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The Korean Peninsula’s hot, wet summers and cold and snowy winters have cultivated hardy native plants. While spring is when forsythia and cherry blossoms burst awake from their winter sleep, it’s during the summer that Korea’s parks and forests become truly verdant. Unfortunately, summer is also when seasonal monsoons bring weeks of wind, rain and mud. Given this reality, a nature lover’s best bet might be visiting an indoor garden.

The controlled microclimate of a greenhouse can host an exotic mix of plants and flowers. One case in point is the surprising strand of tree ferns located inside Incheon International Airport. Native to South Korea’s sub-tropical Jeju Island, the three-meter-tall trees in the Transportation Center greet passengers as they transit between the AREX Airport Express station to Incheon’s main passenger terminal. Called Stargarden, it’s two sturdy glass and steel tunnels softened by 9,000 herbs, cacti, aquatic plants (and waterfalls!) and hanging plants. An attractive boardwalk rises and dips through 2,000-square meters of space that’s been divided into seven themed gardens. Located amidst a cavernous hall in one of the world’s busiest airports, the ambitious botanical space is an unexpected treat for the weary traveler.

On a recent visit, an exhibition featured the winners of a design contest for the airport’s second terminal (exhibit runs through August 3rd). Scale models of seven honored designs were on display, including the winning plan by a joint-South Korean-American consortium. With construction scheduled to begin in May 2013, the renderings suggest that Terminal Two will expand Terminal One’s experiment with indoor landscaping.

Innovative approaches to airport management is a major reason why Incheon has received Airports Council International’s “Best Airport Worldwide” award for six years running. In the words of USA Today, a major American daily newspaper, “Why can’t all airports be like Incheon?”

From the ultra-modern greenhouse we’ll retreat five centuries to a royal glasshouse. Among the city’s five grand palaces, Changgyeonggung is known as one of the two eastern palaces. Built in 1484 by King Sejong the Great for his retiring father, Taejong, while it may not enjoy the notoriety of its UNESCO-recognized neighbor, Changdeokgung, it can also boast a unique charm and intriguing history.

It was in 1909, just one year before Japan colonized Korea and ended Joseon’s 518-year dynasty that the aspiring empire demoted Changgyeonggung from palace to simple park. The plan included hiring a French company to erect Daeonsil, a grand glasshouse, as well as botanical gardens and a zoo. The placement of wild animals on former palace grounds was particularly insulting to Korea’s royal family.

At the time, the “Crystal Palace” design was in vogue across much of the West. Joseph Paxton’s massive greenhouse at the Great Exhibition of 1851 demonstrated the United Kingdom’s technological prowess during the Industrial Revolution. As a rising power itself, Japan hoped that Asia’s largest Victorian-style glasshouse would also promote its regional dominance. Upon liberation, Korea demolished many remnants of its colonial past. But when Changgyeonggung reclaimed its palace status, Daeonsil was retained. As a result, visitors can continue to enjoy the elegant structure’s narrow, whitewashed frame that maximizes sunlight, as well as the half-circles and decorative flower shapes on the roof’s ridgeline that soften its hard lines. Inside, the warm air is heavy with humidity. Some 100 different types of plants sit happily atop a broad perimeter shelf in attractive ceramic pots or in shallow beds. Below them, an orange tile floor is separated by a white banister from a recessed central area marked by a small pool and two large beds filled with tall trees, ferns and a carpet of ivy.

Outside, a Renaissance-style fountain is surrounded by a labyrinth-style boxwood hedge. Looking at all of these reminders of Korea’s turbulent modern history, the rain can take on a subtle melancholy. And yet, inside the fountain is something redeeming – a stone turtle that lurks just below the water’s surface. Amidst Daeonsil’s foreign designs is a Korean talisman of security and longevity.

And finally, if horticulture isn’t your hobby of choice, we’ll try something more athletic. Especially when the elements make exercising out-of-doors difficult or dangerous, it’s important to find other ways to stay fit. Cases in point are the growing number of indoor climbing gyms. While Korea’s legion of very fashionable hikers have long made a sport of traversing the country’s mountainous terrain, rock and even ice climbing have recently emerged as popular pastimes. Peak climbing season typically runs April through November, but even the most seasoned climbers head indoors during the monsoon season.

As a result, in recent years a number of Seoul-area climbing schools have opened to help climbers hone their technique during the off-season. One of the best facilities for a wide range of skill sets is the Kolon Alpine School Education Center. Located directly below the bald granite head of Bukhansan National Park’s Insubong peak, the seven-level center includes retail space, classrooms and two climbing rooms.

Watching as climbers deliberately plan their movement across a wall covered in grips of various sizes, shapes and colors, it’s easy to see why climbing is an excellent full-body exercise. The careful calibration of one’s weight and balance relies heavily on the legs. Newcomers to the sport will soon learn that climbing makes use of muscles that most of us have forgotten we had. But for men and women, alike, climbing is a great way to gain muscle tone without adding significant bulk. Furthermore, those interested in indoor training don’t have to invest on expensive equipment, since most indoor gyms require only a good pair of climbing shoes.

Should you want something more adventurous, Kolon Alpine School has also installed an ice climbing wall. With a Guinness Book of World Records plaque to prove it, the school boasts the world’s highest indoor wall of ice. Once inside the chilly chamber, ropes dangle beside an igloo and ice-making machine. Especially during these hot and humid summer months, I can’t think of a better way to cool off.

At first glance, the persistent rain of the summer monsoons can put a literal damper on your plans to get out and enjoy all that Korea has to offer. Rather than let the summer sonagi squash your sense of adventure, however, see the rain as the perfect reason to venture off the typical travel itinerary and experience more of what Korea has to offer.