Chungcheongnam-do Travel Guide

Baekje Cultural Land, built over a period of 17 years, is nestled in Gyuam-myeon, Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, providing a home to Baekje’s Cultural Heritages. The complex was used as a filming site for “Running Man”, in the episode starring Jeong Wooseong and Han Hyoju.The site is spread out over 3,276,000 square meters, filled with the trace of Baekje Culture. Sabigung Palace reproduces the scenery of a royal palace during the Three Kingdoms period, and Neungsa Temple, a royal temple representative of Baekje, has been recreated according to the real size at the historic site in Neungsan-ri, Buyeo-eup. The Five-story Stone Pagoda, prominently seen after passing through Daetongmun Gate and Wiryeseong Fortress during Hanseong Baekje Era, gives a different aspect of Sabigung Palace. To enjoy the entire view of the complex at once, get on the Jehyangnu ferry.

Located in Baekje Cultural Land (Buyeo, Chungcheongnam-do), the museum shows the history and culture of the Baekje Period (18 BC- 660 AD). Consisting of three floors (B1F-2F), the museum offers a Regular Exhibition Hall (divided into four areas by time period), a Special Exhibition Hall, a Bakje Experience Hall, Archives Room, a 3D Theater, and an Auditorium. Equipped with diverse exhibition and education facilities, the museum displays reconstructed miniatures of relics, photos, and videos rather than real relics related to the Bakje Period, which help visitors understand the splendor of the period. It also hosts special exhibitions such as the Photo Exhibition of Buyeo a Century Ago.Baekje Cultural Land reproduces a royal palace from during the Baekje Dynasty (Sabigung Palace), a village, Wirye Fortress, Gobun (ancient burial mound) Park, and Baekje Forest, making it a pleasant tourist destination for families and friends. 

Baekjehyang is a Korean restaurant that serves traditional food. One of the restaurant's specialties is yeonipbap, the thick, glutinous rice and jujubes and beans wrapped in lotus leaves. Yeonipbap is served with ureong hoe muchim (seasoned raw snail), dubu (tofu) kimchi, spicy stir-fried pork and japchae (glass noodles with sauteed vegetables). Other specialties include ureong ssambap, a set menu of lettuce wraps and soybean paste snail stew, and meat bulgogi.

Of the numerous festivals in Korea, it is the Boryeong Mud Festival that probably attracts the largest number of international visitors. During the festival period, tourists flock to the area to experience the beneficial properties of the Boryeong mud, and also to have lots of fun. Fully immersed in the both the mud and the festival’s great atmosphere, visitors enjoy mud wrestling, mud sliding and even swimming in the mud mega tub. Visitors feeling particularly energetic can try the marine mud-training course, whilst those looking for something more chilled can relax in the mud massage zone. In the evening, music and fireworks continue the party on the beach. 

This granite pagoda from the late Baekje period in Buyeo-eup, Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do has been designated as National Treasures No. 9. It is generally known as the ‘Baekje 5-story Pagoda.’In the past, it would have been called ‘Pyeongjetap.’ As one of two extant Baekje pagodas, this stone pagoda itself is a precious artifact and very important in establishing the lineage of Korean stone pagoda patterns. With refined and creative features, this pagoda exemplifies the beauty and elegance that were imitated in pagodas built in later periods.

Baek-Je Won is a cultural complex made up of a botanical garden and the Buyeo Museum. The botanical garden has wild plants grown in the Baekje area. It is smaller than most botanical gardens but the plants here are categorized together according to their characteristics. Plants are displayed like artworks to blend together with Buyeo's cultural relics, therefore tranforming the garden into a space to see both experience both nature and history together. The Buyeo Museum has exhibits showcasing the lifestyle of Buyeo's people from the Baekje period to the modern times. Exhibits include materials related to plants and agriculture, cultural heritage artifacts, folklore materials such as ceramics, and modern-day items like stamps, music items and movie posters.

Located at the western end of Mt. Buso along the Baekma River, the Gudeurae region boasts beautiful scenery and a well-developed sculpture park. The port in the region acted as an entrance to the Sabi Castle during the Baekje Dynasty and today serves as a dock for the cruise ship that travels up and down the Baekma River. Restaurants serving delicious regional cuisine are located near the dock, making the area a recommended tourist location for visitors who are looking for a combination of natural beauty and flavorful culinary delights.Gudeurae was designated a Korea tourist region in 1985. Following the official designation, a sculpture park housing 59 sculptures was established in the area. Thirty of the works of art were crafted by sculptors residing in Gudeurae who are known for skills that have been handed down from artists dating back to the Baekje Period. The other 29 pieces are from Korean and overseas artists who participated in the International Modern Sculpture Symposium in 1999. The sculptures bring about a sense of beauty that reflects the region’s history as well as modern art, making the park a popular tourist site and retreat for residents. A monument built in memory of a well-known folk song describing the beauty of Gudeurae is also located in the region.

First established in 1929, the Buyeo National Museum was reopened in August 1993 at the current location. The museum has 4 exhibition halls and an outdoor exhibit with a total of about 1,000 relics on display.The Prehistoric Hall presents representative relics from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age found in Buyeo and the nearby Chungcheongnam-do area. In the History Hall, most of the exhibited relics are the remains of the Sabi Era of Baekje. The Sabi Era (538-660) was when the culture and art of the Baekje Kingdom was at its most prosperous. Buddhist statues that are well-known for ‘the smile of Baekje’ welcome you with happy faces in the Buddhist Art Hall. Numerous stone remains such as Buddha statues and stone pagodas can be found at the outdoor exhibition area.National Treasures such as the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje (National Treasure No. 287), and the Stone Basin of Buyeo (Treasure No. 194) are also on display. Visit Buyeo National Museum to see the treasures and riches from the Baekje times and to experience the dynasty’s love of form, detail and restrained opulence.

Seosan Bus Terminal is managed by Dongmun-dong in Seosan-si. Buses leaving the terminal go all across Korea including Chungcheongnam-do, Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gangwon-do every day. Also, the bus terminal operates local buses to Seosan and Taean.

Asan Spavis is located about an hour away from Seoul, and uses hot spring water for its unique sports and treatment facility. Spavis is a family-oriented leisure facility that houses a treatment pool that uses hot spring water for various medical treatments, an outdoor hot springs pool that you can enjoy even in the winter, a hot spring pool tucked away in a cozy hut that’s perfect for families or couples, and a kids park where children can have a safe and enjoyable time. Other facilities include a snow sledding area, a sports massage center, a skin care treatment center, and more.