The Essential Guide to Incheon

Wolmido Island is about a kilometer (a half-mile or so) from Incheon and, once upon a time, was actually an island; now it’s joined to the mainland by both road and monorail. During the war, it was used to block access to Incheon and was occupied by North Korean soldiers. The island was one of the first places attacked when South Korea and the U.S. headed for Seoul. Today, it’s a big playground with an amusement park with lots of walking paths and restaurants. The islet also is the site of the Traditional Garden, which replicates some famous scenic spots around the country. It makes for an easy city break—and it’s free.

Incheon’s Freedom Park (also called Jayu Park) celebrates the end of the war. In a prominent place you’ll find a statue of General Douglas MacArthur, who remains a hero in South Korea for leading the amphibious attack that liberated Incheon. This area has always been a park—during the Japanese occupation, it also held a shrine—so there’s a tinge of age that this part of the country frequently lacks. Locals come here as a quick getaway from the city’s concrete. The park has a tiny zoo, a lot of statues and an odd sculpture commemorating an 1882 treaty with the United States. But the real draw is the view. The higher uphill you go, the better it gets: Step by step, the city and the harbor are revealed.

Jajangmyeon Museum, at the edge of Incheon’s Freedom Park, shows that the city has something going for it besides war history. This is a museum about noodles: not just any noodles, but the Korean specialty of black soybean noodles. Here you can learn about the history of the noodle and its manufacture—and even “the influence and value it effected on Korea.” Sometimes tiny, highly specialized museums are the best way to learn about a culture; they capture the details of life the culture wants to make sure are never forgotten.

Shinsegae Department Store in Incheon (there are also a few in Seoul and several others scattered around the country) is South Korea’s answer to Macy’s or the Bay. Seven floors of exactly what you’d expect to find in department stores, but with local twists. Few people of European descent will be able to find clothes that fit, even those that are well under six feet tall. But it’s great fun to browse the housewares and the odds and ends. Note: One good Korean knife could replace every sharp edge you currently have in the kitchen drawer.