Buying Winter Jacket in Korea 2016 (Sale + Recommendations)

I have been eyeing Korea's winter jackets for quite some time. Winter in korea can be really chilly thus getting a good down jacket is quite important. That is also the reason why I think Korea's jacket can be trusted when it comes to keeping warm (and staying trendy). Some of the popular brands in Korea include North Face (Mcmurdo series) and Discovery (Milford series).

I went for a winter jacket hunt when I was in Korea in early October. I believe this was the best time to get good deals for winter jackets, many of the jackets (usually past models) were on sale. A good down jacket should be water resistant, light but still thick enough to keep warm, wind resistant, comes with hood and last but not least, fashionable and stylish enough.

I had set my eyes on Mcmurdo from North Face and have been searching about it online for the past 1 year. I have no doubts at all about its quality. This costs KRW 420,000 at Gimpo outlet mall, original price is around KRW600,000. It is definitely above my budget but my bf said it's cheap going by Korean's standard. True enough, I do see a couple of people buying it.

Since I was already at the outlet mall, might as well check out more options. The Bean Pole jacket got me wavering. I have never seen such nice camel coloured jacket. The fur doesn't look too shabby and the jacket is light and comfy. This jacket comes in 6 colours (black, navy, red, green, light blue, camel). Originally selling for KRW 418,000, it was going at KRW 209,000 (after tax) while I was there. A bargain too good to give up on. Tax can be refunded at the airport.

Decided to also check out K2 and Black Yak, both are well known Korean brands. I think those below ranged from KRW 300,000 to KRW 390,000.

These were of good quality as well but the design, cut and colour did not capture my interest as much as Bean Pole's. And so.... both me and my bf bought the super cheap camel coloured jacket from Bean Pole! Happy and contented. Love the colour and how the collar/hoodie fur stays up, shielding the neck from the cold.

By the way, I got my jeans from Uniqlo at Myeongdong, it seems like slim boyfriend fit is the trend in Korea in Autumn 2016.

Hope this guide will help you make a decision on Korea winter jacket investment.

Refer to my Recent travel to Jeju post for a photo of a coat I got from Korea (from a brand called Soup).

How to Make Korean Soybean Soup Doenjangjjigae (됀장찌개 만들기)

I have always been a fan of Baek Jong Won (백종원) and his recipe for 됀장찌개 didn't disappoint. It's a simple recipe worth trying even for noobs. Will definitely make this again.

Ingredients (for 2):
500ml rice water (soak rice in water till it turns milky, filter and collect the water)
100g shabu pork
2 slices of raddish about 0.5cm thick (ok to add more)
2 tbsp soybean paste (doenjang)
0.5 tbsp pepper paste (gochujang)
0.3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 zucchini
Chopped spring onion

Method:
1) Prepare the ingredients by cutting the pork slices into smaller pieces, cutting raddish into long stripes and cutting zucchini into quarter cube.

2) Add some oil to a pot and stir fry the pork until it is cooked. Then, add in raddish and cook till it wilts.

3) Pour in the rice water and continue boiling. When it starts to bubble, add in the soybean paste, pepper paste, sugar and garlic. Wait till it boils then add in zucchini. Continue boiling for another 5 minutes or until the zucchini softens. Add chopped spring onion.

Above photo is for a serving of 4 person

I have transferred the contents into a Korean pot, which I bought from a Korean mart at $6.90, and heating it up  just before serving. This step is optional. The original recipe that Mr Baek did was for 1 serving and he cooked it in this traditional Korean pot.

Seoul Summer 2016 - Latest Trend and Tips (Sheraton Walkerhill, rash guard, grapes, sparkling water, lotte duty free shopping)

The bf made a reservation at the Sheratin Grande Walkerhill hotel. For those familiar with kpop, you will know that many Korean artistes choose to hold their wedding here, at Astons house.

I had very high expectation of this hotel but was quite disappointed. There are still some pros about this hotel.

Our booking was at Douglous house which had a separate check-in area. The hotel receptionist was waiting at the lobby door and guided us on the hotel facilities and services. The check-in process was smooth and at the end of it, the bell boy helped us with our luggage. I would say that the service here is top notch.

The room is clean and comfortable however, the toilet is a little dated. They had free flow coffee at the lounge.

There are two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. We went to both but only managed to snap photo of the indoor one. If you are not a hotel guest, you have to spend more than SGD100 to get in to their outdoor riverpark. It consists of a lazy river (water is quite still though), a jaccuzzi (crowded), kids pool (with slides and all) and a main pool (filled with people playing beach balls). It was the worst pool I have ever visited and until now, I can't comprehend the high entrace fees. Worst of all, if you need to use the sunbed, you need to pay krw50,000. We had no choice but to place our belongings on the floor beside the sunbed. We got out in less than 30 minutes and headed to the indoor pool which was much better. But the pool was quite small and we were under the watchful eyes of hotel staff who had to explain the rules (if you are not swimming, keep to lane 1 etc) to every guest entering the area.

Summer is a good time to enjoy a dip in the pool. Almost everyone had rash guard on and many shops (including major brands like SPAO, who r u, 8seconds etc) were selling them as well. Got mine from who r u at krw29,000. Supposed to protect you from the harmful uv rays. I didn't stay in the sun long enough to test it out but feels great to have those belly fats covered.

Next, we visited one of the wedding venue, vista hall. There were many curious couples there. Without any deco, the place looked so average, different from their advertisement photos. The view from the ballroom was great though - overlooking han river.

Most artistes had their wedding at Astons house, outdoor wedding venue. Couldn't access the area, drove through the place instead and snapped some photos of their villa.

Our room came with free breakfast which was good and had great variety but still lost out to Conrad and Shilla.

If you are in Korea for summer, you have to try their grapes. One box like the one below costs krw9,900. It's seedless and really sweet. We usually eat the grapes without the skin; only popping out the flesh.

My other loots(honey butter chips, honey butter almond, market o cheese chips etc) from the supermarket. Stay away from the churros almond (bottom right).

Another trend in Korea is carbonated/sparkling water, to drink and to rinse. Due to its slightly acidic properties, it is said to be good for the skin and scalp. Many beauty programmes are introducing it as facial/scalp wash for detox. The brand below is quite popular in Korea, selling at krw1,000, cheaper than perrier.

After so many trips to Korea, found out that I have been purchasing cosmetics via the wrong channel. I used to purchase cosmetics off shelves in Myeongdong but the Lotte Duty Free app has changed my perception of duty free shopping. Lotte duty free shopping app is not just about purchasing products tax free. The discount coupons and discount events can reap substantial savings. Link to English version.

How cheap is it? Using the Laneige purchase below, waterbank gel cream is sold at KRW 37,000 and waterbank essence is sold at KRW 40,000 on Laneige official website. However, Lotte duty free is only selling it at KRW 29,886 and KRW 30,996 respectively, almost 20% discount. Other brands might have even higher discounts.

From Laneige website

From Laneige website

From Lotte duty free app

After you make your purchase, follow the instruction and collect it at the airport (after clearing immigration). Your products will be properly packed into a bag and once your number is called, the bag will be handed over to you. Simple and cheap. Be sure to click on every event to get discount coupons.