2025 South Korea Tour Recap and Photo Log
Next South Korea Tour: May – June 2026
Days One & Two — May 23 & 24, 2025
After arriving in Seoul, we had a delicious welcome dinner at Seo-Seo Galbi, which has been around for more than 60 years in the Mapo neighborhood. Seo-seo galbi translates to “standing ribs,” referring to the beef ribs that are grilled while standing in front of a briquette fire in a drum barrel.
The following day, our guests coming over from the Japan tour arrived and we spent the afternoon exploring the Namdaemun traditional market, fortress gate, Seoullo 17 Skygarden, and Yoonseul art installation, among other spots.
In the evening, we made our way to Jamsil Stadium to see the Doosan Bears host the NC Dinos. Former MLB outfielder Jake Cave picked up a hit for Doosan, but the Dinos came away with a 5-1 victory thanks to a three-run 6th inning. American Riley Thompson was the winning pitcher.
Days Three & Four — May 25 & 26
On Sunday, we saw the kt wiz take on the Kiwoom Heroes for a day game at the Gocheok SkyDome (where the MLB Seoul Series was held last year). We got to be on the field for an up close look at the teams practicing before the game! Kiwoom is struggling this year with a 14-40 record coming into the day and unfortunately fell short in this one as well by a score of 2-0.
After the game, we had a chance to check out the Seoul Friendship Festival, designed to promote cultural exchange between Seoul and global cities, a long-standing tradition dating back to 1996! Embassies from all around the world put on cultural displays and served their national food.
On Monday, we enjoyed more Seoul sightseeing beginning with the National Museum of Korea. Then, we walked to Gwanghwamun Square which has epic sculptures of Korean historical figures such as Admiral Yi Sun-shin (defeated the Japanese) and King Sejong (created the phonetic Korean Hangul alphabet).
After lunch, we visited the Gyeongbok National Palace to see the ceremonial Royal Changing of the Guard. In the evening, we got a beautiful view of the city from the N Seoul Tower.
Days Five & Six — May 27 & 28
We began Tuesday with an early guided tour of the DMZ before making our way to Suwon KT Wiz Park. Our guests enjoyed a chat with KT outfielder (and former Hanshin Tiger) Mel Rojas Jr. before the game — huge thanks to him for giving us his time!
The Wiz defeated the Doosan Bears, 2-1, and that meant we were allowed to go on the field to high-five the home team! Pitcher Emmanuel De Jesus was kind enough to say hello and take a group photo! Mel Rojas, who stole a base in the game, also presented David with his jersey afterwards. Such an awesome experience!
The following day, we took the train from Seoul to Gwangju. We visited Gwangju Jeil High School, the most dominant youth baseball powerhouse in Korea, which has produced scores of KBO players, including many of its all-time greats. Notable Gwangju Jeil alumni include Dong-Yol Sun (perhaps Korea’s greatest pitcher) and Jong-Beom Lee (father of SF Giants OF Jung-Hee Lee whose resume includes 13 All-Star games, two KBO Series MVPs, one MVP, and the single-season stolen base record); and MLB players Jae Weong Seo, Hee-Seop Choi, and Byun-Hyun Kim.
Days Seven & Eight — May 29 & 30
After spending the morning in Gwangju, we made our way east to Daegu on a van and stopped by Seoseok Elementary School where San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee, the “Grandson of the Wind,” attended.
Afterwards, we had lunch at Woosung Restaurant, which was the favorite of many of the stars of the Samsung Lions’ glory years, including legend Seung-yuop Lee, because it provided food in the same way that one’s grandmother prepares it. It is a staple in the KBO world!
We also visited the nearby historic old Lions ballpark, Daegu Citizens Stadium Baseball Field, which hosted the KBO’s greatest dynasty in the 1980s. In the evening, we saw the Samsung Lions beat the Lotte Giants, 9-3, at the new Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
The following day, we did some sightseeing in Gyeongju beginning with the Bulguksa Temple and Seokugram Grotto. Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram combine to form an important Buddhist religious and architectural site. Built in the 8th century, they were jointly named UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995. Still home to monks and an essential pillar of Korean Buddhism, the sites combine to host a number of official Korean National Treasures, such as pagodas, bridges, and other artifacts.
We had lunch at Hwangnidan Street, which is popular for its traditional Hanok-style buildings, before checking out the Daereungwon Tomb Complex, an ancient burial tomb of an unknown king that contained 11,000+ artifacts. Later, we enjoyed the popular nighttime destinations of Cheomseongdae Observatory, Donggung Palace, and Wolji Pond. The lighting is serene and the landscapes are beautiful!
Days Nine & Ten — May 31 & June 1
We got to Changwon NC Park in the early afternoon to see the NC Dinos take on the Hanwha Eagles. The game was all tied up at 3 entering the 9th inning, but Hanwha scored 6 runs to go up 9-3. NC fought back with 3 of their own in the bottom half, but the Eagles were victorious in the end.
After the game, we headed off to Busan and stopped at a restaurant in our guide Diego’s hometown. Grilled eel is their speciality but all the food was amazing!
The following morning, we visited the Gamcheon Culture Village, which was formed by refugees of the Korean War who built their houses in staircase-fashion on the foothills of a coastal mountain. The many alleys that cut through the community are vibrantly decorated with murals and sculptures created by the residents.
In the evening, we watched the Lotte Giants host the SSG Landers at Sajik Baseball Stadium. Once again, the game was deadlocked in the 9th, but SSG scored in the top of the inning and went on to win, 4-3. Former Hiroshima Carp Drew Anderson pitched well for the Landers, delivering a quality start.
We’ll be doing a lot more sightseeing in Busan tomorrow!
Days Eleven & Twelve — June 2 & 3
We spent all of Tuesday sightseeing in beautiful Busan. We began in Gwangalli — one of Korea’s most popular beach areas — before seeing the stunning Haedong Yonggungsa Temple which is perched above the rocky shore of the East Sea.
Then, we trotted towards The Bay 101, a culture and art complex in the Haeundae Beach area (Korea’s most famous beach destination). There, we enjoyed a peaceful yacht tour from Haeundae to Gwangalli Beach and back, just in time for dinner.
The following morning, we traveled to Daejeon and had a quick snack at a bakery called Sungsimdang, which truly has the best fried bread rolls in the world! The crunchy treat had a viral moment when former Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu presented it to manager Dave Roberts before the 2024 MLB Season Opener between the Dodgers and Padres.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, the newest KBO stadium that just opened earlier this year! We got a great tour of it and it has tons of awesome modern elements. It also holds far more fans than their previous stadium, which the franchise had called home since their founding in 1986. Former NPB pitcher Cody Ponce threw six strong innings and the Eagles crushed the KT Wiz, 10-1.
We’re off to Incheon next for the final stop of our trip!
Day Thirteen — June 4
It’s our last day of the trip! We took an afternoon bus from Daejeon to Incheon, which took about two hours, and stopped by the market to buy some goods to barbecue at SSG Landers Field! We enjoyed the food while catching the Samsung Lions and SSG Landers game, which Samsung won 3-1.
With that, our two week KBO tour has come to a close! We attended games at every stadium, traversed many great cities and cultural sites, and made countless friends and memories along the way. Thank you for joining on this epic Korean baseball adventure!