Seoul

Seoul rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Korean War, becoming known as the “Miracle on the Han River” thanks to the waterway that bisects the city. Here, you’ll find a 123-story skyscraper peering down on traditional Korean homes and palaces. Where an elevated highway once cut a roaring path, now a restored sunken creek brings fresh, cool air to the heart of downtown. Public art pieces, striking modern architecture, and futuristic waterfront parks all contribute to Seoul’s status as a UNESCO City of Design.

The city’s love for design goes back many centuries. Changdeokgung Palace was built in 1405 with a mountain behind it and a stream in front—a harmonious nod to feng shui. In Bukchon, visitors can wander in the narrow lanes between hanok, traditional Korean homes topped with slanting tile roofs. Above it all, the 600-year-old city walls thread their way along the four peaks that overlook the city—in the days of the Joseon dynasty, the gates were opened and closed each day to the sound of ringing bells.

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Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Ideologically opposed since the end of World War II, North Korea and South Korea’s conflict came to a head during the Korean War—and resulted in the creation of a buffer zone over two miles wide and 160 miles long, known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Within the DMZ lies the Joint Security Area, a truce village where the two Koreas—the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the North, and the Republic of Korea to the South— meet and negotiate.

While military activity is forbidden within the DMZ, both sides are lined with electric fences, land mines, and fully-armed soldiers on constant patrol. The area immediately surrounding the DMZ has been on high alert for over six decades, and the tension has only grown in recent years. Very rarely, a soldier from the North will cross the no-man’s-land to defect to the South. The DMZ is the closest most outsiders will ever get to North Korea, and observatories offer a glimpse across the border.

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Gangwha Island

Separated from North Korea by a channel of the Han River, Gangwha Island is a peaceful and rural escape an hour outside of Seoul. A hilltop observatory offers views across the water; binoculars enhance the views of North Korean citizens going about their lives. Further inland, massive stone slabs dating back two millenia dot the island, marking prehistoric cemeteries—the world’s densest concentration of Bronze Age dolmens and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gangwha’s strategically valuable position at the head of the Han River leading inland toward the capital means it has been the site of many conflicts, from piracy in the ninth century, to a Mongol invasion in 1232, and two battles in the early 19th century, when French missionaries came to bring Catholicism to the area.

Gangwha Island is also home to artisans specializing in hand-woven Hwamunseok sedge mats—icons of Korean culture. Once the backbone of local industry, fewer than a hundred of these artisans now remain, so they are highly valued members of society.

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Daegu

Daegu, South Korea’s fourth-largest city, has been inhabited for several thousand years and spent much of its history being fought over by Korea’s warring factions until the Joseon dynasty established control. It then became an important trading hub, and the city’s famous traditional medicine market dates back to this era.

In the years after the Korean War, Daegu underwent an economic boom thanks to its burgeoning electronics industry. The city’s many universities bring young people—including many foreigners—in droves, and today it continues to be a hub for fashion and technology. Despite its progressive feel, Daegu is still a strongly spiritual Buddhist destination, with many temples found in the surrounding mountains.

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Yangdong Folk Village

Yangdong is Korea’s largest traditional Joseon village. Set in a carefully-selected valley surrounded by forested mountains, Yangdong’s natural beauty was celebrated in poetry of the 17th and 18th century. The village itself has changed little since the height of the Joseon dynasty, with timber-framed houses, Confucian schools, and thatched-roof cottages preserved in their original state. While many of the old commoners’ homes are still lived in to this day, the larger mansions are empty and open to the public. Yangdong offers visitors the chance to step back into a vibrant moment in Korean history, as life has continued here without the influence of modernity so common in the rest of the country.

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Gyeongju

Gyeongju served as the capital of the Silla dynasty for a thousand years, starting in 57 BC. For a time, it served as the region’s capital city, and at the height of its dominance was home to a million people. Gyeongju’s long and storied history never feels too far off, thanks to the tombs, palaces, and temples that greet visitors at every turn. In fact, it’s been nicknamed Korea’s “museum without walls.” The UNESCO World Heritage Site Bulguksa Temple is the city’s crown jewel: a sixth-century complex with a grand double staircase, stunning halls, and two pagodas, one austere and one ornate. Nearby is the Seokguram Grotto, where a stone Buddha sits beneath a dome of interlocking granite panels built in the eighth century.

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• New! South Korea & Japan: Temples, Shrines & Seaside Treasures