Travel/Culture List

Yongcheondonggul Cave (용천동굴) is the most typical form of lava tunnel on Jeju Island and with a total length of approximately 2,470.8m it is one of the largest. It has a unique topology and rich limestone formations such as lava terrace, lava shelves, lava waterfalls, and 140m of lava rolls. In particular, a range of carbonate formations such as straw soda, stalactite, columns, flowstones, cave corals, aragonite crystals can be found inside this large cave that also contains a lake. This unique cave is astounding in terms of its geological value and beauty. There are also items that can be found throughout the cave that appear to have been brought in by people who lived on the island long ago, such as pieces of pottery, animal bones, ironware, charcoal and other substances.  

The Jangsaengpo Whale Museum (opened on May, 31 2005) is the first and only whale museum in Korea and stands on what used to be a central area for the Korean whaling industry. After whaling was banned in 1986, 250 artifacts from whalers and the whaling industry were collected and put on display. Visitors can enjoy experience zones such as the Whale Belly Road or the Underwater Adventure Zone. Exhibitions include things like a Bryde's whale skeleton, a killer whale skeleton, a gray whale corner, and whaling ships.

Gunsan Station first started operations as an ordinary station on March 12, 1912 in Daemyeong-dong, Gunsan-si. The station was a historical site of Korean grief due to the exploitation of Japanese imperialism, as well as a bridge connecting people, as the area around the station became an open market at dawn and a meeting place in the daytime. After changing location on January 1, 2008, Gunsan Station has been strengthening their driving force to become a main station in preparation for the west coast’s heyday of the twenty-first century.

In Mt. Nammangsan, there is a citizens’ park where you can view Tongyeong. At the top of the mountain stands a bronze statue of General Lee Sun-Shin built by the citizens in 1953, and Suhyangjeong Pavilion. Under the Suhyangjeong Pavilion, there is Citizens’ Cultural Center. Right under this center is Nammangsan Outdoor Sculptural Park.Nammangsan Sculpture Park was established to display the persistent works of 15 famous sculptors from 10 countries (Japan, China, France, Israel, Venezuela, etc.) who participated in the Tongyeong International Sculpture Symposium. It is also a popular spot for dates because this 30 square kilometer land has beautiful sculptures from which you can feel the individual taste of the artists.

There are four large and small swamps around the Yibang-myeon, Daehap-myeon, and Daeji-myeon areas of Changnyeong-gun, which are collectively called ‘Upo Wetland’. They are the largest natural swamps in South Korea, with a total size about 5,550 square km. The bottom of the swamp is shallower than 1m and there are over 1,000 species living in its murky waters. It has a primitive atmosphere with 100 kinds of plants containing 28 kinds of aquatic plants and 72 types of hydrophytes.Upo Wetland is a primitive low bed wetland, which was created about 140 million years ago. When soft ground collapsed, water started to come to a low basin, and this was a lake where dinosaurs lived 100 million years ago. Upo Wetland was formed in with the sediments from the mountains brought in by rivers. From the outer edge, the current Upo Wetland is going through natural alteration and ecological succession from a lake to swamp and from grass-covered plain to a forest. At Upo Wetland there are eight famous sites such as fireflies, constellation gazing, and willow groves, but there are many, many other interesting things to see. Among the eight famous sights, the Upo rain-fog is an especially eye-catching natural phenomenon, becoming visible when there is no wind, when skies are clear, and the temperature difference between day and night is 10 degrees or more. The fireflies come out around 8~9 P.M. in August and September, and they are also worth watching. In winter, migrating birds spend their winter here and you can watch about 33 species of birds such as swans, whopper swans, bean geese, teals and wild ducks. It is better to take a walk in the evening or early in the morning rather than in the daytime, it would be great also to visit in the night under the starlight. 

Flow House Seoul is the only flowboarding location in Korea, allowing the full experience of surfing indoors. Boards are available to use for free, and wetsuits are available for rental. Flowboarding is attractive to beginning surfers and pros alike. Beginners can learn surfing from instructors without needing to travel to the ocean through the use of man-made, controlled waves.

Daraengi Village in Namhae is famous for terraced rice paddies on a steep hill on the outskirts of Mt. Seolheul reaching almost 500 meters. The rice paddies with 108 steps (consisting of stones and soil) are very picturesque and great for taking photographs. Located in the south, the village is balmy in winter, and spring greens (such as mugwort and spinach) sprout before any other place in Korea. Environment-friendly agriculture flourishes because the sea breeze prevents insect pests.This land of friendly people and fertile soil is home to Daraengi Rice Paddy Festival every spring. The festival offers a slew of interesting programs allowing visitors to experience traditional farming and learn cultural and natural heritage in Daraengi Village: Harrowing a Field, Straw Rope Ssireum (Korean Wrestling), Rice Planting, Running on Rice Paddies, Carrying a Wooden Carrier, and colorful performance events.

Jeongeupsa Park (located in Sigi 3-dong in downtown Jeongeup-si) was built in honor of ‘Jeongeupsa’ a famous Baekje Gayo (a type of poem from the Baekje Dynasty). Jeongeupsa is the only poem of the five Baekje Gayos (Jeongeupsa, Mudeungsangok, Bangdeungsangok, Seonunsangok, and Jirisangok) recorded in Hangeul that remains in existence today.The park, built on the location where the epic poem took place, boasts a 2.5-meter high granite statue of the heroine of Jeongeupsa. Nearby the statue are a shrine and a 2-meter wide monument commemorating the poem. Located in the vicinity are the Jeongeupsa Art Center, the Korean Classical Music Center, the city library, and an outdoor stage.

Naro Space Center (나로우주센터) – Korea’s first – is a launching pad for various space projectiles, including the rocket-launching of satellites. A ceremony was held upon the completion of the Center on June 11, 2009, making Korea the 13th country in the world to have a space center. Naro Space Center mounts exhibitions and educates about space science technology. There is a Space Science Museum consisting of science exhibits, a 4D experience room (to be built) and an outdoor exhibition where students and children can learn about and experience space science technology.