I (21f) am planning a trip to South Korea and am wondering if I am bringing enough money?

1000 usd for a week is doable if you're not splurging, but tbh prices have crept up since you were last here. a meal at a decent place in hongdae is more like 12-15k won now, and a coffee alone can hit 6k. if you want to eat at your old spots and do light shopping, you'll be fine, just don't expect to buy much at aland or around hongdae street stalls without watching it.

for hotels, check out the shilla stay in gwanghwamun, it's clean and close to the palace area but quieter than myeongdong. or if you want more local vibes, look at a guesthouse in ikseondong, those hanok-style places are still reasonable and the alley cafes are great for a solo trip

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You know the city already so you should be fine. 1000 USD for a week is comfortable if you're not going crazy, especially since you're not paying for accommodation. Street food and casual restaurants in Hongdae or Sinchon are still cheap, a meal for 8000 to 12000 won. Just watch the cafe prices, they've gone up a bit since 2022. For a hotel, check out the area near Euljiro 3-ga, there are some reasonable places like the Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong if you want a solid location without the Myeongdong price tag.

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the whispering thing is real but its not about the sauce lol. that guy runs a 2am handoff with the chicken supplier, they drop off fresh birds from a farm near Chuncheon three times a week instead of using the frozen stuff most hongdae spots rely on. thats why the texture hits different, not the sauce itself. if u go back ask for the neck & wing combo off menu, its cheaper & honestly the best cut they do

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the thing nobody mentions is that Dogdogdog's sauce gets its body from cheong, the Korean rice syrup, not sugar. thats why it coats the wing so thick and stays glossy instead of going sticky. i asked a guy who worked there and he said they also add a splash of maesil (plum) extract at the end off the heat. that fruity tang under the garlic is what you're tasting. go on a weekday before 6, weekends the wait hits 40 min easy.

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honestly the "secret sauce" thing is prob just marketing. every fried chicken place in Seoul has a version of that story. the real difference at Dogdogdog is they double fry in rice bran oil and toss the wings in the sauce twice, once right out of the fryer and again after a 30 sec rest. thats where the crunch comes from, not some mystery ingredient. if u wanna taste the actual base, order the banban half plain half spicy and dip the plain one in the spicy sauce yourself.

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