On 15 September 1950 American and South Korean marines stormed ashore at Wolmido, a small island in Incheon harbour, in one of the boldest amphibious operations of modern war. The landing turned the tide of the Korean War, and a statue of General MacArthur, who planned it, still stands in Jayu Park above the old port. Incheon today is a huge, modern port city of nearly three million people, home to Korea's main international airport, but the old harbour district keeps traces of its past.
Next to Jayu Park is Chinatown, founded in the late nineteenth century when Incheon opened to foreign trade. It is the birthplace of jajangmyeon, the noodles in black bean sauce that became one of Korea's favourite comfort foods, and there is even a small museum dedicated to the dish. Nearby, the old Japanese colonial-era buildings have been restored as cafés and galleries.
For riders, one rule matters above all: motorcycles are banned from Korea's expressways. That means the ride to Seoraksan follows national roads, which are slower but often more interesting, with long stretches through valleys and over passes. Plan your route carefully, as traffic in and around Seoul can be dense.
For photos, Wolmido at sunset, with the harbour, the cranes and the Incheon Bridge stretching across the sea, is the classic shot. Songdo, the new city built on reclaimed land, offers a futuristic skyline of glass towers and parks.
Supplies are never a problem in a city this size. The ritual worth keeping is a bowl of jajangmyeon in Chinatown before you leave or when you roll back in, slurped noisily, black sauce on your chin, as the locals do.