On this museum and theater trip, we go to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary art and the Chungma Art Center for a musical. Come follow along to experience a day of art in Seoul.
Booking Theater Tickets
Many people ask about booking tickets for musicals in South Korea. It’s easy if you have your FRC (Foreign Registration Card) and a Korean bank account. If you are a tourist or living in Korea on SOFA status without becoming a resident, you may find purchasing tickets challenging.
We book our tickets through Interpark which has an English language interface. If you don’t have a Korean bank account, you may want to use a bi-lingual Korean concierge service. Such companies can help with purchasing tickets, hotels, and more. We usually buy our theater tickets at least a month in advance.
Arrive in Seoul Friday Night
We wanted a relaxing day in Seoul, so we went to the city the night before so we could have a lazy morning. We decided to say in Ikseon-dong in Jongro-gu so that we would be near many museums and art galleries the next day.
Morning Bagels
Many restaurants and cafes in Korea may not open until 10am or 11am. This means it’s sometimes a challenge to find western breakfast in Seoul before 10am.
Thankfully, when we sauntered out of our hotel around 9 the streets were empty, except for the breakfast place we wanted to try. Here, people were awake and waiting when we got there. After eating the bagels, we could see why – @london.bagel.museum had some amazing bagels. Our favorite combo: dark chocolate bagel with maple, and pecan cream cheese.
Morning Art Self-Tour
After bagels, made our way to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, stopping at a couple of galleries along the way. The contemporary art scene in South Korea is vibrant and not to be missed. We take every chance we have to experience what we can.
National Museum Of Modern Art
02-3701-9500
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
One of Korea’s premier modern and contemporary art museums.
Hangul Address
서울 종로구 삼청로 30
Meet Friends at Seoul Station
Met up with @zachs_life_in_soko (who you should also be following on Instagram) and Leo at Seoul Station and then dropped our bags off at our hotel and meandered Itaewon a bit before Kinky Boots. Grabbed some @oldferrydonut to tide us over til dinner.
Seoul Station is the best meetup location for joining a group if you plan to stay in Itaewon.
Seoul Station
02-6110-1321
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
One of Seoul’s largest transport hubs for trains and subways.
Hangul Address
서울 중구 한강대로 405
Attend Kinky Boots
Such. A. Great. Show. Lola was amazing. The talents, as usual here in Korea, were amazing. We don’t speak Korean and it never matters. The musicals in South Korea transport us past language every time.
Chungmu Art Center
02-2230-6600
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Modern, large performing arts center.
Hangul Address
서울 중구 퇴계로 387
Hotel or Home
On this particular evening, we chose to stay in Seoul. Getting back to Pyeongtaek can be hectic or even impossible after a late event. However, you may find you are out early enough to catch a bus, train, subway, or drive yourself home. It just depends on your circumstances.
Follow Us on Instagram
Also, we post all of our adventures to our Instagram account and then share our trips on South of Seoul so that our adventures can encourage as many people as possible to travel! It’s great to have community partnerships so that more people can fall in love with traveling in Korea.
Join the Pyeongtaek Travelers Group
You are also welcome to join our Pyeongtaek Travelers. The South of Seoul moderated community of active and friendly travelers (most of who live in Pyeongtaek, South Korea) sharing their adventures across the country.
Volunteer with South of Seoul
Interested in working with a fun team of talented volunteers? The South of Seoul volunteer team is always looking for other like-minded folks to research information, compile blogs, and edit content.
Chad Card holds a Master’s of Arts in Second Language teaching and a Master’s in Near and Middle Eastern Studies. He works for the Department of Defense (DODEA) as an ELA educator. Mr. Card travels extensively in South Korea and internationally. His passion includes studying languages, culture, and diversity.
Brian Rich holds a Master’s in Clinic Social work and a Bachelor’s in English Teaching. Mr. Rich is an experienced social work clinician who transitioned into education and works for the DODEA.
Together, Brian and Chad work as Cultural Liaisons and Content Creators developing travel itineraries focused on arts and culture across South Korea. Their love of learning, culture, and life is evident in all of their work.
