Discover Incheon's Must-Visit Gem: Songdo Hanok Village If you're planning a trip to Incheon, South Korea, one destination you absolutely must visit is Songdo Hanok Village. This unique village, located in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, isn't an assembly of old traditional houses but a newly constructed hanok complex built in 2013. The stunning contrast between the high-rise buildings of Songdo International City and the traditional Korean architecture of the hanok creates a fascinating blend of East meets West. Originally intended to serve as a space for experiencing traditional Korean culture, Songdo Hanok Village has now evolved into a vibrant commercial area. The entire site is leased to various businesses and features a hanok-style hotel, restaurants, and cafes, offering visitors a taste of Korean culture with modern amenities. Moreover, this picturesque village has become a popular filming location for several famous Korean dramas, including "Goblin," "Queen of Ambition," and "Bluebird's House." Its scenic beauty and unique charm attract numerous visitors who come to walk the same paths as their favorite TV characters.

The Geumgang Migratory Bird Observatory is located at Geumgang Estuary (Gunsan-si), one of the country’s most representative sites for migratory birds. With Geumgangho Lake, wide spreads of farmland, and an abundance of reeds and tidelands, the estuary draws flocks of migratory birds each winter.From the Migratory Bird Observatory, the first of its kind in Korea, visitors can watch birds in their natural habit. For an even deeper look at the patterns of these feathered travelers, the museum has on display bird specimens and exhibits depicting the hatching of bird eggs. Other facilities include the Geumgang Bird Park and the Ecological Center.In autumn of every year, the Gunsan International Migratory Bird Festival takes place at the Geumgang Migratory Bird Observatory, Geumgangho Lake, and Saemangeum area. One of the most popular programs at the festival is the bird-watching tour. The sight of tens of thousands of migratory birds flying overhead is truly astounding. The tour runs from the festival period all the way until the end of February.

Goryeong was the old capital of Daegaya (42-562 AD), a city-state of the Gaya confederacy that once spanned the region now occupied by Gyeongsangnam-do Province to the south of the Korean peninsula. The city of Goryeong played such a central role in the development of the confederacy that many artifacts and historic sites of the Daegaya period can still be found there today. Some of the most prominent landmarks are the 200 gobuns (ancient tombs) that lie along the southeastern slope of Jusan Mountain in Goryeong. In ancient times, the higher and larger a tomb, the higher the social status of the person buried inside. Given this tradition and historical evidence, the largest tomb in the south has been identified as Geumnim Wangneung (Royal Tomb of King Geumnim); the other large tombs are also presumed to be those of the kings of Daegaya. The large royal tombs (over 20m in diameter) dominate the mountain ridge (the highest point) while mid-sized and smaller tombs can be found on the mountain slopes and foothills. Historical research on Daegaya began with the excavation and partial identification of the ancient tombs of Goryeong by research teams from Kyungpook National University and Keimyung University in 1977. Excavators discovered a great number of relics—gilt-bronze crowns, swords, armor, and trinkets of gold, silver, and jade—that shed light on the flourishing culture of Gaya. To continue to encourage interest in the history and culture of Daegaya, officials of Goryeong-gun County established the Daegaya Royal Tomb Exhibit Hall at the foot of Jusan Mountain in Gobun-gun, Jisan-dong. The exhibition hall depicts the social structure of the era through ancient customs such as burying servants alive with their dead masters.

Maze Land is a themed park boasting the world’s longest stone maze, measuring roughly 5.3km in total length. The maze is made mainly using stone and wood found on Jeju and is created to reflect the Jeju's three principle items or "Samda," which describes the things abundant on Jeju Island: rocks, wind, and women. Not just a fun activity for you and your friends, the maze is also good for your health, as the stones emit high levels of far-infrared radiation and the wood (T. occidentalis) produces a large volume of phytoncides. The park, with its variety of trees several decades old, is the perfect place for "forest bathing,” in which people surround themselves with nature (particularly trees) to soak in the natural benefits. In addition to the mazes of tree and stone, visitors are encouraged to check out the maze museum detailing the history of mazes starting from their origin in the 14th century. During the museum tour, visitors may also participate in hands-on activities such as puzzles and games.

Sangju Silver sand Beach is busy all year long, with professional athletes coming for physical training in the winter, students camping in the spring and fall, and vacationers visiting the beach in the summer.Sangju Silver sand Beach is extremely popular especially in the summertime, attracting up to 1 million tourists who heard about the beach’s sands, waters, and groves. Families and vacationers in the summer especially love this beach, due to its beautiful white sands that stretch for 2 km and slope lazily into the shallow waters that are perfect for children to play in.Behind the beaches lies Geumsan Mountain, a place well known for its sunrises. If you happen to arrive in the evening, it’s highly recommended that you see the sunrise at Geumsan Boriam in the morning, enjoy the beach’s water during the day, and at last, enjoy an evening of ocean fishing at either Namuseom Island or Dolseom Island(Rock Island), situated right in front of Sangju Beach. To one side of the white sands are campgrounds, and the surrounding area consists of shopping streets and accommodation. 

Guwau Village is located below Pijae Hill (also called Samsuryeong) at the entrance to Maebongsan Mountain. The village got its name because its topography resembles the scenery of nine cows peacefully lying around. The Alpine Botanical Garden is located 800-900 meters above sea level and protects the endangered alpine plant species from disappearing. The botanical garden also offers visitors an opportunity to conveniently observe some rare flowers and plants. In August, when the sunflowers are in full bloom, the Taebaek Sunflower Festival is held at Guwau Village. In addition to celebrating the area’s wide array of colorful flowers, the festival also has a variety of attractions such as a drawing exhibition, a photo exhibition, and an environmental sculpture exhibition using repurposed materials.

Clean and well-preserved, Resom Ocean Castle is an excellent membership resort located at the center of Taean Seashore National Park in the land of nature, Anmyeondo Island. This highly-modernized seashore resort offers recreational, cultural and business facilities as well as leisure sports.With excellent lodging facilities and installment of extensive communication networks, as well as a variety of recreational areas, Aqua World, the complex resort combines numerous convenience facilities.The unique water park, Aqua World has been very popular since its opening. High quality sulfur seawater is used which is pumped up from 420m below ground. Located within the resort which blends in with pine tree forests, blue sea and sandy beach, Aqua World contains the mud beauty spa center (3558 sq. ft.), sulfur sea water sauna, massage spa, Spa Therapy as well as an outdoor spa. 

Batangol Arts Center is located in Yangpyeong. Because of the wonderful scenery of the surrounding lake and mountains, many people visit throughout the year. Batangol Arts Center is not merely a concert or exhibition hall, but also a place for visitors to participate in artistic activities and become artists themselves. It is a highly recommended place for foreigners who want to experience traditional Korean culture. You can participate in various activities at the art gallery, workshop, the ceramics workshop and the outdoor exhibition of the Batangol Art Center. One place you should not miss is the ceramics workshop. Here you can have the chance to actually make ceramics yourself. It is an interesting and fun experience for foreigners. After you finish shaping the mud clay, your work is completed by being baked in a traditional Korean pottery kiln. You can create your personal painting using the various dyeing materials. In the Hand-made Paper Room you can make paper with mulberry.Try making a card or a frame with the hand-made paper. It will be a nice present for friends and family. At the Batangol theater you can watch various genres of performances, from musicals to concerts. After seeing the artwork at the gallery, you can head to the cafe. It is a refreshing space where you can have a cup of tea while enjoying Mother Nature outside the window. The soothing scenery will x_heighten your taste buds and make the tea all the more refreshing. If you want to grab a bite before you leave Batangol, you can go to the Korean traditional restaurant, "Waegajip Bapsang." They have traditional dishes and snacks such as ramyeon and tteokbokki. There are more restaurants near the entrance of the Arts Center. 

Located the Northeastern part of Jeju Island, the Darangshi Oreum is a parasitic volcano that stands about 380 meters above sea level. From Darangshi Oreum, visitors can overlook tourist attractions such as Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), Udo Island, Mt. Halla, coastlines, and various parasitic cones.The mountain has an oval shape from south to north with a steep incline. The top has a large, deep funnel-shaped crater that still preserves its original shape unlike craters in cones. The name Darangshi is derived from the fact that the mountain looks like a moon ('Da' meaning 'Moon' and 'Shi' meaning 'Mountain').Trees are scattered here and there at the top, and the outskirts of the mountain are decorated with cedar trees. Meadow plants, such as Aster yomena, populate most of the mountain. A gentle hill to the right of Darangshi Oreum is called Akkun Darangshi Oreum (also called Sowol Nangak). Meaning 'small,' 'Akkun' is both old Korean and Jeju dialect.Darangshi Oreum hosts Wollang Peak Sunrise Festival every year allowing visitors to see the spectacular full moon from the crater. There are nice wooden stairs in place for easy ascent, and the mountain is also a popular site for paragliders.