George Mason University has campus in South Korea, in the Songdo International Business District of Incheon. Marcus spent the second semester of his freshman year studying in Korea; he had the most amazing time. This was the impetus for our trip to Asia.

Seoul, officially Seoul Special City, is the capital of the Republic of Korea, and the country's most populous urban area. The broader Seoul Capital Area, encompassing Gyeonggi province and Incheon metropolitan city, hosting more than half of South Korea's population. Seoul is the seat of the South Korean government.

Changgyeonggung is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea. The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong. It was originally named "Suganggung", but it was renovated and enlarged in 1483 by King Seongjong, at which time it received its current name. Many structures were destroyed during Japan's multiple late 15th to 16th (1592) century attempts to conquer Korea and invade China. It was rebuilt by successive Joseon Kings but was once again largely destroyed by the Japanese in the early 20th century.

The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38^th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North Korea and South Korea under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, an agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command.

Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House in English, is a public park that formerly served as the presidential residence and the diplomatic reception halls of South Korea from 1948 to 2022.
Cheong Wa Dae is a complex of multiple buildings built largely in the traditional Korean architectural style with some modern architectural elements and facilities. Consisting of the Main Office Hall Bon-gwan, the Presidential Residence, the State Reception House Yeongbin-gwan, the Chunchu-gwan, Press Hall, and the Secretariat Buildings. The entire complex covers approximately 250,000 square metres or 62 acres.

Suwon is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately 30 km (19 mi) south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan Metropolitan City, though it enjoys a lesser degree of self-governance as a 'special case city'.
Traditionally known as the 'City of Filial Piety', modern Suwon retains a variety of historical landmarks. As a walled city, it is a popular destination for day-trippers from Seoul, with the wall itself, and the Hwaseong Fortress.

Gyeongju, historically known as Seorabeol, is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC - 935 AD), which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean peninsula at its height between the 7^th and 9^th centuries, for close to one thousand years. Later Silla was a prosperous and wealthy country, and Gyeongju was the fourth largest city in the world. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls". Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto, Bulguksa temple, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Yangdong Folk Village are designated as World Heritage Sites. The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.

Bulguksa is a Buddhist temple on Tohamsan, in Jinhyeon-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
It is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and contains six National Treasures, including the Dabotap and Seokgatap stone pagodas, Cheongun-gyo (Blue Cloud Bridge), and two gilt-bronze statues of Buddha.
The temple is considered as a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla kingdom.

Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, with its port being South Korea's busiest and the sixth-busiest in the world. The surrounding "Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region" is South Korea's largest industrial area. The large volumes of port traffic and urban population in excess of 1 million make Busan a Large-Port metropolis using the Southampton System of Port-City classification. As of 2019, Busan Port is the primary port in Korea and the world's sixth-largest container port.

Jeju Island is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of 1,833.2 km2 (707.8 sq mi).
The island lies in the Korea Strait, south of the Korean Peninsula, and South Jeolla Province. It is located 82.8 km (51.4 mi) off the nearest point on the peninsula.
Jeju is one of two special self-governing provinces in South Korea, meaning that the province is run by local politicians. The Jeju people are indigenous to the island, and it has been populated by modern humans since the early Neolithic period. The Jeju language is considered critically endangered.