Seul - Presentazione

INTRODUCING SEOUL

Good morning everyone, thank you for inviting me today to talk about Seoul.
Welcome to Seoul, get to know this fascinating place with its green space and its particular attraction! It will be love at first sight!
Today we talk about: the position of Seoul, what it’s famous for, the “new” Seoul, its main spots and highlights, the climate in this city, its religion, what kind of document you needed to go there, the Hotel Sutton (4*), typical dishes of this region, Seoul goes green (including Cheonggyechon project), and finally some curiosity about this place: Gangnam style/- gu.
I would like to begin telling you…

1) WHERE IS SITUATED THIS CITY?

• Seoul is the capital of Korea and is situated on the Han River, in northwestern South Korea.
• Seoul is the 5th largest city in the world and one of the most populous in the world.
• It is also a cultural, economical and political epicenter of the country.

Now, I would like to talk about:

2) WHY SEOUL IS FAMOUS?

• Seoul is a city with 600 years of history. It is famous because it’ s considered the historical center of the country. The city offers many cultural and artistic attractions like Museum, many temples, and four major palaces such as Gyeongbokgung, one of the most famous. Seoul has hosted important global events like in 1986 Asian Games, and in 1998 Summer Olympics and 2002 FIFA World Cup.
3) THE NEW SEOUL:
• Seoul isn’t similar to Paris or London because these are old city while Seoul is a modern city: in fact Korea was reconstructed after the issue of Korean war.
• The city was previously called Hanyang and Gyeongseongbu, then renamed Seoul in 1945, when it was free from Japanese occupation.
• Seoul became the first city in Korea to have trolley cars, railways and telephones. Since the 1960s, it industrialized rapidly and has become an economic giant center.
4) THE MAIN SPOTS AND HIGHLIGHTS:
 Gyeongbokgung Palace: is the most beautiful and largest of all four palace and it also called “Northern Palace”. It was destroyed during the Japanese occupation, however it was later restored during the reign of King Gojong.
 N Seoul Tower: N Seoul Tower is located on Mount Namsan, it offers great panoramic views of the city, and has been a symbol of Seoul since it first opened to the public in 1980. It is now a true cultural space with various performances, movies, exhibitions as well as upscale restaurants and snack bars.
 Namiseom Island (Winter Sonata): you must visit it because for Korean Drama lovers, this is the birth place of all the Korean Craze (mania). So, it is a must visit for all Asian tourists!
It is a half moon shaped(forma) island, and on it you can find the grave (tomba) of General Nami, who led (guidò) a great victory against (contro) the rebels. = (Si tratta di un isola a forma di mezza luna, e su di essa vi è la tomba del generale Nami, che ha guidato una grande vittoria contro i ribelli nel 13° anno del re 7° della dinastia Joseon, il re Sejo.)
5) HOW IS CLIMATE?
The climate in Seoul is humid continental but there is a strong difference between summer and winter. In summer it can be humid weather with temperature around 35°C while in winter the temperatures dropping as low as -13°C. Most of Seoul's precipitation falls are in the summer monsoon period between June and September. In conclusion, the best time to visit this wonderful city is in the autumn, from September to November. Also the spring has an excellent climate, but keep in mind the price increase and the gradual overcrowding which peaks in summer.
6) THE RELIGION:
The predominant religions in South Korea are the traditional Buddhist faith and also there is a large Christian population (between Catholic Christians and Protestants) but a large segment of the population is not religious.
7) DOCUMENT NEEDED:
To travel in South Korea is necessary the passport valid for at least three months. The visa (visto) is only required for stays longer than 90 days.
8) HOTEL SUTTON 4*:
The Sutton Hotel in Seoul, offers free parking, a reception open 24 hours on 24, air-conditioned rooms and modern rooms with free Wi-Fi. Elegantly decorated in soft neutral colors, rooms are equipped with flat-screen cable / satellite TV, work desk and en suite bathroom with bath or shower. The Sutton Hotel is located 750 meters from Insadong, where you will find art museums, Korean restaurants and shops. It is also just 4 km from Mount Nam-san, 5 km from the N Seoul Tower and 61 km from Incheon Airport. The price of a double room per night can vary from € 88 to € 103.

9) CUISINE:
Korean cuisine is largely based upon rice, vegetables, and meats. But the typical dish is Kimchi that is served often, sometimes at every meal. Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste).
Ingredients and dishes vary by province.
Koreans like drinking alcohol, to socialise, but they drink especially during business dinners because they thinkk that only when somebody has been drinking they reveal their true self and therefore you know if you can trust a potential business partner.
SOJU - is the most popular Korean alcoholic drink, especially among businessmen. Soju is made from grain or from sweet potatoes, it is similar to vodka and it has high alcohol content.
10) SEOUL GOES GREEN:
The economy growth was the numb. 1 priority of this city in the last decades of 20 century. The rapid growth bring the immense environment problems. For this reason the Government of Korea decree that all growth must be green to face these immense environment. South Korea need to cut CO2 emissions and power consumption. To do this the Korea Government increased green spaces planting thousand trees.
The mission of Government is to promote this initiatives in developing countries.
The Korean Government promote some eco-initiatives like:
 Transform buses and taxis into hybrid vehicles
 Project Cheonggyechon: a very busy and polluted highway has been turned into an inner-city oasis (green spaces).
This project cost 330 million of dollars and it improve the social and cultural life of the citizen tourists. So, if you go in Seoul you can have the glade to see with your eye this special project that feels you alive.
11) GANGNAM STYLE:

Gangnam (Gangnam, literally "South of the River"), officially the Gangnam-gu is one of the 25 gu (local districts) which make up (compongono) the city of Seoul. In 2010, Gangnam becomes the fourth most populous district of the capital, while as regards the territorial scope (estensione) Gangnam is the third district. In 2012, it published a song dedicated to it. This song belongs to the genus k-pop, it's Gangnam Style of Korean singer PSY.
Thanks everybody for listening and I hope have given you enough reasons to visit this wonderful city; so when you return home you will share this magical travel experience with friends and family!
People don’t travel, but are the trips that do people. (John Steinbeck)
Le persone non fanno i viaggi, sono i viaggi che fanno le persone. (John Steinbeck)