I-Witness team spends an awesome winter in South Korea

The I-Witness team enjoying winter in South Korea. 

Unbeknownst to many, South Korea is one of the best and cheapest winter destinations outside of Europe and North America, boasting of an unforgettable winter experience that will make you want to keep coming back. The good news is, Incheon is just four hours away from Manila by plane, with budget airlines offering flights to South Korea for as low as P2,000.

Sandra Aguinaldo and her I-Witness braved temperatures as low as -12 degrees Celsius, and clothing as thick as six layers, to show you which sites, sights and attractions you can visit in the land of K-Pop and bibimbap.

Gyeonggi-do Province

Website: en.ggtour.or.kr

The province of Gyeonggi-do is the most populated province of South Korea. It is ideal to tour this province first since it’s just one train ride away from the airport. From there, lots of adventures await thrill-seekers with different theme parks and attractions.

TRIVIA! Gyeonggi literally means “the area surrounding the capital” in Korean. It is aptly named since Seoul, South Korea’s capital city, is nestled within the area of the province.

First stop: One Mount Theme Park, Goyang

Address: (10392) 300 Hallyuworld-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang City

Website: www.onemount.co.kr

It’s winter all year round in One Mount’s Snow Park, the world’s first snow park.

Located forty-five minutes away from the airport, One Mount is a collection of different theme parks that cater to different tastes and fancies. Since the theme for this trip is winter, we went to One Mount Snow Park which lets visitors enjoy snow and ice activities all year round.

A huge ice rink is a big hit for children learning how to skate, while adults and kids can both enjoy a sleigh ride pulled by Siberian huskies around the park. At scheduled intervals, artificial snow falls from the ceiling, making the experience more realistic and fun. Kids can also write a letter to Santa at Santa’s Village, and wish for souvenirs that can be bought inside the park.

I-Witness host Sandra Aguinaldo enjoying the “snow” flurries inside One Mount Snow Park. They’re actually soap bubbles.

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, the third floor has amenities to your delight. Sliding down the Snow Hill can be a little scary at first, but proves to be gentle and fun along the way.  

Everland is one of South Korea’s most popular theme parks..

Nature-tripping at Everland’s Zootopia

Address: 199 Everland-ro, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin City

Website: www.everland.com

Everland’s Zootopia lets visitors enjoy an animal safari without the need to go to the African savanna. Here, we pose inside the bus with a camera-shy lion..

Everland is one of the most popular theme parks in South Korea, and is located in Yongin City. The park is divided into five different areas and you can just pay for the areas you want to explore. We went on a safari in Zootopia, Everland’s animal encounter area, where we got to bond (albeit from a distance) with bears, zebras and giraffes.

Aside from the elephants and lots of tigers and lions, Zootopia also houses “Chris,” a liger, or a cross between a tiger and a lion. Chris is the only liger that can be found in South Korea.

Gangwon-do Province

Website: www.en.gangwon.to

YongPyong Resort is South Korea’s oldest ski resort. It has 31 slopes in total and will play host to slalom events in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

We spent two days touring and shooting different attractions in Gyeonggi-do, but now it’s time to go hardcore on the snow as we move to the hilly and mountainous province of Gangwon-do. It is located on the eastern coast of South Korea and is home to different ski and beach resorts. The cities of PyeongChang and Gangneung, hosts to the 2018 Winter Olympics, are located here.

Learn how to ski in Yongpyong Resort

Address: 130 Yongsan-ri, Daegwallyeong-myeon, PyeongChang

Website: www.yongpyong.co.kr

Sandra Aguinaldo enrols in a ski class, ices, err, aces it. Here, her instructor Andrew teaches her how to break.

Considering that this place is indeed a winter sports and adrenaline rush wonderland, you shouldn’t really mind that it’s two hours away from Seoul by bus. Once you see the snow-covered slopes and mountainsides, you’ll know for sure that this is not the same trip to the province you’re used to back in the Philippines.

BUDGET ALERT! A half-day’s worth of lessons can set you back 280,000 won, or a whopping 11,200 pesos. If you don’t have that much to spare, how about an online tutorial instead?

Yongpyong Resort is home to Dragon Plaza, Asia’s largest ski plaza, where you can learn how to ski or enjoy extreme winter sports like snowboarding. It also boasts a 3.7-kilometer gondola ride, one of Asia’s longest, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the snow-laden city.

Looks familiar, right? YongPyong’s Dragon Valley Hotel and Dragon Peak were shooting locations for “Winter Sonata: Endless Love.”

Once you get to the top, you can visit the sites where they shot “Endless Love: Winter Sonata,” one of South Korea’s most loved dramas. You can act like you’re Jodi and Jun with your special someone, while you watch expert-level skiing enthusiasts slide their way down the slopes.

YongPyong’s snowy slopes, viewed from Alpensia’s observatory deck.

Alpensia Resort: Alps in Asia

Address: 223-9 Yongsan-ri, Daegwallyeong-myeon, PyeongChang

Website: www.alpensiaresort.co.kr

What acrophobia? Visitors walk on a steel platform high up in the observatory deck to get to the jump-off point of the ski jumping tower.

Alpensia Resort, located just ten minutes away from Yongpyong, will play host to the ski-jumping competitions in the 2018 Winter Olympics. This resort was specifically built to host the Winter Olympics, way back in 2004 when South Korea launched its first bid. The name is a portmanteau of Alps in Asia.

Aside from a five-star hotel for accommodation, you can also face your fear of heights by ascending to the Ski-Jumping Tower, standing tall at a height of 49.5 meters.

Wrapping up your winter escape

Please don’t mind us taking advantage of this picturesque view.

To give you a headstart from all that snow sepanx you will have to deal with when you’re back in the Philippines, it is advisable to distract yourself by going to these places:

Gotta Wind Village

Address: Street Road 8, Hoenggyeri 141, Daegwallyeong-myeon, PyeongChang

Website: www.windvil.invil.org

As if the snow isn’t cold enough, visit the Gotta Wind Village to enjoy picture-perfect views and jaw-dropping backdrops. Aside from a tour of the windmills, you can also take a quick class on ice cream making (in three steps!) and pizza making, or get friendly with the sheep in the farm.

Korean Folk Village

Address: 90 Minsokchon-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin City

Website: www.koreanfolk.co.kr

Before heading back to the airport, the Korean Folk Village in Yongin City back in Gyeonggi-do, is a must-visit. This is South Korea’s version of Nayong Pilipino, only larger and grander. The whole complex is a recreation of a typical historical Korean town, complete with houses for different citizen classes, a town hall, and even a prison. Most of the sites here have served as the setting to popular Koreanovelas such as “Jewel in the Palace” and “Hwang Jini.”

You can also watch cultural performances, which are regularly scheduled.

Once you’re done collecting memories, both mental and digital (Uyy, Snapchat!) from this winter trip, now you’re ready to fly back to Manila and explore the rest of our 7,500 islands.

For more information and assistance in visiting different tourist destinations in South Korea, head over to Korea Tourism Organization’s website or like their Facebook page. ---BMS, GMA Public Affairs