Travel/Culture List

Asia's largest green pasture on a plateau. This ancient and vast meadow is where milking cows feed. The view from the plateau is remarkable as well. If you go up to Daegwallyeong Observatory early in the morning, you can witness the spectacular sunrise from the East Sea beyond the peaks of Odaesan Mountain. The lake where cows drink water is called Samjeongho Lake. In order to get around this grand ranch, you should take a car or bicycle. By car, it will take about 2 hours while bicycles will take about 5~6 hours. It would be too much to try to walk the entire ranch.

Songgwangsa Temple in Soyang-myeon (Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do Province) has a unique history that spans a period of over a thousand years. For many years the temple lay incomplete until Monk Bojo Chejing began reconstruction in the 7th year of King Gyeongmun of Silla (867 AD). The temple was destroyed at one point in time, but Master Monk Jinul prayed that it be rebuilt. In accordance with his fervent hopes, in the 1600s the monk’s followers rebuilt a number of the temple’s halls and buildings, many of which can still be seen today. The temple is also remembered as the temple that King Injo helped rebuild with the hope that his two sons, who had been taken hostage by the Qing Dynasty during the Byeongjahoran War (Chinese invasion of Korea in 1636), would be returned safely and that Buddha would heal the nation.One of the Korea’s four major temples, Songgwangsa is home to Jijangbosal and Siwangsang statues (found in Jijangjeon Hall), a Seokgayeorae statue, and 500 Nahansang statues (found in Nahanjeon Hall). The temple is also home to eight Tangible Cultural Assets and four Treasured Cultural Assets: Daeungjeon Hall, the Samsebulsang statues, the bell-tower, and the Sacheonwangsang statue.Beloved for its historical significance as well as its beauty, the temple draws throngs of worshipers throughout the year. In spring, many tourists flock to the area to explore the temple and walk through the nearby cherry blossom tunnels. A worthwhile attraction for visitors of all ages, the temple is particularly well-suited for those with mobility problems since it is located on ground level.

Jeju Trick Eye Museum opened in January 2013 as the third in the franchise, after Hongdae and Busan. The museum offers exciting and unique paintings created with a special technique to appear 3D. Visitors can create 'new' works of art by placing themselves into the famous paintings for a fun experience and one-of-a-kind souvenir photo.

Moaksan Mountain (모악산, 793.5m) is located in Gimje, Jeollabuk-do and is home to several Buddhist temples: Geumsansa, Guisinsa, Suwangsa, and Daewonsa. From the top of the mountain you can see the the Honam Pyeongya Delta as well as the Gimje Pyeongya Delta.Designated as a provincial park in 1971, Moaksan is known for its incredible views and cultural heritages. Daewonsa and Suwangsa temples are located on the southeast side of the mountain and Guisinsa Temple sits to the west. Geumsansa Temple, built during the Baekje period (599AD), holds many precious pieces of Buddhist art.One of the preferred methods for ascending the mountain is a trail along the ridge behind Simwonam, which is particularly eye-catching in the spring when the mountain azaleas are in full bloom. As you reach the summit, the Gimje Pyeongya Delta and Mangyeonggang River come into view, along with Mt. Unjangsan and the city of Jeonju. The cherry blossom tunnel extending from the parking lot to Iljumun is another must-see for those who visit in the spring.

Dolsan Park, located across from Dolsan Bridge, was created in 1987 on land spanning over 287,000 square meters. A teahouse inside the park was originally a TV drama shooting set. The teahouse offers a fine view of Dolsan Bridge, so visitors often stop by to drink tea while enjoying the view. The view point at the park also overlooks magnificent sunsets over Dolsan Bridge and exquisite night views of Dolsan Bridge, Marine Park, and Janggundo Island. The Memorial Time Capsule, containing various materials related to the merger of Yeosu city, was buried at the center of park in 1994 and will be opened in 2094.

Idong Galbi is a famous term for Korean representing the delicious hanu (Korean beef) short ribs that's been made with high quality meat and marinated sauce. Once the meat is prepared, it is usually marinated in sweet soy sauce and various other fruit juice for some days. The recipes could differ slightly for each restaurant, therefore serving as a barometer that differentiates one store's taste from another. Nowadays, people can see signboards embedding "Idong Galbi" in many of establishments in Korea, however, the food was originated from Jangam-ri, Idong-myeon located in Pocheon of Gyeonggi-do. Now a huge town housing dozens of the galbi restaurants, this galbi-chon (or galbi village in English), only began with two stores in the early 1960s. 'Idong Galbi Jip (이동갈비집)' and 'Neutari Galbi (느타리갈비집)' were them, and after it earned the fame of becoming the 'local dish' of Pocheon, many more restaurants began to spring out. The secret to Idong Galbi is that they are slowly cooked over charcoal fire and thus has an additional "fire taste" that many like, as well as the tenderness that even the old and young enjoy. Secondly, the sauce is made only with natural ingredients such as pear, radish, onions and others, making it especially tasty and luring people to come for more. Besides, Idong makgeolli (rice wine) is also a famous local product that complements well with the meal. These days, unfortunately due to cost issues, some restaurants can no longer use hanu to make galbi but American beef are used instead.

Buan Cine Theme Park is a large film production complex in Gyeokpo-ri, Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun measuring a total of 148,400 square meters in area. The park is comprised of a two main sections: a folk village (89,696 m²) and an indoor studio called Sunset Village (58,704m²). Inside the folk village, Korea’s representative royal palace (Gyeongbokgung Palace) has been recreated along with traditional houses of the noble class, village schools, traditional streets, a pond, a fortress, and more. The park became famous after serving as the main filming location for popular Korean movies “The King and The Clown” (2005), “Hwang Jin-yi” (2007), and “The Sword With No Name” (2009).

At Sansawon, visitors may sample food (rice cakes, Sanghwa dumplings, pickled vegetable soaked in rice wine leftovers, rice punch) and beverages made of liquor and liquor ingredients such as suljigemi (rice wine leftovers) or nureuk (yeast). The museum displays over 1,000 historical documents on traditional liquor as well as liquor brewery devices such as yakteul, nureukteul, gyeobogary, and sojugori. Moreover, the traditional brewing process, as seen in the folktale 'Mrs. Kim's Brewery' is recreated using the actual tools and devices from the traditional brewing process. The museum also features the process and culture of Gayangju (homemade liquor) with puppets and dolls. Visitors will leave the facility with a deeper appreciation of the devotion of ancient Korean brewmasters and the art of traditional Korean liquor. At the Gayangju Class, operated by Sansawon, anyone who wants to know more about traditional liquor may have a chance to learn about liquor ingredients, liquor-related folktales, and the brewing process. You can even learn first-hand how to make traditional liquor. You may either take your alcohol home with you after the class or leave it at the museum and stop by for it later. *Grand open November, 1996

Iksan Godori Standing Stone Buddha is Treasure No. 46. The two Buddha statues (each measuring 424cm) stand face-to-face at a distance of 200 meters apart and tell the story of an eternal, but unrequited love. According to legend, the two Buddhas (one male, one female) are lovers that can only meet for one night in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. After the sunset on that special day the lovers are allowed to meet, but must return to their respective positions before the rooster crows at dawn. The two statues are very representative of the Goryeo Era, which produced many stone statues with minimal expression of the physical body. True to the era, each Buddha has almost no curves and is depicted with plain clothing and barely distinguishable arms. On their heads, the Buddhas wear a crown topped with another square hat. With their square faces, small eyes, pug noses, and small lips, the Buddas are reminiscent of guardian deities typically placed at the entrance of villages.