With all the attractions that the South Korean city of Seoul offers, it can be quite expensive. That is why it is important to know the free amazing things the city has to offer, so you can make the most out of your budget. From scenic hikes to interesting museums and poetic sunrises, there are plenty of free things to do in Seoul.

119, Changuimun-ro Jongno-gu Museum

Conceived as a salute to Korean poet Yun Dong-ju, this museum houses old photos and fist editions of this beloved poet. This museum used to be a pressurisation facility, and now the design of indoor space is what captivates visitors. The magic continues outside, from where you get memorable views of N Seoul Tower.

Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine

This Shrine was built on the site of the Byeonin Persecution of 1866 in remembrance of the many Roman Catholics that were murdered there. Here you can learn about the site's history through implements of torture on display.

Culture Talk

Enjoy a free concert, attend a lecture or go to one of the free exhibitions held at the Culture Talk, a cultural centre made out of five transformed oil tanks from the 1970s. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, "The Mapo Oil Depot, a grade 1 security facility which has been strictly prohibited from public access and usage over the past 41 years, has been transformed into an environment-friendly culture space featuring festivals, performances, exhibitions and village markets since September 1, 2017.

"The Seoul Metropolitan Government is operating various participatory programs created, produced, and shared among citizens at the Oil Tank Culture Park," such as the Dalsijang market, the Bicycle Music Festival for Urban Nomads, Project Nada,

"Dalsijang market is an environment-friendly village market held around the time the moon comes out that does not use any disposable goods. The market taking place at Culture Plaza is held on the second Saturday of each month and participated by residents, social economy entrepreneurs, and young local artists. The first Dalsijang Market will be operated on September 9 (Saturday) between 5am and 9pm. When you visit the market, make sure to bring your cup and shopping basket!"

They also describe the Bicycle Music Festival, "featuring a restaurant connected to a bicycle, a moving playground with a large tire and bicycle and various artistic performances will take place on September 9 (Saturday) along with Dalsijang Market."

They also host exhibitions and workshops, so you will always find something to do even if there are no festivals taking place.

Seoul Museum of Art & the Cheongun Literature Library

Located in a historic building, SeMA is a modern art museum where the permanent exhibition is free and often overlooked in benefit of special exhibitions which can be crowded and expensive. Apart from being a library, the Cheongun Literature Library is one of the most stunning museums in Korea, and fortunately, one of the few free ones. Housing an average collection of books, the library's reading rooms are located in a traditional Korean house on the second floor.

Gyeongui Line Forest Park

Built on 100-year old train tracks that connected both Koreas, the Gyeongui Line Forest Park is an interesting park steeped in history. Stretching several trendy neighbourhoods, this part is the hot spot for locals to have picnics and a meeting point for buskers with their guitars in the Yeonnam-dong portion of the park. The park also hosts piano performances when the weather is favourable.

You can also take a stroll through the Bukchon Hanok Village, which is made up of hundreds of traditional Korean homes (hanoks).

Don't miss out on a tour of South Korea's presidential office. There you can walk through the house's famous locations, such as Nokjwon, which is the Blue House's garden of trees. You can book your tour on the office's official website, which states "Cheong Wa Dae is where the President of the Republic of Korea lives and works. The compound is home to administrative offices for the President, Secretariat and other staff as well as the official residence of the President and First Lady. Cabinet meetings, receptions for state guests, critical decision-making for the country, and diplomatic events all take place here. As such, the name ‘Cheong Wa Dae' not only denotes a specific location but also stands for the highest authority of the Republic of Korea."

Compared to "Steven Spielberg in his prime by Quentin Tarantino, South Korean Director Bong Joon-Ho has gone from blacklist to blockbuster with this film "Okja."

The filmmaker was target by the now ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye, the daughter of a dictator. Under her rule, any artist or writer who expressed "left-wing thoughts" - whoever criticized her or her policies - were secretly blacklisted. During that time, over 10,000 artists were targeted by her government.

"It was a nightmarish few years that left many South Korean artists deeply traumatized," Bong said. "Many are still reeling from the trauma," said the director, whose $50-million Netflix film tells the story of a country girl who tries to save a genetically engineered beast from the interests of a multinational company.

The blacklist consisted in denying the artists artists of state subsidies, which included Bong and Park Chan-Wook, whose erotic thriller "The Handmaiden" is an international success.

Bong's films display fascination for strong subject matter, but presented with dark humor and sudden mood shifts. His 2006 blockbuster "The Host" portrays an incompetent government left helpless in the wake of a disaster. "The Host" marked a turning point in Bong‘ career and marked a step up in scare for the Korean film industry as a whole.

The big-budget ($12 million) work focuses on a fictional monster that rises up out of the Han River to wreak havoc on the people of Seoul. Although the production encouraged strong audience interest even before it started shooting, there were many doubts concerning whether a Korean production could rise up to the challenge of creating a realistic and believable digital monster. After being unable to work with the company responsible for the CGI in The Lord of the Rings due to scheduling conflicts, Bong contacted San Francisco-based The Orphanage who took on the majority of the effects work.

Bong directed his first Hollywood film in 2012, which was "Snowpiercer," starring Tilda Swinton and Chris Evans. The success of the science fiction story led to "Okja," starring Swinton and Lily Collins.

"It is essentially a love story between an animal and a little girl, but also looks at how our lives are inevitably shaped under the capitalist system, whether you are a human or an animal," Bong said.

"Okja is my sixth movie, but the moment you show your film to the whole world for the first time is always so unnerving," he said, adding that he was feeling "nervous, thrilled and a bit relieved" to have finished the high-profile project.

Once an army-ruled blackwater, South Korea is today a cultural powerhouse and this is thanks to the greater freedom of speech the country has enjoyed since 1992, when they first elected a president without a military background. It was this change what led South Korean's entertainment industry to take the world by storm. In that contest, Bong said: "I believe the future will be brighter with the restoration of the freedom of expression."

Despite getting this far, the release of "Okja" has caused a controversy in South Korea, due to its backer Netflix's decision to release it simultaneously in theaters and online in Korea. Major Korean theater chains opposed Netflix's plan for simultaneously online and theatrical release as films are screened in theaters for at least a few weeks before becoming available online.

In a press conference, the director assumed responsibility for this misunderstanding: "I think (this situation) has arisen from my cinematic ambition. Netflix hasn't tried to push through with theatrical releases (abroad) but Korea is a unique case."

"This is because of me," he continued. "While filming with (cinematographer Darius Khondji), we wanted as many people as possible in the UK, the UK and Korea to be able to see the film on the big screen. It was my greed."

"I fully understand the position of Korean multiplex theaters... But I also think Netflix's principle of simultaneously streaming should be respected. "Okja" has been made with the subscription fees of Netflix viewers and we cannot tell them to wait until after (the movie) has screened in theaters. I respect that."

Sure K-pop is catchy, the stage performances are original and the dance routines are spectacular, but an element essential to the artist's success is how good-looking they are. Who can resist gorgeous girls dancing short and tight outfits? Right? Right?

The importance of beauty in the K-pop world is such that there is a K-pop Idol School that only admits beautiful people. Aimed at mentoring K-pop girl group members, the Idol School's website shamelessly posted "we are recruiting beautiful freshmen."

You don't need to have dancing and singing skills to be able to enter this school. The only requirement is being beautiful. After being criticized for promoting lookism, the institution claimed that the idea of "beauty" encompasses appearance, the mind, personal charm and enthusiasm. Despite this claim, it is clear they do care about the appearance as the school song is titled "Because you are pretty," and the application form requires body shots of the applicant.

The program is focused on preparing students over 11 weeks for a debut after they pass the graduation exam. The institution prepares individuals to become successful idol talents with a comprehensive curriculum that includes "Mind Control" and "How to Deal with a Stage Crisis."

In the industry, the most beautiful K-pop idols are Im Yoona, Suzy, Irene, IU, Seolhyun, Son Na-en, Kim Tae-yeon, Kang Seul-gi, Krystal Jung and Nana.

The K-pop beauty standards only reflect the country's obsession with looks. It is common in South Korea to undergo surgery in order to comply with these standards: rounder eyes, narrower faces and bigger breasts.

A K-pop band also celebrated the country's trend to go under the knife and become pretty. From nose jobs to breast implants, all four members of SixBomb went through extensive plastic surgery before releasing a new single.

One of their videos showed K-pop members visiting a clinic and lying on the operating table. Another one had them dancing with their sunglasses on and their heads wrapped in bandages. In their smash hit "Becoming prettier" they sing "everyone follows me because I'm pretty."

The electronic track, which is the antithesis to Lady Gaga's "Born this way," has raised criticism on South Korea's ultra-competitive, looks-obsessed society, where physical features are essential to improve one's social standing and help secure jobs - many recruitment adverts require a "neat appearance" and a CV with photo.

With thousands of clinics performing an estimated 1.2 million procedures a year, South Korea is the world's third largest plastic surgery market. This is a relevant position considering it only has a population of 50 million.

The pressure to get plastic surgery in South Korea is overwhelming. Adverts showing before-and-after pictures are displayed on billboards, subway trains, bus stops and toilet walls, and the message of them all is to urge women to "change" their looks: "everyone but you has done it."

SixBomb's lead singer Dain had breast implants and facial plastic surgery to make her face look smaller for a video. Therefore, they had the idea to be forward about it rather than trying to conceal it.

"We all wanted to get some surgeries done to look prettier... and thought, ‘Why not perform a song about it instead of trying to conceal it?'" she said. "People will notice it anyway, so we wanted to be open about this reality where many women want to look pretty."

Despite having released five albums since their foundation in 2012, SixBomb are yet to become a major stars and with their members getting "old" for the K-pop scene, the pressure is on, hence the effort to look prettier to get more followers.

The plastic beauty project was funded by their management, which spent 100 million won for "almost every kind of surgery that could be done on a face" and breast implants, according to head manager Kim Il-Woong.

"We haven't committed any crimes. Our only crime would be talking about it in such an open manner," he said, adding that although many celebrities go under the knife, not many come "out of the closet."

With the "Korean Wave" spreading around the world, more countries are becoming obsessed with looks. K-pop band members always look flawless, fit and with good looks. They are controlled by strict managements who dictate everything from what to sing to what to eat and what operations to have. As K-pop relies heavily on looks, not only Korean fans but also from overseas and mostly Chinese are having procedures in the hope of looking like their favorite stars.

A Seoul clinic confirmed that SixBomb's members had gone through extensive operations "all above the waist". Although none of them were forced to go under the knife - allegedly - rapper Soa had to think "long and hard" before having the "double eyelid" procedure to make eyes wider and rounder. "I really liked and was satisfied with my previous eyes, so I had to think long and hard before deciding to take part in the this concept," she said.

Although "coming out of the closet" might be a marketing move per se, the plastic surgery has raised both compliments as well as criticism. One commentator said: "I understand that you guys are desperate for publicity... but did you really need to go this far?" Another described it as "flat-out bizarre."

This move reflect's the country's "plastic surgery culture" and the prevalent sexism behind it. In South Korea, looks determine women's "social survival" and job prospects. Recruitment agencies require a neat photo for their CV. Despite being Asia's fourth largest economy, South Korea ranks at the bottom of OECD surveys on gender equality, said Jung Seul-Ah, media monitor at rights group Korea Womenlink.

"This culture has made plastic surgery something essential for many women deemed not pretty enough," Jung said, and an "absolute necessity for female celebrity whose looks are worshipped, consumed and capitalized on incessantly."

Despite the criticisms, singer Dain had not doubts. "I really love my new face and am proud of how good I look on TV screens," said said, adding she would welcome "any kind of public attention, good or band" for the project.

As K-pop takes the US market by storm, American musicians opt to launch their own K-pop careers. When actor Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, announced his plan to become a K-pop star, some people criticized his him. "He knows the K-in K-pop stands for Korean, right?"

When the all-American boy band EXP Edition released their first Korean music video, they were also accused of trying to take the "K" out of "K-pop" by angry fans. "Retweet if you think four white boys should stick to American pop. It's really not that hard," said one fan on social, accusing them of cultural appropriation.

"K-pop is supposed to be a safe space for Asians to have a platform for entertainment that they often times aren't given in the West," said another.

Although none of their members are Korean, K-pop idol group EXP Edition sing in Korean and dance K-pop style. With the tagline "Born in New York, made in Seoul," this international K-pop band - with ethnic backgrounds that go from Portuguese to Croatian - made their debut in the K-pop scene with their electronic pop single Feel Like this in South Korea.

"Music is a universal language that brings people together," said the band's leader Frankie. "We think there shouldn't be any boundaries when it comes to music, including K-pop."

"We didn't think twice before leaving the US. We had little idea of what we were getting ourselves into, but making a debut in Seoul and sharing our music with Korean audience have always been our dream."

Despite the band's relation to Seoul to learn the language, K-pop fans criticized their lack of training up against South Korean artists who attend "K-pop academics" for over a decade before their official debut.

Whether EXP Edition represents cultural appropriation or not, what is certain is that the band is "evidence of the fact that K-pop is expanding its horizon and becoming more global," said the band's creators Bora Kim and Karin Kuroda, who also claimed that criticism had "drastically subsided and their reception had been "very successful."

A Korean culture expert and professor at Seoul's Hangkuk University, Michael Hurt, pointed out the irony of cultural appropriation accusations.

"K-pop became a genre that's really a fusion of appropriated other, mostly American and actually African American art, especially singing and dancing," he said. "I think it speaks to the success of K-pop in general to see that the very culture from which they appropriated this from is now trying to enter the fray."

EXP Edition's journey began back in 2014 when Kim Bo-ra, the founder and head of the group's agency IMMABB Entertainment, had the idea of turning American men into K-pop performers for her masters degree thesis project at Columbia University.

After labeling her project "I'm Making a Boy Band," she held an audition to recruit non-Koreans for EXP Edition. The group's final four members, Frankie, Sime, Hunter and Koki debuted in New York with their English-Korean single Luv/Wrong in 2015 and shortly after released their second single Nolja Let's Party. Once they gained popularity in their homeland, they embarked on a journey and a new challenge: they debuted in the home of K-pop.

"The casting idea of EXP Edition was so unique and different from other countless auditions we had back in New York. Personally, I found K-pop to be an opportunity to challenge myself as a performer," said Sime.

Although debuting in South Korea was a dream come true for the band, it presented a challenge of a new kind. "My biggest fear is that people might think we are disrespecting or mocking K-pop. But K-pop became our life, what we do," Hunter said.

"We expected such pushback because we tried something new, even surprising. But with many comments we have been receiving from non-Korean K-pop fans, we would like to inspired them and show that they can also work in K-pop, like us," Koki said.

The band members said that what they like about K-pop and they found missing the American pop scene are the genre's versatile stage performances and the visually impressive dance routines.