Selfie shadows by the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea. July 26, 2017.

PRETTY IN PINK || No matter how well you think you know somewhere it’s always likely to surprise. Seemingly new legislation in progressive South Korea means there must be a certain percentage of car parking spaces allocated to women, marked out here on the campus of Seoul’s Konkuk University in pretty albeit faded pink paint. Honkuk University, Seoul, South Korea. July 17, 2017.

KIMCHI || Although there is progression here too, Korea is still a tough place for vegetarians. Famous for its communal BBQ dishes (chopsticks at the ready), meat & fish dominate the menu. However, every dish (yep, even breakfast) comes with rice & kimchi, the joke being that vegetarians in Korea survive solely on a diet of rice & kimchi (& tofu, the devil’s food). Made of vegetables, mostly cabbage or radishes, that are salted, seasoned and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic acid fermentation, it is nearly always red (red = spicy), always served cold and is about as Korean as Psy, Hyundai & Samsung all rolled into one big gimbap (see picture below). It took me a long time to warm to this stuff (& Korean food in general… the early years were rough), but now I can’t get enough. Yeoksam, Seoul, South Korea. July 18, 2017.

FARMER’S DANCE || I watched a few high school students on this day practice a traditional Farmer’s Dance. It was neat, even though they were missing the cool headgear (ribbons anyone?) & even cooler costumes normally worn by participants (it’s hot & sticky enough I guess). Lots of noise & leaping around in circles yada yada. From ancient times, when Korea was heavily reliant on the yearly crop to feed its people, the dance was a kinda send-blessings-to-the-gods-for-a-bumper-harvest-or-we’ll-all-starve-to-death ritual. It’s not really practiced today in uber-futuristic Korea, except to keep the tradition alive to placate tourists. Farmer’s Dance practice on the grounds of DWIMS, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea. July 19, 2017. (Other Farmer’s Dance performances, with performers repleendant in full traditional garb, as captured in Seoul’s Namsan Park in 2004 & again in the Folk Village, Yongin in 2007.)

LOTTE WORLD TOWER || This wasn’t around when last I was in early 2015. It’s certainly hard to miss it today. Presently the world’s 5th tallest building, the 555-metre-high Lotte World Tower opened in April 2017, it’s form of a slender cone with gently curved sides towering well over all in its vicinity, not to mention anything else on the skyscraper-heavy Seoul skyline. Like any supertall skyscraper, its 123 floors house a mix of retail & office space, residential units, a luxury hotel and, of course, the requisite public observation deck. Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, Seoul, South Korea. July 25, 2017.

HAN RIVER SUNSET & NAMSAN TOWER || It had been very muggy & close since arriving back in Korea a week previous. This day was somewhat clear, meaning it was absurdly hot; it seems I picked an especially hot summer in which to return to Seoul. It also meant there was a sunset, the tail end of which I caught this evening while strolling across the Jamsil Bridge spanning the Han River en route to check out the Lotte World Tower. In the distance is the distinctive shape of the early 1970s N Seoul Tower, a.k.a. Namsan Tower, a communication and observation tower atop Namsan Mountain that’s easily Seoul’s most defining landmark and one visible from most parts of the sprawling city. Seoul, South Korea. July 25, 2017. (More from Seoul Tower, as it was then known, on my first visit to its base in Nansam Park in 2004.)

CHEONGGYECHEON || Until it was restored in 2005, not long after my very first 2003 visit to South Korea, Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream was nothing but a neglected waterway hidden by an overpass. Not so today. Stretching for a few kilometres through the centre of the city, this strollable eco haven is one of my favourite parts of Seoul, not to mention a great place to bring a camera after dark, something I’ve done many times over the years, primarily as a result of developing – pun intended – my photography habit right here in Seoul. The Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, South Korea. July 26, 2017.

JONGNO || I have many, but one of my very favourite districts of Seoul is Jongo, original Seoul, the district from which the present-day megalopolis grew (and grew fast). Historic & commonly referred to as the face and heart of Korea because of its important roles in the politics, economics, culture, and history as the capital city, it is also the location for the main place complex of the early dynastic rulers of Korea. It’s also a district of neon-lit lanes full of restaurants & bars, making it one of the city’s most popular recreation districts. In the neon lanes of Jongno, Seoul, South Korea. July 26, 2017.

GWANGHWAMUN GATE || I’ve photographed this many times over the years (including on this unforgettable bone-chillingly cold February evening in 2012, only 2 years after the gate’s latest revamp), Gwanghwamun Gate, the restored main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest & most important of Seoul’s Five Grand Palaces of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). Gwanghwamun is a Seoul landmark and a symbol of the city’s long & often troubled history. It has gone through multiple periods of destruction and disrepair: it was first built in 1395; destroyed during a Japanese invasion in 1592; reconstructed again, along with the palace itself, in 1867; was moved from its present location in 1926 by the Japanese (the Japanese occupied Korea from 1910-1945); destroyed again during the Korean War; rebuilt in 1963; & underwent a complete almost-4-year renovation before being unveiled in its present glory on August 15th 2010, Korean Independence Day (from the Japanese, of course). Gwanghwamun Gate, Sejongno, Seoul, South Korea. July 26, 2017.

SHINSEGAE || One of Korea’s upscale department stores, the main branch of the Shinsegae Department Store near Namdaemun Market in Seoul currently stands where Korea’s first department store, the Japanese Misreukkosi Department Store, used to be in the 1930s. After undergoing remodeling in 2007, it reopened as a luxury shopping mecca featuring all the usual upscale brands you’d expect. Seoul, South Korea. July 29, 2017.

SEOUL METRO || With 20 different lines, the Seoul Metro is one of the largest and most efficient systems of its kind in the world – the tracks of lines 1 to 9, colour-coded lines which serve the city proper, run for some 330 kilometres (205 miles). Construction on Line 1 started in the early 1970s with the system officially opening on independence Day, August 15, 1974. With a tap on, tap off unified transportation fare system, platform real-time updates and both English and Korean announcements & display text regarding each stop, the whole system is efficiency personified. Getting around is a breeze (although crossing the vast city can take time). Riding the metro somewhere under the streets of Seoul, South Korea. July 29, 2017.

DONGDAEMUN || This day was another Seoul sizzler so I probably needn’t have – but did – subject myself to a stroll along a restored section of the city’s ancient walls, the remnants of what was once an 18.2-kilometre-long, 6-metre-high stone circuit that enclosed the city during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). Seen here from the walls is the Heunginjimun Gate, a.k.a. Dongdaemun (East Big) Gate, one of the fortress walls 8 gates, six of which survive to this day. First built in 1396, the present structure dates to 1869 and is designated Korean National Treasure number 1 (along with Sungnyemun/Namdaemun (South Big) Gate, the two largest remaining gates in the city). In the distance is the neofuturistic Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Among the largest buildings in Seoul and the centrepiece of the fashion hub district of Dongdaemun, it’s an 85,000 m² city landmark of curving steel, aluminium & stone that houses, among other things, multi-purpose convention & exhibition halls & a museum of design. The smooth-skinned 280-metre-long main building has seven levels, three underground and 4 above, all topped by a ‘walkable park’ on its roof. I’m visiting Seoul long enough to remember the baseball stadium that once stood here. Built in 1925, it was demolished in 2007 with construction on the DDP starting in 2009. Inaugurated in March 2014, the DDP is just the latest present-day Seoul landmark that wasn’t here when I last was. Dongdaemun, Seoul, South Korea. July 30, 2017.

BASEBALL || Korean baseball. It’s a different kind of experience. Cheerleaders, cheap beer, fried chicken & lots of noise. Grand slam celebrations at the LG Twins vs Lotte Giants game in Jamsil Stadium, Seoul, South Korea. August 3, 2017.

SIZZLING SEOUL || As previously mentioned, it’s an especially hot summer in Seoul this year. The must-have seasonal accessory is without doubt these KRW10,000 (€7.50) Made In China LED fashion fans; the are everywhere and the sight of Koreans – both men & women, young & old – walking around holding one of these in front of their faces will be an abiding memory of a sizzling summer 2017 in Seoul. Yeoksam metro station, Seoul, South Korea. August 5, 2017.

GANGNAM || My home for years before it shot to worldwide stardom thanks to PSY’s 2012 megahit Gangnam Style, the Gangnam district of Seoul is hip, fashionable and full of beautiful types. Needless to say I fitted right in. Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. August 5, 2017. (More captures from Gangnam over the years.)

I leave for Beijing, China tomorrow, back behind the Great Firewall. North Korea shortly thereafter. I’m excited, but right now, hours from my latest departure from Korea, I’m melancholy. I’m sad to be leaving South Korea, as I always am. I came back here for purely selfish reasons – because I love Seoul, love Korea – but remnants of the past linger, especially the people & the good-time memories they evoke. Thank you to everyone who made this return so special; it was great to catch up. I love you all. Friends for life and I hope to see you soon in Ireland. The green-tinged red carpet awaits.