Back in the ROK (Republic of Korea) 대한민국

g8erchum
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Subway stop outside our apartment. Suyeong , Busan, South Korea

We made it! Flight from Orlando to Charlotte, JFK in New York, Seoul and finally Busan. Total travel time – about 30 hours. Times zones crossed – 13.

Orlando - Busan

A quick primer in the naming convention of Korea – South Korea’s official name is Republic of Korea. NOT to be confused with that other one (North Korea which is confusingly and officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).

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Busan – South Korea’s second largest city with 4 million people

Here’s Busan (부산). Some people think South Korea is farmland and rural like countries in Southeast Asia. It’s not. It’s wealthy (12th largest economy in the world) and high tech (fastest internet speeds in the world and wired everywhere).

How under the radar is Korea? My spell checker is highlighting Busan as a misspelling! Suyeong (수영) is our neighborhood and subway stop.

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A view of the main beach areas of Busan

We arrived at the end of January and it’s cold for us Floridians. Temperatures regularly dip below freezing.

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Gwangali beach which is a 10 minute walk away from our apartment