Is Ulaanbaatar a Korean Colony?

Ok, that is a bit of a stretch, but then again . . . is it?

Why would I even think such a thought? Could there be a sizeable Korean presence in Ulaanbaatar? Did I see Korean products, signage, and even buses throughout the capital? Did all these Korean things stand out to me, seeing I had lived in Korea for almost 6 years by now?

Indeed.

Allow me to demonstrate my evidence below . . .

1. Seoul Street

"Seoul Street" in the middle of Ulaanbaatar.
Complete with the ying-yang, Korean-style pagoda, and Hanguel

See the street sign? There it is.
You can also see the State Department Store in the background.

2. "Umoney," the public transportation card

Korea has the "Tmoney" public transport card.
Ulaanbaatar has the "Umoney" public transport card.

I saw public buses that were just like those used in Korea--especially Seoul. However, I can see those buses were 20 or so years old. I found this article from 5 years ago describing the new way to pay for riding the bus: the "Umoney" card.

3. Korean signage

This is 1 example of many Korean businesses in the capital of Mongolia.

Not only did I see Korean signage, but I also saw Korean businesses there, like Tom n Toms, CU convenience store, karaokes, restaurants, skin care shops, and so many more. Here's an interesting Wikipedia article that briefly explains what happened.

Ok, I saw Loving Hut in Korea, but do you notice the dentist a floor above?
Can you see the Hanguel for "dentist" (치과 의사)?

4. Education and other

During my first 2 years, I was employed by an academy chain called "SDA Language Institute." Yes, it was run by my church. Does it reflect the church's values? Not anymore. Not for a long time. However, that's a story I won't get into right now. I do want to say that a branch opened in Ulaanbaatar several years ago. I went to see if I could find it and to see if it followed the trend of what happened in Korea.

I was sad to see that indeed it did.

I am glad, however, that the local members can have fellowship together in their language. You don't know how precious that is until you don't have it anymore.

I wandered through the building, looking for any foreigners who could explain if there was an English service anywhere in the city. I also wanted to see how the classrooms looked like.

A classroom with the Hanguel alphabet on the right, and the Cyrillic alphabet on the left.

I'm sad to see the institute is no longer a missionary post, but I am glad it still offers services to the community. Below is a pamphlet I captured in a picture.

Even though this is in Mongolian, they let you know Korea participates in this too.

So, is Ulaanbaatar a Korean colony? Not really. Is there a noticeable Korean presence? Perhaps. Is this a good or bad thing? I don't think it's so black-and-white. There are surely positives and negatives, but I leave that for you to research and decide for yourself.


I will officially end my blog series of memories in Mongolia with a slideshow of my pictures and one video I took during my long weekend in Ulaanbaatar. I seriously need to return.

You seriously need to go and check out this country for yourself.

Weekend in Ulaanbaator_Sightseeing and Shopping Edition

There is quite a bit of sightseeing, and shopping one can enjoy in Ulaanbaatar.

How much history do you think a country dating back to the 3rd century BC can have? Have you heard of Ghengis Khan? How about the Mongol Empire? Did you know the Mongol Empire was the largest empire in history? There are quite a few museums to see in the city (I'd almost argue that the country outside the capital can be its own open-air museum).
I went to the main square where you can pay your respects to Ghengis Khan, wandered in the National Museum of Mongolia, and passed by a dinosaur museum. The National Museum of Mongolia had some English text, but don't expect to understand absolutely everything. Still worth a visit.

 Sukhbaatar Square

Sukhbaatar Square is where you can come face-to-face to Ghengis Khan himself (the statue).

This is a large square.

Yes, this city has several skyscrapers too.

I came in time to see a wedding party taking their photos with the great Khan himself.

Of course, this language nerd has to take (and share) as many pictures of this script as possible.

Again, this space is HUGE.
Watch out for people coming up to sell you stuff!

 National Museum of Mongolia

The National Museum of Mongolia was right beside Sukhbaatar Square.

I think I had just missed a school field trip tour.
Hooray for fantastic timing!

This is quite meaningful.

I hope the plaque is clear enough to read.

 Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs

I actually never visited the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs, but I did walk by it a couple of times as I went to Luna Blanca Vegan Restaurant.

The architecture is what attracted me.
See the dinosaur escaping?

I don't consider myself to be a big shopper, but I enjoyed looking around the shops in Ulaanbaatar. Most of the items are either locally made or from local materials (or both)! Consider the exchange rate, and even I got a little carried away.

State Department Store

The State Department Store is one of the biggest department stores (and tourist shops) in the capital.

Go to the top floor (6? or 7?) for souvenirs.
This is also where I got my crazy cheap SIM card. Excellent value!

Crossing the street head-on to that department store.
Crossing the street in general in this city can be quite wild.

Wait, what? What are The Beatles doing here?
See the department store in the background? Now you know where to find them.

 Mary and Martha Mongolia

Mary and Martha Mongolia shop is famous for its fair and ethical trading between local artisans and customers. Their prices are a little higher (by local standards). However, you can shop for your souvenirs here with a clean conscience.

Coming from up the street

Facing the store

In case you were wondering...

I just scanned one room with backpacks, coin purses, and handbags. Just look at those designs! Can you believe they are all handmade?

I went a little crazy in this shop. I bought several bags of soap samples made of animal fat, charcoal, and other materials, a couple of leather thimbles; a coin purse; and even a purely cashmere poncho. All of that cost $47.73 USD!

Don't worry, there are enough shops even in the airport, in case you don't find (or forget to look for) anything in the capital. This city/country can really turn me into a shopper (says the self-proclaimed "non-shopper.").

Weekend in Ulaanbaatar_Food Edition (including vegan food!)

Ah yes, one of the best parts about traveling: food!

I've heard Mongolia's meat of choice is lamb, so I was both excited and relieved. Most of Asia's meat staple is pork. I stay away from pork as much as I can (which can be a challenge in Asia). Lamb, on the other hand, is very much ok. I also don't have the opportunity to eat much lamb meat in Korea. Lamb just isn't that popular in Korea (then again, it is hard to find sheep in Korea, generally speaking).

Now I was in Ulaanbaatar, let me find some traditional meals I can enjoy with a clean conscience and unaffected digestive tract.

Simple Mongolian Dumplings

1 simple but delicious dumpling.

Oh, can you imagine the smell and the broth?

1,600 MNT = 58 cents USD!!! That's for 2 dumplings!

Seeing how cheap Mongolia is, I was very encouraged to try and buy as much as I could. 

Luna Blanca Vegan Restaurant

In carnivorous Mongolia, imagine how shocked I was to find Luna Blanca Vegan Restaurant in Ulaanbaatar. Sure, it was in a Buddhist center, but still. I was utterly shocked. I had to go in and check it out!

Inside the gate, you see the sign on the right.

Said gate

I took the liberty of capturing the entire menu for you. I'm not vegan, but that didn't stop my mouth from watering and debating about which dish(es) to order.

Remember, as you look at the prices that USD 1 = 2,747 Mongolian Tughrik.

View from my seat

A couple of traditional Mongolian musical instruments

Lovely place, right?

My order: Mongolian Plate Combo (14,500 MNT)

See how HUGE this was?

Oh, look inside that vegan dumpling.

This one too

Hahaha, I have conquered!
What's for dessert?

Vegan cheesecake!

It didn't stand a chance.

18,600 MNT = $6.77 USD TOTAL!!!

Here's the building.
You seriously have to check this place out, even if you're not vegan.
Seriously, when and where can you stuff yourself with vegan cuisine for less than $7 USD? 

I returned the next day.
My order this time: "Flour Power" for 8,500 MNT

Dessert: Vegan chocolate cake

Seriously reminded me of Vienna's Sachertorte.

 Loving Hut--in Mongolia too?

I know it's an international vegan restaurant chain. I saw them in Korea.
I had no idea I'd see any vegan restaurants in Mongolia.
Now I've seen 2 just a few meters from each other!

 Toyoko Inn Breakfast

I went to a hostel when I first arrived, but I felt that I needed a hotel. Seeing the prices and knowing there was a Toyoko Inn in the city, I thought I'd go and get a room.

I went ahead and got a club card. If you compare all the prices together (of where you could join), Mongolia has the cheapest one-time membership fee! See for yourself.

This is a great Japanese budget hotel chain. Highly recommended!

Alright, enough about the hotel. How is their breakfast? Scroll on.
(Deepest apologies for the bad photo quality)

Juice/coffee/tea/milk bar

Apologies for the blurriness.

My plate.
I was delighted with this breakfast.

Oh, and the single room was perfect for me. The bed felt like heaven.