Due to the devastating air crash and subsequent mourning across South Korea this week, New Year’s Eve celebrations were cancelled. New Year’s Eve was a very sombre and quiet night in Seoul with much of the population retreating to small-scale family events. Our hotel had planned drinks but also cancelled, so it was a very quiet evening for us too – not that we’ve ever really been that into NYE, preferring instead to greet the new year with a clear head. So, it was up with the frozen larks for us to meet 2025 head on.

On a chilly -5 sunny morning we jumped on the subway across town to Namsan Park, located at the base of Namsan Mountain in the heart of downtown Seoul and the largest park in the city for some fresh chilly air. Hardly anyone around aside from the usual eager joggers, but it was nice enough walking in the cold sunshine towards our next destination, the Namsangol Hanok Village. This is a model cluster of traditional Korean wooden houses that once belonged to aristocrats and government officials of the Joseon dynasty, so mid to late 19^th century. Each house originated from a different neighbourhood in Seoul, but all moved to this location in 1998 and were restored to their original condition. The village portrays the living environment during the Joseon dynasty, but also commemorates the 600^th anniversary of Seoul’s founding by the burying of a time capsule, optimistically scheduled to be opened in 2394. It’s an interesting place, but feels a little contrived – uprooted dwellings that were never meant to be together and therefore sadly lack a sense of cohesion and belonging. 

Next stop, the sprawling Namdaemun Market, South Korea’s oldest continuous market, where it’s said you can pretty much buy anything. As it was New Year’s Day it was undoubtedly quieter than normal, factor in of course the national mourning, but it was lively enough to get a sense of how chaotic this place could be on a regular market day. Still, we pushed through into Hairtail Alley, which you can smell before you can see it. Galchi-jorim or spicey braised hairtail fish stew is an extremely popular dish, so much so that the tiny (and I mean two-person wide) alleyways are packed with women (only women for some reason) cooking over open fire grills with tiny eating joints to either side. It’s an almost medieval scene and not a place for the Health & Safety conscious person I can tell you. Again, being New Year’s Day this place wasn’t at its peak, but impressive enough all the same. We didn’t try the hairtail stew, hot tailing it back to our hood, Gangnam for some NYD R&R – Udon noodles and warm sake (Japanese I know) and retail shopping, discovering the very cool Garuso-gil (street) just opposite our hotel.