Simon Richmond - Korea

Yin and yang: the blue and red circle at the heart of the South Korean flag neatly symbolises not only the divided Korean peninsula but also the fluid mix of ancient and modern aspects of the country officially called the Republic of Korea (ROK). For the vast majority of visitors a trip to this part of the world means spending time in South Korea. Unfairly overshadowed by the headline-grabbing antics of its bad-boy neighbour, South Korea is a dream destination for the traveller, an engaging, welcoming place where the dazzling benefits of a fully industrialised, high-tech nation are balanced alongside a reverence for tradition and the ways of old Asia.

Academics still quibble over whether the Land of the Morning Calm (a term coined by travel writer Percival Lowell in 1885) is an accurate translation of the old Chinese characters by which all of Korea was once known. Dive into Seoul, powerhouse of Asias third-largest economy, and calm is likely the last thing youll feel. This round-the-clock city is constantly on the move, its work hard, play hard population the epitome of the nations indefatigable, can-do spirit.

Dubbed the worlds Design Capital in 2010, Seoul is midway through an ambitious frenzy of reinvention that promises grand architectural statements, greener spaces and cultural rather than industrial targets. Softer 21st-century aspirations aside, the 600-year-old city is founded on a bedrock of tradition that manifests itself in the daily pageantry of the changing of the guard at its meticulously reconstructed palaces and the chants of a shaman on a hillside. You can hardly turn a corner without stumbling across a tourist information booth, a subway station or a taxi that can smooth your way to the next discovery in this multifaceted metropolis.

South Koreas excellent transport infrastructure and compact size mean that within an hour of the urban sprawl more tranquil moments are achievable atop craggy mountain peaks enclosed by densely forested national parks threaded through with picturesque, challenging hiking trails. Get further off the beaten bath than you could believe possible by sailing to remote islands, where farming and fishing folk will welcome you into their homes and simple seafood cafes. Or sample the serenity of a Buddhist temple retreat where the honk of traffic is replaced by meditation and the rhythmic pre-dawn chants of shaven-headed monks.

If all this sounds a little too peaceful for your travelling tastes, rest assured the ROK also knows how to rock. A countrywide itinerary of lively festivals and events means theres almost always a celebration of some sort to attend. If nothing else your tastebuds will be tingling at the discovery of one of Asias least known, but most delicious cuisines. Friendly Koreans will happily share this and other aspects of their culture with you, regardless of language barriers.

An undercurrent to this bonhomie is the tension rippling out along the 38th parallel separating the two Koreas. The Cold War that has swirled around what is known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for over half a century got a little hotter during 2009 when North Korea, in the face of international condemnation, went ahead in May with its second ever nuclear test explosion (the first being in 2006). The rogue state followed this up with a short-range missile test. Even though experts believe that North Korea has yet to develop a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, there was understandable nervousness in Seoul (just 55km south of the border) as well as in Tokyo and Washington.

Prior to this, relations between the two Koreas had been deteriorating since the election, in December 2007, of Lee Myung-bak as South Koreas president. Heading up the conservative Grand National Party (GNP), Lee had campaigned on a platform of taking a tougher line with the North than had been practised under the previous left-wing governments Sunshine Policy () and the Norths refusal to cooperate in a subsequent investigation. Tourist visits from South Korea to the North a growing source of much-needed foreign income for the dictatorship were subsequently suspended.

It hasnt helped that all this has been taking place in an environment of uncertainty caused by a physically ailing Kim Jong-il and a lack of clear knowledge of who would take over as the supreme North Korean leader after his demise. The Dear Leader did show up, looking gaunt, for a photo op in August 2009 with former US president Bill Clinton, who had made a surprise visit to gain the release of two female US reporters who had been found guilty in March of entering North Korea illegally. A few weeks later Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun prevailed in a similar mission to free a South Korean hostage held by North Korea.

At the August 2009 funeral of Kim Dae-jung, the democracy champion and Nobel Prize winner who was the chief architect of the Sunshine Policy, President Lee also met with North Korean envoys. The thaw in frosty North-South relations continued as talks recommenced on allowing brief reunions between Korean families divided by the border, and regular access was restored across the DMZ to the jointly run industrial park in Kaesong. However, the pendulum swung back slightly in September 2009 as the North fessed up to being responsible for a mysterious flash flood on the Imjin River that killed six South Koreans.

While South Korea and Japan remain united in their condemnation of the Norths nuclear ambitions, the way some locals rail at their Far East Asian neighbour youd be forgiven for thinking that WWII had only recently ended. The dispute over ownership of the group of islands and rocks known as Dok-do to the Koreans and Takeshima to the Japanese () looks set to run and run its a battle that has as much to do with national pride as it does with the financial implications of Korea surrendering lucrative fishing grounds and the potentially large gas reserves in this part of the Sea of Japan (or East Sea as Koreans would have it). To mark the centenary in 2010 of the start of Japanese colonial rule on the Korean peninsula, President Lee extended an invitation to Japans Emperor Akihito to visit Seoul, hoping that it would put an end to the sense of distance between the two countries.

President Lee has also been attempting to build better relations with the US, which still has 30,000 troops stationed in the country. However in the summer of 2008, the president and his party were put on the defensive as large, occasionally violent demonstrations against resumed US beef imports brought central Seoul to a standstill. Lees popularity plummeted and he was forced to apologise for not heeding public concerns over the safety of imported US beef. He also had to backtrack on a long-cherished plan to build a grand canal across the peninsula linking Seoul and Busan.

Hoping to regain his citizens affection, the man known as the Bulldozer (he was once CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction) moderated his tough-guy stance by proposing the kind of eco-friendly, green growth policies () that had stood him in good stead when he was Seouls mayor.