Regarded as the ‘Land of the Morning Calm’, South Korea is a beautiful peninsula littered with palaces, temples, pagodas, fortresses, hills and rivers. The mountainous interior features many national parks, while the wonderful coastline is laced with more than 3,000 islands, many of which are uninhabited. Seoul, the capital, is a sprawling metropolis where modern skyscrapers, high-tech industry and pop culture meet Buddhist temples, palaces and markets. Busan, a large port city in the south, is renowned for its beaches, mountains and temples. South Korea shares one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders with North Korea.