Travel/Culture List

Located on the highlands of Pyeongchang County where the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held, Uiyaji Baram Maeul (Uiyaji Wind Village) is a mountain village situated on top of Daegwallyeong. At Uiyaji Wind Village, one can enjoy various types of activities such as making cheese or ice cream as well as enjoying the beautiful sight of wind-mills standing high above the frozen plain. Also, visitors can try various food including memil-mandu (buckwheat dumpling), ongsimi-kalguksu (handmade knife-cut noodles with sweet rice dough soup), gamja-jeon (potatoes pancakes), memil-kalguksu (buckwheat knife-cue noodles), sanchae-bibimbap (seasoned wild vegetables bibimbap), and more.

Gyeongpodae (경포대) is famous for the view of the moon on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and is located 6 km north from the center of Gangneung. It is a large, tall pavilion, and its architectural feature- a “paljak” roof, is the most common form used in Korean buildings. It has been designated as Regional Cultural Asset No. 6. Its structure is divided into 6 sections in the front, and 5 sections at the side, with 28 pillars surrounding the pavillion. Located inside is the Gyeongpodaebu, which was written by Yul-Gok when he was only 10 years old. It writes about the slow and leisurely movement of the heavens, making it even more distant, and the clear, bright moon shimmering in the darkness. There is also a poem written by Suk-Jong (1095~1105), the 15th king of the Goryeo Dynasty, and many other literary records and poetry of famous artists like Ha-Mang Jo’s (1682~1747) Sangryangmun.In the Geyongpodae area there are 12 other Pavilions, including Geumnanjeong, Gyeonghojeong, Banghaejeong, Haeunjeong. You can enjoy Gyeongpodae, and its place in the surrounding nature, just as you would enjoy seeing artwork at a museum. It is best to visit between March and October.

Hwanseongul Cave is the biggest lime stone cave in Korea. Its length is 6.5 km and it features fantastic stalagmites, stalactites, and about 10 lakes and waterfalls. Some spots of interest include stalactites that look like the Great Wall of China and many other uniquely shaped figures.The mercury inside of the cave keeps it at a cool 12-24℃ in the summer and 8-9℃ in the winter. It takes about 30-40 minutes to the entrance and approximately one hour to look around the cave. Keep in mind that the steep slope at the entrance may be difficult for the elderly and young children.

The Korean Bamboo Museum opened in March 1998. It is a comprehensive complex that preserves, exhibits, produces, and allows people to experience bamboo products. It was established to provide a resting area for visitors to Damyang, and to promote the unique bamboo arts of the Damyang region. The museum has five exhibition halls. It has a collection of around 2,555 bamboo products, all of which are on display, ranging from products dating back to the Joseon Dynasty, to modern-day products, as well as other foreign items. The bamboo arts of Damyang have a history of 500 years, starting from the early Joseon Dynasty. The bamboo products are of high quality and known for their tenacity and resilience, since the only bamboo used is custom-made by craftsmen.    

Chang-dong Art Village was developed in an effort to rekindle commercial businesses in the declining downtown area. The empty town has been transformed into an urban, trendy art village, tied close to the city. The main concept of the art villiage is to meld with the city's strengths in art for urban renewal. The city, which was once the heart of culture and art in 1950s and 1960s, has gone through the process of so-called "urban regeneration through the arts".To indulge in recollections of the good old days, the three main alleys in the village, namely Moonshin Art Alley, Masan Mountain Trail Art Alley, and Ecole de Chang-dong Alley, along with the many exciting programs available bring out the best.

Nestled at the foot of Gamaksan Mountain (alt. 675 m), Sanmeoru Farm produces Korean wild grapes and drinks made with Korean wild grapes from its wonderful natural environment. Tourists can visit a processing facility, fermentation room, underground ripening room, a basement tunnel full of wine barrels, and may also sample its products. Also, various hands-on programs include making wine, jam, pudding, natural soap, and others. There is also an automobile camping site which makes a perfect place to find respite from people's everyday lives.

Jinjuseong Fortress, which is historically linked to the Japanese invasion in 1592, was originally named Geoyeolseong Fortress during the Three Kingdom Period, later renamed as Chokseokseong Fortress in the Goryeo Dynasty and finally settled as Jinjuseong Fortress in the Joseon Dynasty. The reinforced stonewall has a circumference of approximately 1,760m, 5m-8m in x_height and contains three wells and springs. According to Ha Ryun’s Seongmungi in Donggukyeojiseungnam Record, the castle had been frequently destroyed by the Japanese invasion and was later reinforced by Jinju’s minister, Kim Jung-gwang during the fifth year of Goryeo Woo King’s reign (1379). During this period, the circumference was 800 bo(pace), with Uijeongmun Gate to the east, Jijemun Gate to the north, and Yehwamun Gate to the south. Outside the castle, Cheongcheon River flows in the west and Namgang River in the south and a pond lies between the castle and the trench dug during the war times. As a fortress to safeguard from the Japanese attacks, it blocked the Japanese from advancing toward Honam during the 25th year of Joseon Seonjo King’s reign (1592). Within the temple lies Chokseoknu, Kim Shi-min Memorial, Uigisa Shrine, Seojangdae, Bukjangdae, Changyeolsa shrine, Jinju National Museum, Hoguksa Temple, and an outdoor stage. 

The Royal Tomb of Queen Heo in Gusan-dong, Gimhae is the final resting place of Queen Heo, the wife of King Kim Suro, the founder of Garak. The tomb dates all the way back to the Gaya Era and has been officially designated National Historic Site No. 74. Unlike many other ancient tombs located on Korea’s flatlands, the large earthen mound sits high upon a hill. Reinforced in the front with stone and surrounded by a low stone fence, the tomb is marked with a headstone and stone tablets erected in 1647 (25th year of King Injo’s reign). Some of the stone used at the tomb is said to have come all the way from India. Together with the Tomb of King Suro, the tomb area was expanded in the 28th year of King Sejong’s reign (1446) to include several auxiliary buildings: Sungboje, Oesammun, Naesammun, and Hongsalmun. Records indicate that the tombs were robbed over a century later during the Imjin War (Japanese Invasion, 1592-1598).

The Lee Hyo-Seok Culture Village is the place where the author Lee Hyo-Seok (penname “Gasan”) was born and raised. The village is also the setting of the author’s story "When the Buckwheat Blossoms,” one of the most celebrated Korean short stories to date. In 1990, the village place was designated ‘the first national cultural village,’ by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The village is comprised of the author's birth house, a water mill, Chungjujip, Gasan Park, Lee Hyo-Seok Memorial Hall, and the buckwheat museum. At the x_height of the blossoming season, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of snowy-white fields of buckwheat flowers and from late August to early September, the annual Lee Hyo-Seok Cultural Festival takes place. The Lee Hyo-Seok Cultural Festival commemorates the modern Korean writer and features buckwheat-themed programs. Events include a Hyo-seok essay contest, traditional performances, a costume parade, a photo contest, and "When the Buckwheat Blossoms" films and performances. During the festival, visitors can enjoy makguksu (buckwheat noodles) and buchim (buckwheat pancakes) and tour the locations that appear in the famous short story.

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.