Stories from
the Heart of
Modern Korea
Seoul Journal was founded in 2021 by a small team of writers, photographers, and chronic café-sitters who wanted to write about Korea the way they actually experience it — honestly, slowly, and with genuine love for the complexity of a country that contains multitudes.
We cover travel, culture, food, and the texture of daily life across the Korean peninsula. We believe the best travel writing doesn't just tell you where to go — it gives you a reason to care about a place before you arrive.
Why We Write
the Way We Do
Korea has never needed a Western gaze to explain it. We are not a translation service for curiosity. We are writers who live here, eat here, argue about ferry schedules and the correct gochujang-to-doenjang ratio, and occasionally get lost in ancient mountain monasteries.
We write for people who want to go deeper than the top-ten listicle. We trust our readers to be curious, patient, and willing to sit with complexity. Korea rewards that kind of attention.
We accept no sponsored content that compromises our editorial independence. Every restaurant we recommend, we paid for. Every hotel we stayed in, we booked ourselves or were genuinely gifted access with full disclosure. Our loyalty is to our readers first, last, and only.
The People Behind
the Stories
Minji Lee
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Seoul-born travel writer and former Condé Nast Traveller editor. Specializes in slow travel, historical Korea, and the anthropology of Korean food culture. Has eaten at over 400 jjigae restaurants and is still counting.
Ji-yeon Park
Senior Writer, Culture
Busan native with a background in art history and contemporary Korean design. Covers the intersection of traditional craft and modern aesthetics. Also writes about K-cinema, hanbok, and the architecture of Seoul's Han River parks.
Hyun-woo Shin
Writer, Food & Lifestyle
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu Seoul and writes about Korean food with the rigor of someone who has argued about the regional origins of doenjang with strangers at traditional markets. Also covers Seoul's evolving café culture and wellness trends.
Sora Kim
Photographer & Visual Editor
Documentary photographer based between Seoul and Jeonju. Shoots on film and digital. Her work has appeared in National Geographic Traveller Korea and The Guardian. She is responsible for every photograph on this site that makes you want to book a flight.
Dae-won Oh
Contributing Writer, Travel
Itinerant writer with an encyclopedic knowledge of Korean hiking trails, ferry routes, and regional bus schedules. Has walked the complete Jeju Olle Trail three times and can name every peak in Seoraksan by sight. Proudly over-equipped for every trip.
Yuna Choi
Writer, Lifestyle & Wellness
Wellness writer and certified skincare educator who covers K-beauty with appropriate skepticism and genuine expertise. Also writes about jjimjilbang culture, Korean fitness trends, and the philosophy of 눈치 (nunchi) — Korea's concept of social intuition.
Our Editorial Values
Authenticity
We write about Korea from the inside out, not as tourists passing through. We live here, speak the language, and eat at the places where menus have no English translation.
Depth
We refuse the shortcut. Every piece is researched thoroughly, fact-checked carefully, and written to tell you something you couldn't find in a travel app or a Wikipedia summary.
Aesthetics
Korea is one of the most visually arresting places in the world. Our photography, design, and writing try to do justice to a country that lives and breathes beauty.
Have a Story
to Tell?
We're always looking for writers, photographers, and local experts who know a specific corner of Korea deeply and want to share it with our readers.
Pitch us a story, a photo essay, or a restaurant deep-dive. We read every submission.
Submit a Pitch