo) Common in South Korea. to older people or to the people to meet first
 * Hello. (informal) : 안녕. (annyeong) to your friend or younger people
 * Hello. (on the phone) : 여보세요. (yeoboseyo) when you answer the phone.
 * How are you? : 어떻게 지내십니까? (eotteoke jinaesimnikka?)
 * Fine, thank you. : 잘 지냅니다, 감사합니다. (jal jinaemnida, gamsahamnida)
 * What is your name? : 성함이 어떻게 되세요? (seonghami eotteoke doeseyo?)
 * My name is ______ . : 제 이름은 ______입니다. (je ireumeun ____ imnida)
 * Nice to meet you. : 만나서 반갑습니다. (mannaseo ban-gapseumnida)
 * Please. : 부탁합니다. (butakamnida)
 * Thank you. : 감사합니다. (gamsahamnida)
 * You're welcome. : 천만입니다. (cheonmanimnida)
 * Yes. : 예/네. (ye/ne)
 * No. : 아니요. (aniyo)
 * Excuse me. (getting attention) : 실례합니다. (sill(y)e hamnida)
 * I'm sorry. : 죄송합니다. (joesonghamnida)
 * Goodbye : 안녕히 가십시오/계십시오. (annyeonghi gasipsio/gyesipsio). The former expression is used by the person staying (e.g. the host), the latter by the person leaving (e.g. a guest).
 * Goodbye (informal) : 안녕. (annyeong)
 * Is there someone here who speaks English? : 여기에 영어를 하시는 분 계십니까? (yeogie yeong-eoreul hasineun bun gyesimnikka?)
 * Please speak slowly. : 천천히 말해 주십시오. (cheoncheonhi malhae jusipsio)
 * Please say it again. : 다시 한번 말해 주십시오. (dasi hanbeon malhae jusipsio)
 * I can't speak {language} [well]. : 저는 {언어를} [잘] 못합니다. (jeoneun {eoneoreul} [jal] motamnida)
 * I can't speak English [well]. : 저는 영어를 [잘] 못합니다. (jeoneun yeong-eoreul [jal] motamnida)
 * Do you speak {language}? : ____를 하십니까? (____reul hasimnikka?)
 * English : 영어 (Yeong-eo)
 * German : 독일어 (Dogireo)
 * French : 프랑스어 (Peurangseueo)
 * Korean : 한국어 (Han-gugeo) (formal in South Korea) / 한국말 (Hangug-mal) (colloquial in South Korea) / 조선말 (Joseon-mal) (in North Korea and Yanbian)
 * Chinese : 중국어 (Junggugeo) / 중국말 (Junggugmal)
 * Japanese : 일본어 (Ilboneo)

 * Yes, a little. : 네, 조금만요. (ne, jogeummanyo)
 * Help! : 도와주십시오! (dowajusipsio!), 도와주세요! (dowajuseyo!)
 * Look out! : 조심하십시오! (josimhasipsio!), 조심하세요! (josimhaseyo!)
 * Good morning. : 좋은 아침입니다. (jo-eun achimimnida)
 * Good evening. : 좋은 저녁입니다. (jo-eun jeonyeogimnida)
 * Good night. : 좋은 밤입니다. (jo-eun bamimnida)
 * Good night (to sleep) : 안녕히 주무십시오. (annyeonghi jumusipsio)
 * I don't understand. : 이해가 안 갑니다. (ihaega an gamnida)
 * Where is the toilet? : 화장실이 어디에 있습니까? (hwajangsiri eodie itseumnikka?)
 * What? : 무엇입니까? (mueosimnikka?)
 * Where? : 어디입니까? (eodiimnikka?)
 * Who? : 누구입니까? (nuguimnikka?)
 * When? : 언제입니까? (eonjeimnikka?)
 * Which? : 어느 것입니까? (eoneu geosimnikka?)
 * How much? : 얼마나요? (eolmanayo?)
 * How do you say _____ in Korean? : _____은 한국말로 어떻게 말합니까? (____eun Han-gungmallo eotteoke malhamnikka?)
 * What is this/that called? : 이것은/저것은 무엇이라고 부릅니까? (igeoseun/jeogeoseun mueosirago bureumnikka?)

Problems

 * Leave me alone. : 혼자 내버려 두십시오. (honja naebeoryeo dusipsio)
 * Don't touch me! : 만지지 마십시오! (manjiji masipsio!), 만지지 마! (manjiji ma!, informal)
 * I'll call the police. : 경찰을 부르겠습니다! (gyeongchareul bureugetseumnida!)
 * Police! : 경찰! (gyeongchal!)
 * Stop! Thief! : 서라! 도둑이야! (seora! dodugiya!)
 * I need your help. : 당신의 도움이 필요합니다. (dangsinui doumi piryohamnida)
 * It's an emergency. : 응급 상황입니다. (eunggeup sanghwang-imnida)
 * I'm lost. : 길을 잃었습니다. (gireul ireotseumnida)
 * I lost my bag. : 가방을 잃었습니다. (gabang-eul ireotseumnida)
 * I lost my wallet. : 지갑을 잃었습니다. (jigabeul ireotseumnida)
 * I'm sick. : 아픕니다. (apeumnida)
 * I've been injured. : 상처를 입었습니다. (sangcheoreul ibeotseumnida)
 * I need a doctor. : 의사가 필요합니다. (uisaga piryohamnida)
 * Can I use your phone? : 당신의 전화기를 사용해도 되겠습니까? (dangsinui jeonhwagireul sayonghaedo doegetseumnikka?)

Numbers
Korean has two sets of numbers, namely native Korean numbers and Sino-Korean numbers (which are borrowed from Chinese). Both come in handy, but in a pinch, the Sino-Korean series is more important to learn.

Sino-Korean numbers
Sino-Korean numbers are used for amounts of currency, reading a sequence of numbers (e.g. telephone numbers, ID card numbers or serial numbers), floor numbers and the 24-hour clock.

 * 0: 공 (gong) / 영 (yeong)
 * 1 : 일 (il)
 * 2 : 이 (i)
 * 3 : 삼 (sam)
 * 4 : 사 (sa)
 * 5 : 오 (o)
 * 6 : 육 (yuk)
 * 7 : 칠 (chil)
 * 8 : 팔 (pal)
 * 9 : 구 (gu)
 * 10 : 십 (sip)
 * 11 : 십일 (sibil)
 * 12 : 십이 (sibi)
 * 13 : 십삼 (sipsam)
 * 14 : 십사 (sipsa)
 * 15 : 십오 (sibo)
 * 16 : 십육 (simnyuk)
 * 17 : 십칠 (sipchil)
 * 18 : 십팔 (sippal)
 * 19 : 십구 (sipgu)
 * 20 : 이십 (isip)
 * 21 : 이십일 (isibil)
 * 22 : 이십이 (isibi)
 * 23 : 이십삼 (isipsam)
 * 30 : 삼십 (samsip)
 * 40 : 사십 (sasip)
 * 50 : 오십 (osip)
 * 60 : 육십 (yuksip)
 * 70 : 칠십 (chilsip)
 * 80 : 팔십 (palsip)
 * 90 : 구십 (gusip)
 * 100 : 백 (baek)
 * 200 : 이백 (ibaek)
 * 300 : 삼백 (sambaek)
 * 1,000 : 천 (cheon)
 * 2,000 : 이천 (icheon)
 * 10,000 : 만 (man)
 * 100,000 : 십만 (simman)
 * 1,000,000 (one million) : 백만 (baengman)
 * 10,000,000 : 천만 (cheonman)
 * 100,000,000 : 억 (eok)
 * 1,000,000,000 (one billion) : 십억 (sibeok)
 * 10,000,000,000 : 백억 (baegeok)
 * 100,000,000,000 : 천억 (cheoneok)
 * 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) : 조 (jo)
 * 10,000,000,000,000 : 십조 (sipjo)
 * 100,000,000,000,000 : 백조 (baekjo)
 * 1,000,000,000,000,000 : 천조 (cheonjo)
 * 10,000,000,000,000,000 : 경 (gyeong)

 * number _____ (train, bus, etc.) : _____ 번 (열차, 버스, etc.) (beon (yeolcha, beoseu, etc.))
 * half : 반 (ban)
 * less : 덜 (deol)
 * more : 더 (deo)

Native Korean numbers
Native Korean numbers are used for counting, specifying most quantities (with the relevant counting words) and for hours.

 * 1 : 하나 (hana)
 * 2 : 둘 (dul)
 * 3 : 셋 (set)
 * 4 : 넷 (net)
 * 5 : 다섯 (daseot)
 * 6 : 여섯 (yeoseot)
 * 7 : 일곱 (ilgop)
 * 8 : 여덟 (yeodeol)
 * 9 : 아홉 (ahop)
 * 10 : 열 (yeol)
 * 11 : 열하나 (yeolhana)
 * 20 : 스물 (seumul)
 * 30 : 서른 (seoreun)
 * 40 : 마흔 (maheun)
 * 50 : 쉰 (swin)
 * 60 : 예순 (yesun)
 * 70 : 일흔 (ilheun)
 * 80 : 여든 (yeodeun)
 * 90 : 아흔 (aheun)

Numbers 100 and above are always counted with Sino-Korean numbers.

Time

 * now : 지금 (jigeum)
 * later : 나중에 (najung-e)
 * before : 전에 (jeone)
 * after : 후에 (hue)
 * morning : 아침 (achim)
 * afternoon : 오후 (ohu)
 * evening : 저녁 (jeonyeok)
 * night : 밤 (bam)
 * dawn : 새벽 (saebyeok)

Clock time

 * one o'clock AM : 오전 한 시 (ojeon han si)
 * two o'clock AM : 오전 두 시 (ojeon du si)
 * noon : 정오 (jeong-o)
 * one o'clock PM : 오후 한 시 (ohu han si)
 * two o'clock PM : 오후 두 시 (ohu du si)
 * midnight : 자정 (jajeong)

Duration
Sino-Korean numbers are used to count minutes and days, while native Korean numbers are used to count hours. Months and years may be counted using either system, depending on which counter is used, while both systems can be used interchangeably to count weeks. However, durations from 1 day to 10 days, as well as 15 days and 30 days, have special words that are commonly used instead of the regular forms stated here.

 * _____ minute(s) : _____ 분 (___ bun)
 * _____ hour(s) : _____ 시간 (___ sigan)
 * _____ day(s) : _____ 일 (___ il)
 * _____ week(s) : _____ 주 (___ ju) / _____ 주일 (___ ju-il)
 * _____ month(s) : _____ 달 (___ dal) / _____ 개월 (___ gaewol) Note: 달 is used with native Korean numbers, while 개월 is used with Sino-Korean numbers
 * _____ year(s) : _____ 년 (___ nyeon) / _____ 해 (___ hae) Note: 년 is used with Sino-Korean numbers, while 해 is used with native Korean numbers

Number of days

 * 1 day : 하루 (ha-ru)
 * 2 days : 이틀 (i-teul)
 * 3 days : 사흘 (sa-heul)
 * 4 days : 나흘 (na-heul)
 * 5 days : 닷새 (dat-sae)
 * 6 days : 엿새 (yeot-sae)
 * 7 days : 이레 (i-re)
 * 8 days : 여드레 (yeo-deu-re)
 * 9 days : 아흐레 (a-heu-re)
 * 10 days : 열흘 (yeo-reul)
 * 15 days : 보름 (bo-reum)
 * 30 days : 그믐 (geu-meum)

Days

 * today : 오늘 (oneul)
 * yesterday : 어제 (eoje)
 * tomorrow : 내일 (naeil)
 * the day before yesterday : 그저께 (geujeokke)
 * the day after tomorrow : 모레 (more)
 * this week : 이번 주 (ibeon ju)
 * last week : 지난 주 (jinan ju)
 * next week : 다음 주 (da-eum ju)

Days of the week

 * Sunday : 일요일 (iryoil)
 * Monday : 월요일 (woryoil)
 * Tuesday : 화요일 (hwayoil)
 * Wednesday : 수요일 (suyoil)
 * Thursday : 목요일 (mogyoil)
 * Friday : 금요일 (geumyoil)
 * Saturday : 토요일 (toyoil)

Days of the month
The days of the month in Korean are just the Sino-Korean numbers for 1-31 followed by the word 일 (il, meaning "day")

 * First day of the month :1일 (i-ril)
 * Second day of the month : 2일 (i-il)
 * Third day of the month : 3일 (sa-mil)
 * Fourth day of the month : 4일 (sa-il)

Months
The names of the months in Korean are simply the Sino-Korean numbers 1 through 12 followed by the word 월 (wol, meaning "month").

 * January : 1월 (일월) irol
 * February : 2월 (이월) iwol
 * March : 3월 (삼월) samwol
 * April : 4월 (사월) sawol
 * May : 5월 (오월) owol
 * June* : 6월 (유월) yuwol
 * July : 7월 (칠월) chirwol
 * August : 8월 (팔월) parwol
 * September : 9월 (구월) guwol
 * October* : 10월 (시월) siwol
 * November : 11월 (십일월) sibirwol
 * December : 12월 (십이월) sibiwol
 * The number component of 6월 and 10월 drop the final consonant for purposes of liaison.

Writing time and date
Koreans generally write the date in yyyy.mm.dd format (e.g. 2006.12.25 for December 25th, 2006).

2019년 10월 4일 (이천십구년 시월 사일) icheon-sipgunyeon siwol sa-il (____year, _____month, ____day)
 * October 4th, 2019 :

Colors

 * black : 검은색 (geomeunsaek)
 * white : 흰색 (huinsaek)
 * gray : 회색 (hoesaek)
 * red : 빨간색 (ppalgansaek) / 붉은색 ( bulgeunsaek )
 * blue : 파란색 (paransaek) / 푸른색 ( pureunsaek )
 * yellow : 노란색 (noransaek)
 * green : 초록색 (choroksaek)
 * orange : 주황색 (juhwangsaek)
 * purple : 자주색 (jajusaek)
 * brown : 갈색 (galsaek)
 * gold : 금색 (geumsaek)
 * silver : 은색 (eunsaek)

Bus and train

 * How much is a ticket to _____? : _____로 가는 표가 얼마입니까? (_____ro ganeun pyoga eolmaimnikka?)
 * One ticket to _____, please. : _____로 가는 표 한 장이요. (_____ro ganeun pyo han jang-iyo)
 * Where does this train/bus go? : 이 기차/버스는 어디로 갑니까? (i gicha/beoseu-neun eodiro gamnikka?)
 * Where is the train/bus to _____? : _____에 가는 기차/버스는 어디에 있습니까? (_____e ganeun gicha/beoseuneun eodi-e itseumnikka?)
 * Does this train/bus stop in _____? : 이 기차/버스는 _____에 섭니까? (i gicha/beoseu-neun _____e seomnikka?)
 * When does the train/bus for _____ leave? : _____에 가는 기차/버스는 언제 출발합니까? (_____e ganeun gicha/beoseu-neun eonje chulbalhamnikka?)
 * When will this train/bus arrive in _____? : 이 기차/버스는 _____에 언제 도착합니까? (i gicha/beoseu-neun _____e eonje dochakamnikka?)

Directions

 * How do I get to _____ ? : _____에 가려면 어떻게 해야 합니까? (____e garyeomyeon eotteoke haeya hamnikka?)
 * ...the train station? : 기차역...? (gichayeok...?)
 * ...the bus station? : 버스 정류장...? (beoseu jeongnyujang...?)
 * ...the airport? : 공항...? (gonghang...?)
 * ...downtown? : 시내...? (sinae...?)
 * ...the youth hostel? : 유스 호스텔...? (yuseu hoseutel...?)
 * ...the _____ hotel? : _____ 호텔...? (____ hotel...?)
 * ...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? : 미국/캐나다/호주/영국 영사관...? (miguk/kaenada/hoju/yeongguk yeongsagwan...?)
 * Where are there a lot of... : ...이 많은 곳은 어디에 있습니까? (...i maneun goseun eodie itseumnikka?)
 * ...hotels? : 호텔...? (hotel...?)
 * ...restaurants? : 식당...? (sikdang...？)
 * ...bars? : 술집...? (suljip...？)
 * ...sites to see? : 볼거리들...? (bolgeorideul...？)
 * Is it far from here? : 여기서 멉니까? (yeogiseo meomnikka?)
 * Can you show me on the map? : 지도에 보여 주시겠습니까? (...jido-e boyeo jusigetseumnikka?)
 * street : 길 (gil)
 * Turn left. : 왼쪽으로 도십시오. (oenjjogeuro dosipsio)
 * Turn right. : 오른쪽으로 도십시오. (oreunjjogeuro dosipsio)
 * left : 왼쪽 (oenjjok)
 * right : 오른쪽 (oreunjjok)
 * straight ahead : 곧장 가십시오. (gotjang gasipsio)
 * towards the _____ : _____를 향해. (_____reul hyanghae)
 * past the _____ : _____를 지나. (_____reul jina)
 * before the _____ : _____ 전에. (_____ jeone)
 * Watch for the _____. : _____를 기다리십시오. (_____reul gidarisipsio)
 * intersection : 교차로 (gyocharo)
 * highway : 고속도로 (gosokdoro)
 * 3-way crossing : 삼거리 (samgeori)
 * 4-way crossing : 사거리 (sageori)
 * 5-way crossing : 오거리 (ogeori)
 * north : 북 (buk)
 * south : 남 (nam)
 * east : 동 (dong)
 * west : 서 (seo)
 * uphill : 오르막길 (oreumakgil)
 * downhill : 내리막길(naerimakgil)

Taxi

 * Taxi! : 택시! (taeksi!)
 * Take me to _____, please. : _____로 데려가 주십시오. (____ro deryeoga jusipsio), _____로 가 주세요. (____ro ga juseyo.)
 * How much does it cost to get to _____? : _____까지는 (요금이) 얼마입니까? (____kkajineun (yogeumi) eolmaimnikka?)
 * Take me there, please. : 저기에 데려가 주십시오. (jeogie deryeoga jusipsio'.)

Lodging

 * Do you have any rooms available? : 방 있습니까? (bang itseumnikka?)
 * How much is a room for one person/two people? : 한 사람/두 사람당 방이 얼마입니까? (han saram/du saram-dang bang-i eolmaimnikka?)
 * Does the room come with... : 그 방에는 ...이/가 있습니까? (geu bang-eneun ...i/ga itseumnikka?)
 * ...bedsheets? : 침대보 (chimdaebo), 침대 시트 (chimdae siteu)
 * ...a bathroom? : 화장실 (hwajangsil)
 * ...a telephone? : 전화기 (jeonhwagi)
 * ...a TV? : 티비 (tibi)
 * May I see the room first? : 방을 먼저 봐도 되겠습니까? (bang-eul meonjeo bwado doegetseumnikka?)
 * Do you have anything... : ... 방 있습니까? (...bang itseumnikka?)
 * ...quieter? : 더 조용한... (deo joyonghan...)
 * ...bigger? : 더 큰... (deo keun...)
 * ...larger? : 더 넓은... (deo neolbeun...)
 * ...cleaner? : 더 깨끗한... (deo kkaekkeutan...)
 * ...cheaper? : 더 싼... (deo ssan...)
 * OK, I'll take it. : 좋습니다, 그것으로 하겠습니다. (joseumnida, geugeoseuro hagetseumnida)
 * I will stay for _____ night(s). : _____ 밤 묵겠습니다. (_____ bam mukgetseumnida)
 * Can you suggest another hotel? : 다른 호텔을 권해 주시겠습니까? (dareun hotereul gwonhae jusigetseumnikka?)
 * Do you have a safe? : 금고 있습니까? (geumgo itseumnikka?)
 * ...lockers? : ...자물쇠? (...jamulsoe?)
 * Is breakfast/supper included? : 아침식사/저녁식사 가 됩니까? (achimsiksa/jeonyeoksiksa ga doemnika?)
 * What time is breakfast/supper? : 아침식사/저녁식사 는 몇 시입니까? (achimsiksa/jeonyeoksiksa neun myeot siimnikka?)
 * Please clean my room. : 방을 청소해 주십시오. (bang-eul cheongsohae jusipsio)
 * Can you wake me at _____? : _____ 시에 깨워주시겠습니까? (_____ si-e kkaewojusigetseumnikka?)
 * I want to check out. : 체크 아웃하고 싶습니다. (chekeu autago sipseumnida)

Money

 * Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? : 미국/오스트레일리아/캐나다 달러 받으십니까? (miguk/oseuteureillia/kaenada dalleo badeusimnikka?)
 * Do you accept British pounds? : 영국 파운드 받으십니까? (yeongguk paundeu badeusimnikka?)
 * Do you accept credit cards? : 신용 카드 받으십니까? (sinyong kadeu badeusimnikka?)
 * Can you change money for me? : 환전해 주시겠습니까? (hwanjeonhae jusigetseumnikka?)
 * Where can I get money changed? : 어디에서 환전할 수 있습니까? (eodieseo hwanjeonhal su itseumnikka?)
 * Can you change a traveler's check for me? : 여행자 수표를 현금으로 바꿔주시겠습니까? (yeohaengja supyoreul hyeon-geumeuro bakkwojusigetseumnikka?)
 * Where can I get a traveler's check changed? : 어디에서 여행자 수표를 현금으로 바꿀 수 있습니까? (eodieseo yeohaengja supyoreul hyeon-geumeuro bakkul su itseumnikka?)
 * What is the exchange rate? : 환율이 얼마입니까? (hwanyuri eolmaimnikka?)
 * Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? : 현금 자동 지급기가 어디에 있습니까? (hyeon-geum jadong jigeupgiga eodie itseumnikka?)

Eating

 * A table for one person/two people, please. : 한 사람/두 사람 테이블 부탁합니다. (han saram/du saram teibeul butakamnida)
 * Can I look at the menu, please? : 메뉴를 봐도 되겠습니까? (menyureul bwado doegetseumnikka?)
 * Can I look in the kitchen? : 부엌을 봐도 되겠습니까? (bueokeul bwado doegetseumnikka?)
 * Is there a house specialty? : 이 집의 추천 요리가 있습니까? (i jibui chucheon yoriga itseumnikka?)
 * Is there a local specialty? : 이 지역의 대표 요리가 있습니까? (i jiyeogui daepyo yoriga itseumnikka?)
 * I'm a vegetarian. : 저는 채식주의자입니다. (jeoneun chaesikjuuijaimnida)
 * Because of this, I don't eat the following. : 저는 그래서 이런 것이 들어간 음식을 먹지 않습니다. (jeoneun geuraeseo ireon geosi deureogan eumsigeul meokji anseumnida)

 * I don't eat pork. : 저는 돼지고기를 먹지 않습니다. (jeoneun dwaejigogireul meokji anseumnida)
 * I don't eat beef. : 저는 소고기를 먹지 않습니다. (jeoneun sogogireul meokji anseumnida)
 * I only eat kosher food. : 저는 코셔 음식만 먹습니다. (jeoneun Kosyeo eumsingman meokseumnida)
 * Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) : ... (..)
 * fixed-price meal : 정가 음식 (jeongga eumsik)
 * à la carte : ... (..)
 * breakfast : 아침 식사 (achim siksa)
 * lunch : 점심 식사 (jeomsim siksa)
 * tea (meal) : 차 (cha)
 * supper : 저녁 식사 (jeonyeok siksa)
 * I want _____. : 저는 _____을 원합니다. (jeoneun _____eul wonhamnida)
 * I want a dish containing _____. : 저는 _____[이/가] 들어간 요리를 먹고 싶습니다. (jeoneun ____[i/ga] deureogan yorireul meokgo sipseumnida)
 * meat : 고기 (gogi)
 * beef : 소고기 (sogogi)
 * pork : 돼지고기 (dwaejigogi)
 * ham/spam : 햄 (haem)
 * bacon : 베이컨/삼겹살[(beikeon/samgyeopsal)
 * sausage : 소시지 (sosiji)
 * chicken : 닭고기/치킨 (dakgogi/chikin)
 * eggs : 달걀/계란 (dalgyal/gyeran)
 * seafood : 해물 (haemul)
 * fish : 생선 (saengseon)
 * shrimp/prawn : 새우 (sae-u)
 * clam/shellfish : 조개 (jogae)
 * crab meat : 게살 (gesal)
 * squid/cuttlefish : 오징어 (ojing-eo)
 * baby octopus : 꼴뚜기 (kkolttugi)
 * dairy products : 유제품 (yujepum)
 * milk : 우유 (uyu)
 * cream : 크림 (keurim)
 * cheese : 치즈 (chijeu)
 * butter : 버터 (beoteo)
 * yogurt : 요구르트 (yogureuteu)
 * mayonnaise : 마요네즈 (mayonejeu)
 * broth : 국물 (gungmul)
 * (fresh) vegetables : (신선한) 야채 ((sinseonhan) yachae)
 * (fresh) fruit : (신선한) 과일 ((sinseonhan) gwa-il)
 * salad : 샐러드 (saelleodeu)
 * bread : 빵 (ppang)
 * toast : 토스트 (toseuteu)
 * noodles : 국수 (guksu)
 * rice : 밥 (bap)
 * beans : 콩 (kong)
 * May I have a glass of _____? : _____ 한 잔 주시겠습니까? (____ han jan jusigetseumnikka?)
 * May I have a cup of _____? : _____ 한 컵 주시겠습니까? (____ han keop jusigetseumnikka?)
 * May I have a bottle of _____? : _____ 한 병 주시겠습니까? (____ han byeong jusigetseumnikka?)
 * coffee : 커피 (keopi)
 * tea (drink) : 차 (cha)
 * juice : 주스 (juseu)
 * (sparkling) water : 탄산수 (tansansu)
 * water : 물 (mul)
 * beer : 맥주 (maekju)
 * red/white wine : 레드/화이트 와인 (redeu/hwaiteu wain), 적/백 포도주 (jeok/baek podoju)
 * May I have some _____? : _____을/를 좀 주시겠습니까? (____eul/reul jom jusigetseumnikka?)
 * salt : 소금 (sogeum)
 * black pepper : 후추 (huchu)
 * seasoning/sauce : 양념/소스 (yangnyeom/soseu)
 * Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): 여기요? (Literally, this means "Here." (yeogiyo?))
 * (when starting a meal) : 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgetseumnida)
 * I'm finished. : 다 먹었습니다. (da meogeotseumnida)
 * It was delicious. : 맛있었습니다. (masisseotseumnida)
 * Please clear the plates. : 접시를 치워주십시오. (jeopsireul chiwojusipsio)
 * The check, please. : 계산서 부탁합니다. (gyesanseo butakamnida)

Bars

 * Do you serve alcohol? : 술 팔립니까? (sul pallimnikka?)
 * Is there table service? : 테이블로 갖다주십니까? (teibeul-ro gattajusimnikka?)
 * A beer/two beers, please. : 맥주 한/두 병 부탁합니다. (maekju han/du byeong butakamnida)
 * A glass of red/white wine, please. : 적/백 포도주 한 잔 부탁합니다. (jeok/baek podoju han jan butakamnida)
 * One liter, please. : 일 리터 부탁합니다. (il-riteo butakamnida.)
 * A bottle, please. : 한 병 부탁합니다. (han byeong butakamnida)
 * _____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. : ... (..)
 * whiskey : 위스키 (wiseuki)
 * vodka : 보드카 (bodeuka)
 * rum : 럼 (reom)
 * water : 물 (mul)
 * club soda : 탄산수 (tansansu)
 * tonic water : 탄산 음료 (tansan eumnyo)
 * orange juice : 오렌지 주스 (orenji juseu)
 * Coke (soda) : 콜라 (kolla)
 * Do you have any bar snacks? : 안주 있습니까? (anju isseumnikka?)
 * One more, please. : 한 개 더 부탁합니다. (han gae deo butakamnida)
 * Another round, please. : 한 잔 더 주세요. (han jan deo juseyo)
 * When is closing time? : 언제 닫으십니까? (eonje dadeusimnikka?)

Shopping

 * Do you have this in my size? : 이것으로 제 사이즈와 맞는 것 있습니까? (igeoseuro je saijeuwa manneun geot itseumnikka?)
 * How much is this? : 이것은 얼마입니까? (igeoseun eolmaimnikka?)
 * That's too expensive. : 너무 비쌉니다. (neomu bissamnida)
 * Would you take _____? : _____ 받으십니까? (_____ badeusimnikka?), _____도 됩니까? (_____do doemnikka?)
 * expensive : 비싼 (bissan)
 * cheap : 싼 (ssan)
 * I can't afford it. : 그것을 살 여유가 없습니다. (geugeoseul sal yeoyuga eopseumnida)
 * I don't want it. : 그것을 원하지 않습니다. (geugeoseul wonhaji anseumnida)
 * You're cheating me. : 속이지 마세요. (sogiji maseyo)
 * I'm not interested. : 관심 없습니다. (gwansim eopseumnida.)
 * OK, I'll take it. : 좋습니다, 사겠습니다. (joseumnida, sagetseumnida)
 * Can I have a bag? : 가방을 살 수 있습니까? (gabang-eul sal su itseumnikka?)
 * Do you ship (overseas)? : (해외로) 발송합니까? ((hae-oero) balsonghamnikka?)
 * I need... : 저는 ...이 필요합니다 (jeoneun ...i piryohamnida)
 * ...toothpaste. : ...치약. (...chiyak)
 * ...a toothbrush. : ...칫솔. (...chitsol)
 * ...tampons. : ...탐폰. (...tampon)
 * ...soap. : ...비누. (...binu)
 * ...shampoo. : ...샴푸. (...syampu)
 * ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) : ...진통제. (아스피린 or 항 염증제) (...jintongje. (aseupirin or hang yeomjeungje))
 * ...cold medicine. : ...감기약. (...gamgiyak)
 * ...stomach medicine. : ...위약. (...wiyak)
 * ...a razor. : ...면도기. (...myeondogi)
 * ...an umbrella. : ...우산. (...usan)
 * ...sunblock lotion. : ...햇볕 차단 로션. (...haeppyeot chadan rosyeon)
 * ...a postcard. : ...우편엽서. (...upyeonnyeopseo)
 * ...postage stamps. : ...우표. (...upyo)
 * ...batteries. : ...전지. (...jeonji) / 배터리 (...baeteori)
 * ...writing paper. : ...편지지. (...pyonjiji)
 * ...a pen. : ...펜. (...pen)
 * ...English-language books. : ...영자 책. (...yeongja chaek), ...영어로 된 책. (...yeong-eoro doen chaek)
 * ...English-language magazines. : ...영자 잡지. (...yeongja japji), ...영어 잡지. (...yeong-eo japji)
 * ...an English-language newspaper. : ...영자 신문. (...yeongja sinmun), ...영어 신문. (...yeong-eo sinmun)
 * ...an English-English dictionary. : ...영영 사전. (...yeong-yeong sajeon)

Driving

 * I want to rent a car. : 차를 빌리고 싶습니다. (chareul billigo sipseumnida)
 * Can I get insurance? : 보험을 들 수 있습니까? (boheomeul deul su isseumnikka?)
 * stop (on a street sign) : 정지 (jeongji)
 * one way : 일방 통행 (ilbang tonghaeng)
 * yield : 양보 (yangbo)
 * danger : 위험 (wiheom)
 * no parking : 주차 금지 (jucha geumji)
 * speed limit : 속도 제한 (sokdo jehan)
 * Children Protection Zone : 어린이 보호구역 (eorini bohoguyeok), 어린이보호 (eoriniboho, usually on signs)
 * ___ kilometers per hour : 시속 ___킬로미터 (sisok ___killomiteo)
 * gas (petrol) station : 주유소 (juyuso)
 * petrol : 휘발유 (hwiballyu)
 * diesel : 디젤유 (dijellyu)

Authorities

 * I haven't done anything wrong. : 저는 잘못한 것이 없습니다. (jeoneun jalmotan geosi eopseumnida)
 * It was a misunderstanding. : 그것은 오해였습니다. (geugeoseun ohaeyeotseumnida)
 * Where are you taking me? : 저를 어디로 데려가십니까? (jeoreul eodiro deryeogasimnikka?)
 * Am I under arrest? : 저는 체포됩니까? (jeoneun chepodoemnikka?)
 * I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. : 저는 미국/호주/영국/캐나다 국민입니다. (jeoneun miguk/hoju/yeongguk/kaenada gungminimnida)
 * I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. : 미국/호주/영국/캐나다 대사관/영사관 에 이야기하고 싶습니다. (miguk/hoju/yeongguk/kaenada daesagwan/yeongsagwan e iyagihago sipseumnida)
 * I want to talk to a lawyer. : 변호사에게 이야기하고 싶습니다. (byeonhosa-ege iyagihago sipseumnida)
 * Can I just pay a fine now? : 지금 벌금을 내도 되겠습니까? (jigeum beolgeumeul naedo doegetseumnikka?)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Korean phrasebook


text:
Aamby Valley City

Aamby Valley City is a town on the Western Ghats in Maharashtra.

Get in
It is about 23 km (14 mi) from Lonavala.

title: Aamby Valley City


text:
Koringberg

Koringberg is a village of 1,200 people (2011) in the Swartland region of the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Understand
The name is Afrikaans and means ‘wheat mountain’.

It is popular in the last decade with urbanites who want to experience the peace and quiet of the countryside. The Berg River and the Misunderstanding Dam are nearby.

Get in
By car, via the N7 national road. It lies 6 km west of the N7 national road between Piketberg and Moorreesburg and 15 km from both towns. It is 118 km north-north-east of Cape Town.

The nearest airport is Cape Town International.

See

 * The fountain from which Harry the Strandloper drew water in the times of Jan van Riebeek.

Do

 * Hike to the top of the Koringberg (about 5 km)

title: Koringberg


text:
Koriyama

Koriyama (郡山) is a city in Fukushima, Japan.

Understand
Kōriyama originated as a regional governmental center in the Nara period, when the area was on the frontier of Yamato settlement of the Tohoku region. The surrounding area developed into shōen controlled by various samurai clans in the Heian and Kamakura periods. Nearby centers, such as Nihonmatsu developed into castle towns, Kōriyama remained as a commercial center and thrived as a post town because of its importance as a traffic focal point into the Edo period. As a major military equipment production center, Koriyama was subject to three large-scale air raids during WW2.

Kōriyama city is called the "commercial capital in Fukushima".

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site. Its Pamphlet section contains some materials in English.

Get in
Koriyama is the largest city in Fukushima Prefecture and has good rail, road and bus networks linking it to Tokyo in the south and other parts of Tohoku to the north and west.

The Tohoku Shinkansen is the fastest way to get to and from Tokyo (80 minutes, ¥7970), as well as other major cities in Tohoku, such as Fukushima and Sendai (40 minutes, ¥5240).

The Tohoku Main Line follows a similar route to the Shinkansen, and though cheaper, it is much slower and trains run far less regularly.

The West Ban'etsu Line connects Koriyama with Niigata in the west, travelling via the Mount Bandai region.

There are also buses linking Koriyama with Tokyo and Narita Airport.

Koriyama is situated on the Tohoku Expressway, with interchanges at Koriyama and Koriyama Minami.

The nearest airport, Fukushima Airport, is in Sukagawa city, about 20km to the south. Fukushima Airport has daily flights to Okinawa, Osaka and Sapporo, with less frequent international flights to Seoul and Shanghai.

Buy
There are many department stores and shops in front of Kōriyama Station.

Eat
Kourakuen (幸楽苑), a large chain of cheap ramen shops, is based in the city.

Go next

 * Aizu-Wakamatsu
 * Inawashiro
 * Miharu
 * Bandai
 * Sukagawa
 * Shirakawa
 * Motomiya
 * Otama
 * Nihonmatsu

郡山市

title: Koriyama


text:
Korla

Korla (库尔勒; Kùěrlè) is a city on the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang Province in China.

By plane
Korla Airport is a short cab ride away. Flights are available only from Urumqi.

By train
Korla Railway Station is at the southeast corner of the city.
 * Kashgar - takes about 14 hours
 * Urumqi - takes about 10 hours
 * Ruoqiang - takes about 4.5 hours

By bus
The Bus Station is at Beishan Road.
 * Hotan - takes about 26 hours
 * Kashgar - takes about 18 hours
 * Kuqa - takes about 4 hours
 * Ruoqiang - takes about 6 hours
 * Urumqi - takes about 8 hours
 * Yining - takes about 30 hours

See

 * Bosten Lake. 57 km away from Korla. One of the biggest fresh water lake in China. Possible to swim. Trip with Longxin Youth Hostel cost ¥600 for a 6-person van (possible to negotiate).

title: Korla


text:
Korolyov

Korolyov is a mid-sized city in North Moscow Oblast, best known as the "cradle of space exporation," as it was the center of the Soviet space program. It was also a former elite dacha location, a vacation spot for all sorts of famous Russians (e.g., Chekhov, Lenin, Akhmatova, Pasternak, Tsvetaeva, etc.). The city today has become one of the most desirable residential locations outside Moscow.

By car
Take the M8 highway. The town starts right from the highway to the right of it, opposite to Mytishchi.

By train
The Podlipki Dachnie and Bolshevo train stations are situated within town proper. Take electrichkas bound to Bolshevo (including Sputniks, that have only stop in Bolshevo), Shchyolkovo, Monino, Fryazevo, Detskaya or Fryazino from Yaroslavskii train station. The famous dacha region starts further in the direction to Shchyolkovo, the only train station within Korolev in that direction is Valentinovka, being, however, not a tourist destination. If you still want to reach there, keep in mind, that trains bound to Detskaya and Fryazino go in different direction (to Ivanteevka and Fryazino) from Bolshevo train station, and you have especially to differentiate trains bound to Fryazino(Фрязино) and Fryazevo(Фрязево) - these are completely different destinations. All the announces on the Yaroslavskii train station specifically clearly pronounce endings of these stations, just listen attentively to them.

By bus
Buses 392, 565 and 576 from VDNKh metro station in Moscow, bus 28 from Mytishchi train station (starts on east side, opposite to bus station). Keep in mind jams on M8 for all of these buses, even though they become less severe after opening multilevel traffic interchanges on M8 between Mytishchi and Korolev.

title: Korolyov


text:
Koror

Koror is the largest city in Palau. Koror was also the capital until 2006, but the hamlet of Melekeok, some 20 km away, now has that honor.

Understand
Home to an estimated population of between 10,000 and 14,000 (or half of the country's inhabitants) it's no surprise that Koror has the largest concentration of different services; for visitors these include shops, diving operators, and places to eat and sleep. Like other capitals of small island nations in the Pacific, the city is rather utilitarian and doesn't have that many attractions.

Climate
The climate is tropical; warm or hot throughout the year with a lot of rain. The first couple of months of the year are a bit drier, whereas July to October is the rainiest part of the year.

History
Palau has been inhabited by people from maritime Southeast Asia for several millennia. The first Europeans to reach the islands were the Spanish, and the islands were subsequently part of the Spanish East Indies for centuries. Despite this, Koror remained a small fishing village until the islands were sold to the German Empire in 1899.

During the brief German rule, the harbor was expanded, a colonial administration was set up here and the population grew to around 500. After World War I, the islands came under Imperial Japanese rule. In the following decades the population of the town grew to 38000, though few of them were native Palauans. The Japanese made Koror the capital of the South Seas Mandate, and established a weather station, schools and military facilities. As such, the islands saw major fighting during the Pacific War, after which they were administered by the United States.

The U.S. made Guam their main base in the South Seas, which meant Koror lost some of its importace under the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1994 Palau became an independent country and Koror served as its capital until 2006, when the seat of government was moved to Melekeok/Ngerulmud, a planned city on the neighboring island of Babeldaob. Nevertheless, the latter is home to the seat of government and little else, with Koror remaining the economic capital and Palau's most populous city by far.

Get around
There are three primary methods of getting around Koror: rental car, taxi, and the BBI shuttle. Walking may be an option for some, but most of the large resorts are located well outside the main shopping/dining area of Koror.

By car
There are car rental companies at the airport, as well as rental desks at some of the large resorts. Palauans drive on the right side of the road, though many of the cars are imported from Japan and have steering wheels on the right. Traffic tends to move very slowly through Koror, as the speed limits are low and speed bumps are liberally sprinkled throughout the city. Although the traffic flow varies throughout the day, the volume is light enough that there are no traffic signals in Koror.

By taxi
Koror has a sufficient number of taxis, though they can be difficult to find if you are out walking around. It's usually easiest to ask the hotel concierge or even your waiter/waitress to call one for you. The taxis here are not metered, but rather have a fixed rate sheet based on your starting and ending points. A taxi ride from the far-flung Palau Pacific Resort into the heart of Koror costs $6-8, depending on exactly where you're getting dropped off.

By shuttle bus
In the evenings the BBI shuttle service is also an option. It operates roughly 5-10PM, with two shuttles plying the same route in opposite directions. The shuttles stop at the two major resorts, Palau Pacific and Palau Royal, and cover the entire stretch of the main street through downtown Koror. Shuttle tickets cost $7 per person and are good for a week. The shuttles follow a timeline and schedules are easily obtained when you purchase your ticket. The larger resorts sell tickets right at the hotel.

See

Do

Diving
Diving in the state of Koror is one of the most spectacular experiences you'll have. A popular place is near the Rock Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Dive shops

Palauan Storyboards
There are a number of stores in Koror to purchase traditional Palauan storyboards, but by far the largest selection of story boards in Koror can be bought from the jail. Storyboards are made by the prisoners, and the proceeds go to their families to help support them while they are in jail. Helpfully, they put a color-coded sticker on each storyboard and give visitors laminated sheets describing the story associated with each color. The jail is in the center of Koror, set back off the main street on the east side. They only accept cash, and are the most expensive place to purchase storyboards. It is illegal to import anything made by prison labor into the USA.

Another non-traditional location that has a vast selection of storyboards is the Rock Island Cafe. They are displayed around the restaurant, simply ask at the counter for pricing and selection. Some of the larger resorts have a small selection of storyboards in their gift shops. Locals can also point you to some out-of-the-way storyboard shops that you'd never find on your own. These hidden shops tend to have the lowest prices, but also usually have a small selection.

A small storyboard at an inexpensive store will start around $100. The largest storyboards at the jail, which may be several feet across and elaborately carved into the shape of an animal, can run to several thousand dollars. Many of the places that sell storyboards can assist you with shipping them back home. Major shipping companies and even the USPS all serve Palau.

General shopping
There are small shops and markets on Main Street in downtown Koror. The two largest shopping centers are the WCTC Shopping Center and Surangel's Supercenter, which are right across the street from one another in the center of town. Surangel's has the best selection of sunblock in town.

Money
Credit cards are accepted at most shops and restaurants. The Bank of Guam and the Bank of Hawaii both have an ATM on Main Street in central Koror. In early 2012 there was no surcharge for using these ATMs, though they did limit you to a maximum withdrawal of $200 per day.

International

Also, the Taj, an excellent Indian restaurant, Fuji, a reasonably-priced pseudo-Japanese restaurant, or Dragon Tai on the way into Koror.

Drink

Splurge

Embassies

 * 🇦🇺 Australia
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇹🇼 Taiwan
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Citizens of Canada can obtain assistance from the Australian Embassy. Citizens of other countries will have to contact a mission outside Palau. The responsible British embassy is in Manila (Philippines). The responsible New Zealand consulate is in Honolulu (Hawaii, U.S.). The responsible French embassy, which also provides assistance to other EU citizens, is in Manila.

Go next
Explore the rest of Palau. To the south there are the uninhabited Rock Islands, a popular place for diving. Across the bridge to the north is the largely undeveloped Babeldaob, with the village of Melekeok which is the world's least-populated national capital.

title: Koror


text:
Korsakov

Korsakov (Russian: Корса́ков, kahr-SAH-kuhf; Japanese: 大泊 Ōtomari) is a port town of 36,652 people in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is at the southern tip of the island on the shores of Anniva Bay, some 42 km south of the island's primary city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. While rather drab, with few things to entertain the visitor, it does host one of the two ferry connections between Russia and Japan.

By train
There are connections to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the island's main airport by a Japanese-built narrow gauge railway, but services are random and far between – buses are far more convenient. If the train is your thing, there are 3 daily scheduled departures departing Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at 05:30, 13:45 and 19:44.

By bus
There are both scheduled and "leave when full" minibus connections between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Korsakov. Both depart in front of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin railway station. Minibuses are the most convenient: ask around with the different drivers, they will point you to the right bus. Journey time ranges between 30 and 60 minutes depending on the driver and traffic conditions, and the price is around ₽200. The public bus 115 takes 90 minutes for the same trip, and costs around ₽100.

By ferry
Wakkanai, Japan – Ferries depart for Wakkanai on Hokkaido, Japan, from the sea terminal (Морвокзал) on the southern pier (Южно порт), Service is limited to late May-early June through to late September-early October (varies every year), due to ice conditions in the strait. Ticket sales in Korsakov are handled by the Inflot agency, whose office is on the 1st floor of the large 3-story Upravlinie building next to the sea terminal. The ferry is Japanese, operated by the Ferry'' company. If you arrive by ferry to Sakhalin, it is strongly recommended to have some Russian rubles with you. There are no exchange facilities and no ATM machines in the terminal. You will probably need a taxi to take you to the bus station to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. You can exchange some Russian rubles in the banks in Wakkanai (ask around).

Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kurile Islands – There is a ferry service between Korsakov and Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir Island in the Kurils, operated by the Igor Farkhutdinov passenger vessel; however, there is no set schedule, as the ship departs only when there is freight to carry. The only way to buy tickets is through a tour agency on Sakhalin.

Mainland Russia – There are also ferry services on combined freight/passenger ships to and from the mainland, but schedules and tickets are very hard to come by if you don't speak Russian. A much easier option to the mainland is the daily scheduled ferry from Kholmsk.

Get around
Unscheduled minibuses and taxis provide the city's quite limited transportation. However, the town is compact, and you can easily cover most places on foot.

See
There is very little in the way of sights in Korsakov, although there is a great view over the harbor, along with an uninspiring monument, on the hill just behind the sea terminal. The main drag, Sovetskaya Street, is lined with small street stalls during spring and summer months, selling fresh fruits and vegetables. (The strawberries are said to be particularly good.)

Outside Korsakov there are a few beaches at the hamlets of Okhotsk (about 1 hour) and Prigorodnoye (about 30 minutes) which also host a few Japanese war monuments. Access to both of these sights requires a car or taxi.

Eat
There are a few restaurants located along Sovetskaya Street, going south from the central Lenin Square. The restaurant inside Hotel Alfa has an English menu, with a selection of traditional Russian cuisine

Connect
The Post Office on Lenin Square has two computers with Internet access.

title: Korsakov


text:
Korsør

Korsør is a city of 14,000 people (2022) on the island of Zealand in Denmark

Get in
Korsør is the last city on Zealand before crossing the Great Belt tunnel and bridge to Funen. Hence there is good connections with most Intercity trains between Copenhagen and Jutland stopping here, travel time to Copenhagen is about an hour.

The country's main highway, is also accessible just north of the city.

Get around
Since the station has been relocated with train traffic moved from the ferries departing from the city centre to the new bridge, the station is a bit out of town - jump on bus 501 or 502 to get between the city and the station.

title: Korsør


text:
Kos

Kos (Greek: Κως, also spelt Cos) is a popular tourist destination in the Greek islands of the Dodecanese, located in the south-eastern part of the Aegean Sea, near the Turkish coast.

Understand
The island of Kos is part of the Dodecanese. It is the third largest of this group of islands and the second most popular and touristy island after Rhodes. It is located between Kalymnos and Nysiros. It is very well organised and has everything in terms of tourism infrastructure.

The island is part of a chain of mountains from which it became separated after earthquakes and subsidence that occurred in ancient times. These mountains include Kalymnos and Kappari which are separated by an underwater chasm c. 70 m (40 fathoms deep), as well as the volcano of Nisyros and the surrounding islands.

There is a wide variety of rocks in Kos which is related to its geographical formation. Prominent among these are the Quaternary layers in which the fossil remains of mammals such as horses, hippopotami and elephants have been found. The fossilised molar of an elephant of gigantic proportions was presented to the Paleontology Museum of the University of Athens.

The shores of Kos Island are washed by the waters of the Aegean Sea. Its coastline is 112 km long and is caressed by long immaculate beaches, leading to its main industry being tourism. Farming is the principal occupation of many of the island's inhabitants, with their main crops being grapes, almonds, figs, olives, and tomatoes, along with wheat and corn. Cos lettuce may be grown here, but the name is unrelated.

The main villages of Kos island are Kos Town, Kardamena, Kefalos, Tingaki, Antimachia, Mastihari, Marmari and Pyli. Smaller ones are Zia, Zipari, Platani, Lagoudi and Asfendiou.

By ferry
Daily ferry services from Athens (Piraeus port), Rhodos, Patmos and Leros. From Kalymnos several times daily. From Santorini about 4 times weekly. From Syros twice weekly.

Tilos Travel sails from Bodrum twice a day year-round. It's a 25 min trip costing €23 in 2023, in a small cat for foot passengers only. A day-trip either way is easily possible.

Sky Marine sails from Bodrum twice a day May-Oct in a small cat. It's half the price of Tilos, the catch is that the landing point in Bodrum is not the marina but the cruise terminal several km south.

The car ferry from Bodrum isn't sailing in 2023.

By bus
It is a fairly small island, and there is every now and then a public bus going to every part of the island. From the airport, there is a public bus going to Kos town via Mastichari and to Kefalos. The timetable is available on the KOS KTEL website.

By ferry
Depending on the season, there are many passenger ferries leaving for various neighboring islands. The main ferry to Kalymnos leaves from Mastichari approximately every two hours. In high season, there are also daily ferries to Nisyros leaving from Kardamena. Or you can reach from Bodrum, Turkey to Kos, Greece with ferry: Bodrum Kos Ferry

By taxi
There is plenty of taxis on the island. From the airport they will charge at least €15, even if you just go the Mastichari, which is only 5 minutes away.

By rental car or scooter
Scooters, ATVs and cars can be hired from many places. If you hire a scooter for several days, rent can be as low as €14 a day. You may check the prices and offers, by visiting https://www.kosmotogp.com. Roads are mostly asphalted and in a good condition. Reaching Kefalos from the town of Kos takes approx. 40 minutes by car.

See

 * Κως, πλάτανος του Ιπποκράτη, φωτό αρχείο jpg, 2021-6-12.jpg

Do
Relax on the beach, wind- and kitesurfing.

Beaches
If you are looking for peaceful beaches, try Lakkos, with cedars and dunes, Agios Fokas with its dark sand, or Thermes.

Kefalos Bay has a number of good beaches: Camel, Paradise, Polemi, and Psilos Gremos.

At remote Cape Krikelos, you can choose from Skinos, Theologos, and Moscholiou.

Yachting
The island of Kos is a top yacht charter destination in Greece. You can start your sailing experience from Kos and follow any possible route to other magnificent islands. The marina of Kos is at its old harbour and is known worldwide since it has been available to skippers and yachting enthusiasts for over a decade. It has been described as one of the hottest cruising areas in Europe, as it fulfills every need for any type of boat, such as fuel/petrol, speedboats, WC, showers, bilge and sewage pump out, waste disposal and many more.

Windsurfing
There are two windsurfing schools at Kefalos bay that offer lessons (both private and group) for all levels.

Kiteboarding
The northwestern part of the island (Mastichari and the Kohilari beach) has good conditions for kiteboarding.

Eat
If you're on a budget, there is pita gyros for €2.50 sold by most restaurants (some for €2)

Stay safe
Kos is a very safe area and should not be a major problem for travellers. Just take normal precautions.

Go next

 * Leros
 * Patmos

title: Kos


text:
Ko Sak

Ko Sak (เกาะสาก) is an island off the coast of Pattaya.

Understand
Six hundred metres north of Ko Laan is Ko Sak, a small island shaped like an upturned horseshoe. There are two connecting beaches to the north and south. Along the south shore are ranges of corals. Accommodation is available.

See
The north beach is popular for swimming and snorkelling, and the south beach is a good place to see coral.

title: Ko Sak


text:
Ko Samet

Ko Samet (เกาะเสม็ด), also spelled Koh Samed, is a small island off the Eastern Gulf Coast in Rayong province, within easy reach of Bangkok and Pattaya.

Understand
200 km from Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand, the T-shaped island of Ko Samet is known for its white sandy beaches, exotic coral and clear waters. Ko Samet has developed steadily over the past decade or so, but it hasn't been the victim of over-zealous construction found on Ko Samui and Ko Chang. The island is surrounded by tropical coral reefs and relatively clean seas. Tourists can also enjoy delicious cuisine and fine nightlife.

It's a popular tourist destination for both Thais and foreigners. As Ko Samet is close to Bangkok, the island is ideal for those in the capital wanting to relax with their families for a couple of days, without having to go through all the rigmarole of travelling down south. It's a 2½-hour journey to Ban Phe, then a 20-min ferry to the island.

Climate
Even though Ko Samet is only a few kilometres from the mainland, the island with its micro-climate (the driest archipelago in Thailand) gets much less rainfall than the rest of Eastern Thailand. The rainy season is May-Sep but even then it still has significantly less rain than the other islands in Thailand.

History
It is believed that Ko Samet used to be the home of pirates and that there is still buried treasure somewhere on the island. Thailand's legendary poet, Sunthorn Phu, was the first one to put this island on the map when he set his classical epic Phra Aphai Manee ("The Story of Princes, Saga, Mermaids and Giants") here.

Although Bangkok residents have known about the beauty of Ko Samet for decades, the Thai government put this island off-limits and restricted overnight stays there until 1981, when the Forestry Department of Thailand declared Ko Samet and its surroundings to be a national park and thus open for business.

Get in
Most of Ko Samet, including all the good parts, is part of Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park and has an entry fee. Thai adults, 40 baht; children, 20 baht. Foreign adults, 200 baht; children, 100 baht (Jun 2009). This two-tier pricing policy is applicable to all national parks. However, if you can demonstrate that you live or work in Thailand you may not have to pay the tourist price.

By car and taxi
As Ko Samet is an island, you first have to drive to Rayong. From Bangkok, you can take Sukhumvit Rd (Hwy 3) passing Chonburi, Si Racha, Pattaya, Sattahip and onto Rayong. The total distance to Rayong is approximately 220 km. If you drive onto Hwy 36 at Bang Lamung (before Pattaya), you'll take a shortcut inland and save about 45 km, although the scenery is not as impressive.

Taxis are available from Rayong. You must specify Ban Phe since the pier at Ban Phe is at the lower outskirts of Rayong. The metered fare is approximately 1,600 baht, but most drivers will want to go "off-meter" for a fare ranging from 1,500 baht to 2,000-2,500 baht. Expressway tolls of about 100 baht are additional. You can either take a taxi from your hotel or guesthouse that is willing to make the drive on the spot, or pre-arrange a pickup from a taxi driver you like by asking for his mobile phone number and calling to make a booking. This works best if you have a native Thai speaker to help you.

By bus
The bus from Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai) to Ban Phe usually takes 3½ hours, costs 173 baht, and terminates opposite the ferry piers. There is no direct service to Ban Phe from Bangkok's Mo Chit Bus Terminal. It only takes you to Rayong, from where you can take a songthaew (20 baht) to Ban Phe.

There are direct first-class bus services between Rayong and Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. If you take a regular bus from Pattaya or Sattahip, you'll need to take a songthaew or charter a tuk-tuk to the ferry piers.

There are also minivans that leave from Victory Monument in Bangkok's Phahonyothin district. They charge 250 baht per person and take you directly to the ferry piers. This is a slightly nicer alternative to the larger tourist buses that depart from bus stations. The minivans drive faster than the tourist buses, but they also make several stops along the way in Rayong which makes the trip about the same time. Also, the ride is quite bumpy, so even reading a book is a challenge.

By plane
Bangkok Airways has a flight daily from Phuket and Ko Samui to Pattaya's U-Tapao Airport. For more information, contact Bangkok Airways at or contact a travel agent. From the airport, it is about one hour by car or bus to reach the pier. This mode of transport is only recommended for travellers from Southern Thailand.

By boat
Ferries from Ban Phe or Nuan Thip (they are about 200 m apart, with Ban Phe to the north opposite a 7-Eleven) to Ko Samet take around 30 to 45 minutes. Only buy a one-way ticket (50 baht), as there's no discount on round-trip tickets (100 baht) and you won't have to worry about losing it or finding that your ticket isn't valid for the most convenient return ferry. The ticket sellers state you must buy your national park ticket from them also but this can be done at the gate as you enter the park.

Nuanthip Pier (tel +66 38 651508/+66 38 651514) runs boats to various piers on Ko Samet. One-way tickets are half the price of a round-trip, you might need to insist of booking one. The boats tend to wait until full so timetable is more like a hint than a fixed departure time.

There are two speedboat companies that operate from Ban Phe. Speedboat prices can range from 600 baht to Nadan Pier to a few thousand baht for the outer-lying bays and beaches.

For the return from the Ko Samet public pier, take either the Nuan Thip or Ban Phe piers for your destination. It doesn't matter which one you departed from as they are only a short walk apart, and you might get an earlier boat back if you are willing to be flexible and return to a different pier. Both are served by songthaews: Ban Phe has an informal "taxi stand" in front of the 7-Eleven across the street with passenger cars used as taxis but no need to go looking for them as they will find you.

It costs 200 baht for a ride from Ban Phe to the Novotel, quite a distance down the coast.

Get around
The island is very small in comparison to the more populated Thai islands, so exploring the island can easily be done on foot, bike, or by hiring a motorbike and driving down the island to visit a few of the smaller more secluded beaches and taking in some of the more naturally forested areas further down to the south of the island. ATVs are no longer available on the island.

The island has only a single main road. Some parts are concrete and some parts are only a dirt trail which get quite bumpy. There are two ways to get round the island. The first is by songthaew (usually a rather well-worn pickup truck with two benches in the back and no roof), which costs 200 baht for a private trip, or between 20 and 60 baht per person when full, depending on which beach you are going to. This is a rather expensive method to get around the island, and the dusty roads can make it an uncomfortable trip. The second way is by renting a motorcycle for 300 baht/hr 500 baht/day. You will usually be able to rent it from your hotel. Leaving your passport or a deposit is not necessary or advisable.

Motor bike hire
The island has more motorbike hire shops than any other shops so they are not hard to locate and prices are standard ranging from 300-400 baht per day for manual or automatic bikes. Before hiring a bike you should be aware that once you enter the main national park entrance the roads are in very poor condition and only people with some experience should to tackle them.

 * Gold Shop: This motorbike hire shop is just up from the national park entrance and 7-Eleven (opposite Chilli Restaurant). This family takes very good care of their motorbikes. The owner, Jep, is a very friendly guy and always willing to help. His son also rents their vehicles from next to the 7-Eleven by the park entrance and Bow is also very helpful and if you rent for a few days will often offer good discounts.

 * Mountain Bike Rental: Mountain bikes can be rented from Village Cafe (Internet Cafe) opposite the school in the main village. Just ask for Kay and he will be more than happy to help with the mountain bikes or information for any other activities on the island.

See

 * Catch the sunset from dramatic cliff side locations along the southwest coastline.
 * A fire twirling show heads up and down Hat Sai Kaew & Ao Hin Khok beaches between 18:00 and 22:30. A donation is appreciated.

Most beaches are on the east side of the island. The beaches hide in small bays and stretch some 200 m. From the north, there are Hat Sai Kaeo, Hat Hin Khrong, Hat Khlong Phai, Ao Phutsa, Ao Thapthim, Ao Naun, Ao Cho, Ao Thian, Ao Wai, Ao Kio Na Yok and Ao Karang. The only beach on the west side is Ao Phrahis. The spelling of beach names can vary due to transliteration.

Beaches from north to south on the east coast:

From Ao Kiew Nok, visitors can walk to Ao Kiew Nai along the road but getting a lift is better as it's hot, there's no breeze and not much to see.

How to get there: Four operators, namely, Nuanthip, Si Ban Phe, Phe Port, and Saphan Pla, around Ban Phe offer shuttle boat services between their ports and the main port of the island. All operators charge a flat rate of 100 baht per person for a round trip or 50 baht for a single journey. Boats can leave any time more than 20 passengers are waiting. The service is available around the clock, seven days a week. It's best to just buy a one way ticket from the pier and head down to the end to wait.

For groups of at least 7 persons, Nuanthip Boat (+66 38 651508) offers a shuttle boat service to other bays as well, such as Ao Wong Duean (120 baht each) and to the last bay Ao Pakarang (200 baht each). Si Ban Phe Boat (+66 38 651902) also runs a scheduled boat service during weekends between Ban Phe and the main port of Samet. The hourly boat service from Ban Phe runs from 08:00-18:00. On the return trip from Samet, the boat leaves at 10:00, 14:00, 16:00, and 18:00. The company also offers a speed boat service at 1,000 baht a trip for 12 people to the main port, or higher rates for other routes. A parking service on the main land is available.

Ko Kruai, Ko Kham, and Ko Pla Tin (เกาะกรวย เกาะขาม และเกาะปลาตีน) These islands are some 600 m north of Ko Kudi. With coral reefs, tourists can enjoy fishing here. A rental boat service is available at the port in Ban Phe.

Ko Kudi or Ko Kut (เกาะกุฎี หรือเกาะกุด) This island is east of Ko Samet, 6 km from the mainland. Ko Kudi totals an area of 63 rai (10 ha). A nice beach and coral reefs make it a nice place for a hideaway. Nearby islands are Ko Thai Khang Khao and Ko Tham Ruesi. Without accommodation, the national park office on the island offers a tent for rent at 200 baht per person/ night. Pitching a private tent requires paying a fee of 20 baht per person/night. For more information, call Tel. +66 38 653034, or Bangkok at Tel.+66 2 56 2919 and +66 2 5612921.

Ko Thalu (เกาะทะลุ) Some 6 km east of Ko Kudi, the island is another scuba diving site among coral reefs. The island has an area of 69 rai (11 ha), most remains lush forest. While high cliffs occupy the west, white sandy beaches occupy the east and south of the island. Ko Thalu is a habitat of seagulls, flying fox, and turtles.

Tourists visiting Ko Kudi, Ko Kruai, Ko Kham, Ko PlaTin, and Ko Thalu should rent a boat from Ban Phe or Ko Samet. They should prepare food and water, as there is neither facilities nor food supplies available on such islands.

Do
Ko Samet is a laid-back island where the emphasis is less on things to do and more on enjoying the islands beaches.

For those people who do want something to do the island does have a few activities to enjoy if the beauty of the beaches is not quite enough to keep you occupied. From the simplest of activities such as walks along the beach, all the way through to taking your PADI Scuba Diving certificate there are an array of ways to keep yourself active.

 * Boat trips: There are several companies on the island offering a variety of different boat trips from around the island on a large slow boat to a 7-island speedboat day-trip visiting many of the surrounding islands from Samet. These trips are all of good value but be sure to have a chat before you book and make sure you are getting the trip you want and that they are not talking you into another trip as they cannot do the one you are asking for. Also all trips are dependent on weather conditions.

 * Samet Boat Trip: One of the original boat trip families on Samet, they offer a daily round-the-island boat trip. If you're lucky it could be a private trip or one with just a few other chilled out people on board. Their fleet consists of 2 large slow boats and 4 speed boats so different trips are available daily.

 * Diving: With the calm surrounding waters and coral reefs Ko Samet has something to offer those of all levels of diving, but it is an especially good place to learn to scuba dive with classes nearly always on the smaller side and often one on one with an instructor. With depths ranging from 5-25 m there is a variety of local sites to dive on and explore and there are also the outer islands such as Ko Talu that surround Ko Samet which offer stunning coral reefs.

Eat
Seafood, seafood and seafood, some of the best barbecues are found along Ao Phai and Haat Sai Kaew beaches but they are found on all beaches and most serve the same as the next. There's also local food, curries, pizza, steaks and hamburgers. Almost every hotel and bungalow operation has its own restaurant but it's only the movies that differentiate them. Many also set up tables and chairs at night for dining on the beach. Crowds don't always mean they are good. The day trip companies make deals with restaurants and take their customers there.

If you are relaxing on the beach during the day there are plenty of hawkers selling fresh fruit, BBQ chicken wings, dried squid, papaya salad (can be extremely spicy) and even ice creams slightly more expensive than if you got up to get it.

At night check out the roti stands that pop up everywhere. This crepe-like dessert can be filled with banana and topped with chocolate syrup or sweetened condensed milk, or any number of other combinations from 40 baht.

In town (Nadan), there are a few traditional Thai restaurants that serve good quality Thai food priced for locals. Most have menus in English.

If you are after a traditional Thai breakfast there are a couple of ladies who set up their mobile eatery daily next to the Tourist Police checkpoint that services Haat Sai Kaew. They serve boiled chicken on rice (khao man gai tom), fried chicken and rice (khao man gai tot) or rice porridge (jok) for 20-30 baht. The food is fresh and they do a brisk trade serving locals as well as a few tourists.

Drink
Although Ko Samet is not a renowned party island, Hat Sai Kaew and Ao Phai do get their fair share of backpackers, and therefore have their fair share of parties. Every day on Ao Phai flyers are handed out from the different bars that advertise the drink specials for that night, and might even give you a free drink. Biggest nights are generally Th-Sa, when more backpackers, expats and locals from Bangkok come to the island.

The main bars along Hat Sai Kaew are:

 * Naga Glow Bar (On the western tip of Hat Keaw Sai) A loud-music dance bar with glow paint and black lights. It makes for some fun times. Buckets are your best option here because the dance floor is where the action is at this bar. Mostly western tourists with a healthy mix of Thai tourists as well. As of July 2016, the music was a little bit outdated but still fun. They have a TV with the music videos playing. Look out for ladies of the night here especially toward the motorcycles on the side toward the beach.
 * Naga Glow Bar (On the western tip of Hat Keaw Sai) A loud-music dance bar with glow paint and black lights. It makes for some fun times. Buckets are your best option here because the dance floor is where the action is at this bar. Mostly western tourists with a healthy mix of Thai tourists as well. As of July 2016, the music was a little bit outdated but still fun. They have a TV with the music videos playing. Look out for ladies of the night here especially toward the motorcycles on the side toward the beach.
 * Naga Glow Bar (On the western tip of Hat Keaw Sai) A loud-music dance bar with glow paint and black lights. It makes for some fun times. Buckets are your best option here because the dance floor is where the action is at this bar. Mostly western tourists with a healthy mix of Thai tourists as well. As of July 2016, the music was a little bit outdated but still fun. They have a TV with the music videos playing. Look out for ladies of the night here especially toward the motorcycles on the side toward the beach.

Along Ao Hua Khok/Ao Phai are:

Sleep
Most of the accommodation centres around the beaches on the east coast; try to arrive on the island as early as possible to have the best selection to choose from. Tourist seasons on Ko Samet are generally from Nov-Feb and from Jun-Aug, at which time finding vacant accommodation can be a challenge. Also, beware of weekends and public holidays as the islands will be very busy.

The northernmost beaches of Hat Sai Keaw and Ao Hin Kok have many bungalow operations with typical Thai concrete bunker-style rooms. If your room doesn't have air-conditioning it can get a little hot during the day. At the very northern end are a few upscale resorts. At beaches further south you'll find the bungalows ranging from dismal shacks to four-star, air-conditioned mini suites. Unless you've made the mistake of booking your room with the touts back at the dock you'll find a place by strolling down the beach. As this island becomes more and more popular it's getting harder to find rock-bottom prices. On some beaches you can expect to pay 600 baht for the basics. Most of the accommodation is first-come, first-served and the cheaper bungalows tend to go fastest. High-end establishments usually take reservations by phone, fax and via the web, whilst the cheaper ones do not.

Splurge

Go next

 * Bangkok — most return to the buzzing capital of Thailand
 * Ko Chang — more sandy beaches and jungle await
 * Ko Kut — undiscovered island, again with sandy beaches
 * Ko Si Chang — virtually no night life, but a very relaxed atmosphere
 * Pattaya — den of sleaze trying to clean up its act
 * Rayong — the beaches near Ranong are known for their decent surfing

title: Ko Samet