Separated from Seattle by 5,000 miles and the world’s largest ocean, I am sipping a vanilla latte at Starbucks.

Later, I walk among hundreds of pedestrians as dozens of neon signs illuminate

entrances to bars, restaurants, cafés and clubs. I pass by the curiously named Human Bar and find a suitable place to dine.

I eat barbecued squid for dinner.

I am residing in Seoul, the capital city of the southern half of Korea, a nation divided at the 38th parallel since 1953. This would be equivalent to the Mason-Dixon Line still separating the Union and the Confederacy in 1915.

The current U.S. administration labels North Korea as part of the “Axis of Evil,” a list which also includes Iran and Iraq. Although many people think of South Korea as a third-world country, Seoul is actually a developed city like Tokyo, said Harang Kang, a UW junior studying at Yonsei University in Seoul.

A woman once asked him where he had gotten his hair cut, and when he told her he’d had it cut in Korea, she said she was surprised there were salons in Korea.

Seoul is actually the bustling capital of a country the size of Georgia with an economy comparable to Spain’s. The city’s population rivals that of New York City.

Like New York, Seoul is a culture capital; Korean television dramas and the fashions worn by the shows’ stars are known throughout Asia, said Song You-hyun, a sophomore at Yonsei University.

“Its [dramas have] done its part in promoting Korean culture in other countries,” You-hyun said.

The fast-paced lifestyle in Seoul mirrors New York as well, Kang said.

Many establishments are open 24 hours a day; there are still customers in some bars, clubs, restaurants and karaoke rooms at four in the morning.

“There are street vendors that aren’t available in Seattle,” said Lisa Rho, a UW senior also studying at Yonsei. “They sell spicy rice cakes and fried potatoes, and that’s not something you see in Seattle.”

While it’s tasty and convenient to duck under the street vendor’s canopy for a serving of spicy rice cakes, there are also McDonald’s, Burger Kings, Starbucks and self-proclaimed “western bars” throughout Seoul. At the latter, the Rocky Mountain fresh taste — or maybe not so fresh after having been shipped to South Korea — costs about five dollars; at Starbucks, a regular brewed coffee goes for about the same.

“American imports are more expensive here,” Song said.

Eating out can be an adventure in itself, since many popular restaurants will drop a plate off and expect the patrons to barbeque that food using a grill built into the table.

At some restaurants, it’s possible to order squid so fresh that the tentacles still squirm on the plate when it’s delivered. For those inclined to experiment, dog meat soup is served in some restaurants and whale is available in coastal areas of Korea. These dishes, however, are not the standard fare. Chicken, pork and seafood are much more common.

“Research the food before you get here because there might be English translations,” Rho said.

When it’s time to pay for the meal, foreigners might be pleased to note that the concept of a tip is completely absent at restaurants.

Apart from the daily necessity of eating and sampling Korean cuisine, the city abounds with distractions. Whereas Seattle’s commercial attractions, such as Pike Place Market, Westlake and Pacific Place shopping centers, are centralized in the downtown, Seoul’s popular districts are located throughout the city and usually accessible via public transit.

“You can do everything without a car here,” Kang said. “They have a good subway system and it’s really convenient to get from one place to another.”

Rechargeable plastic cards scan riders on and off of the subway and the electronic system also allows riders to transfer from subway to bus for free.

“The technology difference here is amazing,” Kang said, referring to subway riders whose cell phones play television programs.

On campus, Yonsei’s main library boasts a hallway full of touch-screen monitors digitally displaying the day’s newspapers. Unlike at Odegaard, every student must scan into the library and then electronically reserve a seat at a kiosk.

“It’s like a movie ticket,” Kang said, referring to the printed receipt that ensures a place to study.

This battle for wooden seats is a small example of a larger societal pressure to compete, Rho said.

“The country itself seems to be like it’s in competition with the world. It wants to prove something.”

That workplace stress, however, doesn’t always carry over into the social relationships visitors can cultivate while studying in Korea. Korean people are very welcoming and make friends fast, said Grace Kang, a professor at Yonsei.

For example, a recent fall sports festival concluded with an on-campus celebration that included live music and a free beer garden for all students. At the event, Korean students and foreign students had a chance to meet and mingle.

“The country is very open to foreigners,” Rho said.

However, Korea is a much more homogenous society than America with really no native ethnic minority. Homogenous societies are not as welcoming to other ways of life, Kang said, so you do have to conform to their standards in some ways.

A Korean-born Kenyan who studied in the United States and later worked with the U.K. parliament before teaching in Korea, Grace Kang recommended that students seeking to study in Korea come open-minded.

“Attitude and curiosity will get you places and also get you your first job,” she said.

Andrew Doughman is a UW journalism student studying abroad in South Korea at Yonsei University in Seoul.

Reach reporter Andrew Doughman at features@dailyuw.com.