Going for gold in SOUTH KOREA

South Korea may not be the Korea on your mind these days—but it should be. Next month, the country will claim the world spotlight as the host of the 23rd Olympic Winter Games (olympic.org). In preparation, the sleepy northern ski town of Pyeongchang has reinvented itself, spending $10 billion on futuristic new sporting venues and sleek hotels, including the 238-room INTERCONTINENTAL Alpensia Pyeongchang Resort (ihg.com) and the nearby Richard Meier–designed Seamarq (seamarqhotel.com). A new high-speed rail line linking the mountain retreat to the capital city of Seoul in less than an hour is also making it easy to access the games with a side of après-culture. But the reasons to visit South Korea won’t end with the last medal ceremony: This year also marks the debut of Jeju Shinhwa World (shinhwaworld.com), an expansive resort development on idyllic Jeju Island that will eventually be home to luxury residences, entertainment venues, and a new Four Seasons resort.

—Leslie Patrick Moore

HEAVY MEDAL The XXIII Olympic Winter Games will be held in the South Korean ski town of Pyeongchang this February.