The trip to Korea started out with the Business Class flight from Vancouver to Seoul on Air Canada. We landed and then slowly proceeded, through mass snow fall, by bus to Taebeck. This was part of the coal mining region but the mine was shut down and used as a tourist site and Museum. The hiking available in this area was good and probably great in summer when you could get around easier.
We would be sculpting here provided the snow returned and the rain would stop.

During our visit to Taebeck we were treated to the daily gathering of crows. Hundreds would flock in the late afternoon to the top of one of the shaft heads for the coal mine. This giant tower which winched up the mined coal from below ground.
The geothermal heating which we here are only really starting to look at is quite common here. The building we were housed in had nice heated floors which were great to sleep on. The tatami mats, (8 wasn't enough), were a little hard to get used to for sleeping but were great for stretching and yoga.

Sure there are a lot of people but you don't really notice until you drive for miles and miles through endless city to the airport. Seoul with it's huge wholesale warehouses. Like the million square foot button warehouse, there could be more but I only saw the one.
Or you can drive for miles and miles in the other direction and see very few people. There are the endless fields for crop growing, rice. Kimchi is of coarse everywhere, and it all tastes a little different, like curries.

It would be nice to see to have seen some more of the country, but blowing snow and giant snow banks hampered this effort. An inexpensive way to travel in Korea is to use the pubic baths. For the cost of the bath which is usually hot and cold tubs as well as sauna and steam. There is a rest area and you can stay over until the morning with your rectangular wooden pillow and Korean Television. I think everyone in Korea owns a flat panel television. Even the dingiest little hole in the wall restaurant has a flat panel. They are so far ahead in the field of electronics, it really makes the North Americans seem like they are still coming out of the dark ages.