One of the important lessons that I learned in Seoul, which was really a carry-over from a lesson that I learned in Russia, is that Americans (including myself) are not always right! In Korea, when walking on the street or anywhere, it is the custom to pass on the left and not the right. I understand that this may be leftover from when Japan took over the country. In any case, I found myself nearly colliding with a number of folks, even though the sidewalk was wide open! Luckily, I was able to step back, see what I was doing, and decide that as a guest of Korea, it would not be amiss for me to be more flexible. This made my visit to Seoul a lot more enjoyable.

First off, this city is also referred to the spelling of SEOUL, not soul as this application spells it. Unbearable humidity in the summer time. UNBEARABLE. Beads of sweat within minutes without even moving. Huge western theme park...the best sushi in the world with addictive pickled radish, guckdugea *spelling* on the side, and of course the infamous kimchi. Interesting tables in traditional restaraunts with circular hot plates where they fry strips of beef after cutting it first with scissors!..housing and accomodation very crammed and stacked...stay away from the border between north and south if you can. It feels about as safe as it looks.

Don't piss off a Chinese guy
keep you wallet chained to your pants
don't forget your bag.

Cross road very quickly because, you only get green for less than 5 seconds. It flashes red before reaching 1/4. Chopsticks there are metal and heavier and might seem odd compare to regular Chinese chopsticks.

Street market near the JW Marriott.  Filled with the worst examples of US service men.  Rude, loud and vulgar.  The Ugly American paled in comparison.

For the most part the citizens are pretty nice - However, check news listings about demonstrations especially near US Military bases. Demonstrations do tend to turn more violent then not. The city is very different then shoping in the US. Each part of town is basically set up to deal with one type of merchandise such as maintainance supplies in one section, clothing stores in another and electronics in another. Warning: There is a market to purchase electronic items and pirated movies. The movies are usually taped in movie theaters and definately not good quality as some people have said. I personally will say buyer beware. I would prefer to go to a legitamate store for these items. Pickpockets are severe in some parts of town. There use to be a clothing market and thousands of people are jammed together in a small area so beware of your money, purses and backpacks. This particular clothining market had a severe fire back in 2005 so I am not sure if they are back up and running. Food - Asian food is abundant as you would guess. Good luck on the food but I would honestly not trust the street vendors as they are not regulated for health and safety. American food is also available. Transporation: Beware when crossing streets as most motorists do not regard safety of others and it is common for motorists to ignore traffic signals and signs. Do not drive your own vehicle or rent a vehicle without insurance - A lot of motorists are not licensed nor insured. Hit and Runs are very common in Seoul. The best transporation is the underground subway system which is decent and very inexpensive.

bring Korean won to prevent getting ripped off

amazing place with amazing tastes

watch out for the college kids in the summer... the heat makes them crazy about hating americans!

Try to avoid late-night trains as much as you can in South Korea. If you're able to MAKE the late trains, you're golden. However, if you miss the last train (usually around midnight), you'll be stuck in the station until 7-8 AM, and they close up shop for an hour from 1-2 AM (and literally kick everyone out, even if you have a train ticket). When you arrive back at the station, expect it to be full of the homeless and vagrants (who are generally NOT friendly to foreigners) until the morning trains begin to arrive/leave, when they'll clear out. In short- if you miss the last train, get a hotel!