South Korea is off the beaten path but I was very impressed with how clean and modern the places I visited were. I stayed in Busan and traveled to Gyeongju and Tongyeong. Haeundae Beach is gorgeous. The food is very heavy emphasis on seafood and vegetables. Which I do not favor. But I had some of the best Korean BBQ ever. The people were friendly but with the exception of the tour guides and hotel reception, English is very limited. The dollar goes far here.