Samples South Korea’s latest bid for global fame – as a tourism hotspot
the world leader in the controversial technology where DNA of dead pets can be used to create replicas.
Now, South Korea has set its sights on becoming a global force in another field – tourism.
From March, the southern beach city of Busan will welcome UK package holidaymakers.
The flight takes about 11 hours – the same time to get to Rio de Janeiro. And when you arrive in Busan, you might think Korea has cloned the Brazilian samba city too with its golden beaches, luxury hotels, world-class restaurants, trendy bars and clubs and slums regenerated into a chic art village.
There may be no statue of Christ the Redeemer but it boasts a giant Buddha overlooking the sea.
I jetted into South Korea’s capital Seoul via Helsinki on one of Finnair’s fleet of new Airbus A350s. Then, at Seoul’s central station, I caught the high-speed KTX train for the two-hour, 200-mile journey from north-west to south-east.
Even before I’d boarded, I realised I had entered a very different world.
Nipping into a cafe for a coffee, my guide Eunsook Im suggested I left my luggage outside – laptop included – unattended and could not understand why I was flabbergasted.
I said in Britain it would either be gone in 60 seconds or blown up by counter-terrorism police.
‘‘Oh you don’t have to worry about any of that here,’’ she replied.
It was an instant lesson in South Korea’s safety. Despite its turbulent relationship with its northern “noisy neighbour”, I soon realised
I’d never felt so secure anywhere in the world.
On the train no one was chatting loudly on their mobiles or playing Call of Duty at maximum volume despite free 4G wi-fi.
“We’re taught to respect each other’s rights to live in peace,’’ said Eunsook Im. “Is it not like this in the UK?’’
As we arrived in Busan, my fellow passengers began spring-cleaning the carriage – fastidiously binning empty food wrappers, drink cartons and newspapers.
The culture of cleanliness probably explains why Busan, too, is spotless. I did not see a single discarded fag end all week.
South Korea’s second city, with a 3.6million population, is home to the fifth busiest port in the world and the magnificent Haeundae Beach.
It also hosted matches in the 2002 World Cup, the 2002 Asian Games and is officially recognised