South Korea. To the world it is bright neon lights, fuel-efficient cars, genetic research and kimchi. The Land of the Morning Calm is deservedly lauded as a spreading ground for future tech and well known as the K-pop powerhouse, though Seoul is furiously rebranding as a design-centric, green-focused hub to East Asia. But what of the Korea that existed before and beyond the glass and granite of modernity? How much of it remains?

The emerald carpets of the Boseong Tea Fields offer a glimpse of what Korea was before it became an Asian power, and is a relaxing respite from the chaos of the city centers.