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Hahoe Mask Dance Drama Performance
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Andong-si)

The mask play of Hahoe Byeolsingut Exorcism itself, performed first by merchants in Andong Hahoe Village around mid 12th century is designated as Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 69. Hahoe Village, a clan village of the Pungsan Ryu family, preserves the traditional Korean way of life. The entire village has been designated as Important Folklore Material No.122. The mask dance performance has been performed to wish for much happiness and a good harvest for the village. Event Programs: Byeolsingut Exorcism means an unusual and uncommon form of exorcism. In an agricultural society, a good harvest was considered to be the key factor of the village’s survival and the villages performed a sacrificial rite to pray to the heavens for an ever-lasting and bountiful harvest. As an act of incantation, the mask dance is made up of 10 episodes with a satirical story of former nobleman. The 10 episodes include: the ‘Gang Shin Episode’ (an invocatory rite of a would-be medium), the ‘Mudong Episode’ (the doll bride enters the stage), the ‘Juji Episode’ (Juji is an imaginary animal), the ‘Butcher Episode’ (a character butchers a cow without any hesitation), the ‘Granny Episode’ (the sorrow and joy of the lives of the public can be felt), the ‘Depraved Monk Episode’ (it satirizes the depraved monks and Buddhism at the end of the Goryeo dynasty), the ‘Nobleman Episode’ (it satirizes the hypocrisy and affectation of former noblemen), the ‘Dang Je’ (a ritual service for putting God back in his first place), the ‘Wedding Episode’ (the doll bride and the scholar marry) and the ‘Bridal Room Episode’ (describing their honeymoon).

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POSCO
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Pohang-si)

Pohang steel mill was created in the early 1980s at Yeongilman Bay with a view of breaking away from the agriculture-centered industry of the 1960s and launching the area into the heavy chemical industry. The construction of the steel mill lasted from 1970 to 1981. At the POSCO History Center, visitors can learn how the steel mill operates and how POSCO emerged as one of the most competitive companies in the world within just three decades. The bus tour of the steel mill has become a popular tour course for business travelers.

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Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Mungyeong-si)

There are 3 legendary boundary gates at Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park, on rough mountaintops, which are reputed to be too tall for even birds to fly over.Mungyeongsaejae, which overlays Mt. Joryeongsan, has always been the highest and most dangerous mountain pass. It was cleared during the time of Kim Taejong (reign 1400~1418) of Joseon Period, and was used until a new road was built through the Ihwaryeong Gyegok Valley.The boundary gates and castle walls were raised here after the Japanese Invasion of Korea (1592 and 1598). The second boundary gate, Jogokgwan, was raised in 1594, and in 1708 Juheulgwan and Joryeonggwan were raised and were used as fortresses for national defense. They were damaged after that point, but in 1966 the No. 1, 2, and 3 boundary gates and castle walls were designated collectively as historical relic No. 147 and were later restored in 1976.Take the big road beside boundary gate No. 1 of southeastern Korea, Juheulgwan, for about 1.5km and you’ll arrive at Joryeongwon. There are only stonewalls left from the many inn-like dwellings, which were built to accommodate government officials on official tour. Past the tavern, which was restored in 1983, you’ll reach the Jogokgwan. The area around Jogokgwan is famous for its birch trees, and the Mungyeongsaejae Revolt Monument can be seen on the left side of the road.It’s 3.4km from Jogokgwan to Joryeonggwan, through a walkway with its harmonious scenery of rocks and cool streams. Instead of taking the big road, you can take the road with the sounds of stream water, to a waterfall. 30 minutes farther and you’ll arrive at Hyeguksa Temple.Hyeguksa Temple is at the edge of Juheulsan, and is the place where King Gongmin (reign 1351~1374) stayed while avoiding the peasant uprising. Past Hyeguksa Temple and the Royal Palace about 1km, you’ll reach the sacred peak of Mt, Juheulsan. The view of the winding mountain ranges from the mountaintop is spectacular. From the mountain top, past the valley, is Jogokgwan.The 3rd boundary gate is at Juheulsan (1,106m), and it takes about 4~5 hours to get to Jogokgwan from Juheulgwan. The area was designated as a Provincial Park in 1981.KBS drama studio is located in Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park, specializing in historical dramas, and it is the largest scale studio in the world. There are three palaces and many houses from the Goryeo Period, spread over 60,000 m2.

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Imcheonggak House
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Andong-si)

The Imcheonggak Pavilion was built as a home during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1919) because of one aristocratic family’s love for the scenic beauty of the surrounding area. The most famous structure on this property is the annexed pavilion. Imcheonggak is designated Treasure No.182. Thankfully this structure was untouched during the Japanese invasion taking place from 1592-1598. An autograph of the famous Confucius scholar, Lee Hwang (1501-1570), can be found hanging outside the pavilion.

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Andong Folk Museum
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Andong-si)

The Andong Public Folk Museum is where you can experience Confucian culture and traditional games of Korea. Andong is famous for Confucian culture and the four traditional ceremonies (the ceremonies of coming of age, marriage, funeral and ancestral worship). Here you can view the lifestyles of the past and important cultural treasures. The indoor museum is segmented into three exhibit halls. At Exhibit Hall 1, the process of going from the birth of a baby to childhood is displayed. At Exhibit Hall 2, the process of becoming an adult to the rituals of death and funeral is displayed. At Exhibit Hall 3, the daily life and traditional games are displayed in small models. Including old farming tools and cloth making process, the folk relics of this museum add up to 3,700 artifacts. There is also a visual system for videos. After you look through the indoor exhibits, head outside to the outdoor exhibits. The outdoor exhibit is a park complex, made of folk houses and cultural assets moved to this site. You will see exhibits representing the Andong lifestyle such as a stone house, a straw roofed, mud-hut and a watermill.

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Geumgwanchong Tomb
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Geumgwanchong, located in Noseo-dong, Gyeongju, is a tomb from the Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57∼A.D. 935). It is one of the three tombs that belong to the Noseo-dong Tombs in downtown Gyeongju.Geumgwanchong Tomb is regarded as the tomb of a king before or after the reign of King Ji-Jeung during the early 6th century (500~514). It is not known exactly to whom this tomb belongs.It was found in September 1921, when the fief was chopped while a civilian was leveling the ground to widen his building land. The first relic found in this tomb was a gold crown, geumgwan, and so the tomb took its name. Ornaments such as gold belts, earings, bracelets, saddlers and crockery of the Three Kingdoms Era (when Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla were separated, later unified by Silla in 676 AD) were dug up from the tomb. There were numerous relics, with beaded relics alone numbering over 30,000.The original structure of Geumgwanchong was 13m high with a 50m diameter. The relics from this tomb were moved and are now preserved at the Gyeongju National Museum. 

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Seokbinggo
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Seokbinggo means a freezer made of rocks. It is an ancient refrigerator only in Korea. It is located in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Era (BC57-AD935). The appearance of this wonderful vestige is humble and simple. But you will not be disappointed at the entrance of the freezer. You can feel the cold from inside the structure. Half of Seokbinggo is underground while the other half is above ground, signifying the scientific propensity of Korea. The floor, walls, and ceiling are made of granite and have an airway. The walls are covered with limestone to keep off moisture and water. The floor is slanted to allow melted ice to funnel out. Frozen ice was popular for the upper class. From historical annals, it is assumed that Seokbinggo was made at least 1,500 years ago. Seokbbingo has been designated as National Treasure No. 66.

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Hwangnyongsaji
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

The site of Hwangnyongsa Temple is located in front of the Bunhwangsa Temple in Guhang-dong, Gyeongju. During the Silla Era, the Hwangnyongsa Temple was the nation’s largest temple and housed the bulk of the country’s major Buddhist treasures.Construction of the temple began in 553 on a field near the royal compound of Banwolseong under the commission of King Jinheung. The king originally planned to build a palace, but decided to build a temple instead, after receiving reports that a yellow dragon had been spotted on the building site. The temple was thus named Hwangnyongsa (Temple of Yellow Dragon) and was completed in 569, seventeen years after construction began. The temple murals feature an old pine tree drawn by Artist Solgeo. During the Silla Era, the temple was the center of state-sanctioned Buddhism.Later, when monk Jajang was studying in Tang, he came across a god as he was passing by the Taihe Pond. The god said to him, “the yellow dragon, which is my eldest son, is guarding Hwangnyongsa Temple upon orders of Brahma, the Creator. If you build a nine-story pagoda upon your return to Silla, the neighboring states will surrender and pay tribute, and the royal cause will be stronger. Once the construction of the pagoda is complete, prepare a memorial service for the local gods and pardon any of the country's criminals. If you follow all I have told you, no other state will dare invade Silla.”After this encounter, Jajang returned to Silla and convinced Queen Seondeok to build the nine-story pagoda. Master architect Abiji of the neighboring state Baekje designed the pagoda and the project was built by Yongchun and his 200 men using wood and stone. The night before the columns were to be erected, Architect Abiji of Baekje dreamed of the fall of Baekje and refused to complete the project. With a peal of thunder, an old monk and a man of great strength suddenly appeared from the temple's main hall, erected the columns, and magically disappeared. Abiji was so shocked at the sight that he accepted his country’s future demise as the fate of the gods and once again restarted work on the temple. (From Samgungnyusa, the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)In the twenty-three years following the completion of the pagoda, Queen Seondeok unified the Three Kingdoms; later, numerous scholars pointed to the pagoda as a contributing factor in the unification. Of the three treasures of Silla (the Jangyukjonsang statue, the nine-story pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple, and the Heavenly Belt of King Jinpyeong) two were located at the Hwangnyongsa Temple. The largest bell of Silla was also in Hwangnyongsa, but was taken away during the Mongol invasion. The highest monks of Silla preached at the temple, and many kings came to listen to the Buddhist teachings.During excavation work in July 1969, the massive foundation stones of the sermon hall, auditorium, and pagoda were found. Eight years of archaeological excavations and studies revealed the unique layout of the temple grounds, which consisted of one pagoda and three halls; also found were 40,000 or so ancient artifacts. Though foundation stones and other structures from the bottom of the temple were identified through excavation, there are no historical clues about the temple’s upper design, making the restoration of the temple in its entirety practically impossible. The size of the temple, based on archeological findings, was about 70 acres, roughly 8 times that of the Bulguksa Temple. 

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The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok (성덕대왕신종), the largest Korean bell preserved, stands 3.75m tall, has a lip diameter of 2.27m, and is 11-25cm wide. In 1997, Gyeongju National Museum weighed it at 18.9 tons. The bell was cast to pay tribute to the memory of King Seongdeok. It was completed in 771 and named ‘The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok.’ However, because the bell was installed at Bongdeoksa Temple, it has also been called the Bell of Bongdeoksa. The bell is also known as the Emile Bell (에밀레종), a name derived from an ancient legend in which a child was sacrificed in order to give sound to the bell, whose echoes of ‘em-ee-leh’ resemble the traditional Korean word for "mommy." The tubular sound pipe at the top of the bell that helps the sound reverberate is a unique feature that can be found only in Korean bells. The yongnyu, which servers as a loop to hang the bell, has been decorated to resemble a dragon’s head. A band of arabesque patterns can be found at the shoulder, and the striking point of the bell is in the shape of a lotus flower. The magnificent design and inscription methods used in this bell exemplify the craftsmanship of artisan’s from the Unified Silla period. The bell is also inscribed with over one thousand Chinese characters, and its beauty and integrity have been meticulously preserved despite the passage of over 1,300 years.  

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Bonghwangdae
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Bonghwangdae is an ancient tomb of Silla located in the tomb cluster of Nodong-dong. The tomb is an impressive 82 meters in diameter and 22 meters in x_height, making it look more like a hill than a tomb due to its humongous size. Though said to be the tomb of a king, this has not been verified since the tomb has never been excavated. The name “Bonghwang” (meaning “phoenix”) comes from the legend of Wanggeon and the geomancer. Wanggeon was waiting for the fall of the Silla Kingdom and decided to seek the help of a geomancer. The geomancer said that the kingdom of Silla was shaped like a ship and that this “ship” must sink in order for the kingdom to fall. After promising Wanggeon that he could sink the ship of Silla, the geomancer sought an audience with the king of Silla. The geomancer told the king that the land of Silla resembled the shape of the Bonghwang (phoenix) and that the bird was about to fly away, which would bring about the ruin of the kingdom. The king, who had been worrying about domestic affairs, believed the geomancer and asked him for a solution. The geomancer told the king that if he made a hill that looked like an egg at the capital city, the “bird” wouldn’t fly away, but would stay to protect her egg and the kingdom. As a result, the king made of lot of ancient tombs, one of which was the sizable Bonghwangdae Tomb. Legend has it that Silla truly was shaped like a ship, not a phoenix, and all these tombs symbolized the “overloading” of the ship, leading to the eventual ruin of the kingdom. After the fall of Silla, Wanggeon rose to power and later became the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty.

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