Travel/Culture List

Oeam-ri Folk Village is occupied by the families of its founder Ye-an Lee who settled here about 500 years ago. There are about 86 Giwa houses and straw houses with narrow stone fence alleyways between them. When you walk along the stone fences you can experience the deep tradition roots of the historic village. You can see all kinds of trees in the front yard of the houses, such as persimmon trees, apricot trees, chestnut trees, and gingko trees. At the front entrance to the village you can see the totem pole guardian, and daily artifacts of the Joseon Period (1392-1910) such as treadmills, millstones, water mills, and thatched roof houses. The stone fence roads and Yusil wine add to the traditional atmosphere of the place. The most famous houses in the Oeam-ri Folk Village are the 'Yeongam Gunsu' House and 'Ichampan' House. Yeongam Gunsu House has a beautiful garden with thick trees blending with pond and stones. No one lives at the house anymore. Its entrance has a sign which is said to be written by Chusa Kim Jeong-Hee. Ichampan House is designated as Important Folk Monument, and people who live here have been making a folk wine called Yeonyeopju for generations. This wine has also been designated as an Intangible Cultural Asset. It was a wine offered to the king every spring and is made with Nuruk (glutinous rice) and Yeongeun, mixed with fermented evergreen leaves. The entire village of the Oeam-ri Folk Village is called a living museum, because the old ways are so well preserved everywhere. It takes about an hour and a half to go through the entire village.

将来の建築に暖かさを添えるトンデムンデザインプラザLEDバラ庭園 トンデムンデザインプラザ(DDP)イガンスムン(二間水門)展示場となりに広がる25,550本の見事なLEDのバラ庭園が開園しています。 The LED Rose Garden at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) has transformed an open space into a beautiful night garden. Popular among couples, this is also a great place for nightscape photography. When night falls, a total of 25,550 LED roses light up, with impressive skyscrapers serving as the backdrop. Visitors may wonder, “Why such a specific number of roses?” The display began on National Liberation Day in 2015 as a celebration of the nation’s 70th year of independence. The number of roses on display corresponds to the number of days since liberation: 365 days multiplied by 70 years is equivalent to 25,550 roses.  

Built in the 14th year of Silla King Jin-Heung's reign, Beopjusa Temple is located on Mt. Songnisan. What stands today are the remnants of rebuilt monuments through left over from the lengthy and arduous process. When you enter the temple, the yellow earthen road will catch your eye. The earth was ground into small stone shapes, burned, and then scattered over the road. The road itself leads to the Orisup Trail, and there will be a nature study trail beside it. Pass the Orisup trail, through thick pine trees, and you will come across the main gate of the temple. There is a large rock with a hole in the middle beside the main gate. You can drink spring water that comes out of the hole. Inside the temple you can see Palsangjeon, Pavilion which is a wooden building shaped like a tower. Then you can visit the Seokryeonji Lotus Flower Pond. As the name suggests, the pond is made of stones. At the back of Palsangjeon Pavilion, there is the Ssangsajaseokdeung (Two Lion Stone Lamp), and, again as the name suggests, the two lions uphold the stone lamp. The main building is also fascinating. It is two-stories high, and very stately. In addition, Beopjusa Temple has Ma-aeyeorae-uisang carved into a rock. Uisang refers to a sitting Buddha, and this particular Ma-aeyeorae shows Buddha sitting on a lotus flower. Passage of time has done much damage, but the original shapes are still well preserved.Beopjusa Temple represents Mt. Songnisan, containing within it 1,500 years of history and a matching list of numerous National Treasures and Monuments. Here you can experience the Buddhist culture reflected in these artifacts.

K-Star Road is a special project of Gangnam-gu for foreign tourists who love Korean culture and hallyu stars. As the name implies, the shops and stores are frequented by the hallyu stars around Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Sinsa-dong, and Nonhyun-dong areas.From the west part of Apgujeong Galleria Department Store along the 400-meter strip leading to the headquarters of SM Entertainment, visitors can see cute, stylized statues of famous K-pop stars like TVXQ, SNSD, SHINee, EXO, 4minute, Miss A, FT Island, Super Junior, CNBlue, and 2PM. Not only that, Apgujeong Rodeo Station is adorned with graffiti art, as well as walls and floors decorated with artwork and special name plaques of hallyu stars.

Manjanggul Cave is one of the finest lava tunnels in the world, and is a designated natural monument. A lava tunnel is formed when the lava that was deep in the ground spouts from the peak and flows to the surface. Manjanggul Cave has a variety of interesting structures inside including 70cm lava stalagmites and the lava tube tunnels. Only 1km of the 13,422m Manjanggul Cave is open to tourists. The inside of the tunnel sustains a temperature of 11~21℃, creating a comfortable atmosphere. There are rare animals such as bats living in the tunnel, which makes this tunnel valuable for researchers as well. The stone pillars and stalactites are widely spread and the tunnels shows off the cave’s topographical features. "Stone Turtle" is especially eye-catching because it is shaped like Jeju-do Island.  

Daecheongho Lake is a man-made lake, stretching across Cheongju-si, Okcheon-gun, and Boeun-gun. Construction began in 1975 and finished in 1980, and the lake supplies water for various use to people in Daejeon and Cheongju.The reservoir water spans an area of over 72.8㎢ with a length of 80km, and the water kept in storage has a volume of 1.5 billion tons, makes the reservoir the 3rd largest lake in Korea. The area is famous for the beautiful driving course along a tree-lined road through the nearby mountain which has an altitude of 200 to 300m. Also, resident birds and migratory birds, such as white heron, can be seen during summer in the upper region of the lake.Upon reaching the top of the observatory, a panorama of the entire surroundings can be seen. Opened in 1998, Water Culture Center is comprised of a 3-D Video room and aquarium as well as a grass field nearby. Geumgang Resort, Janggye Tourism Complex (Daecheong Beach Land), and Munui Cultural Properties Site are nearby tourist attractions. It takes roughly 3 hours to look around the whole lake by car.

Chojijin Fortress was built in 1656 for the purpose of national defense against seashore attacks from foreign enemies. Chojijin Fortress also encompasses the fortifications of Jangjapyeongdon and Seomamdon, which were constructed in 1679. Chojijin was the scene of many hard-fought battles during Byeonginyangyo (the French invasion in 1866), Sinmiyangyo (the American invasion in 1871), and the confrontation with the Japanese warship Unyomaru in 1875. On April 23, 1871, the American navy under the command of Rear Admiral John Rodgers landed on Ganghwado Island, and an American force of 450 soldiers attacked Chojijin Fort, Deokjin Camp, and Gwangseongjin Camp one after another. On August 21, 1875, the artillery of Chojijin engaged a fierce firefight with the Japanese warship Wunyoho. Chojijin Fortress was restored in 1973, and bullet marks still remain on the old pine trees and the fortress walls. The canons used by the military of the Joseon Dynasty are displayed in Chojijin.

Banpo Hangang Park is located on the southern side of the river centering on Banpo Bridge (Jamsu Bridge) between Hamnam Bridge (upstream) and Dongjak Bridge (downstream). The Rainbow Fountain built on both sides of Banpo Bridge is registered 2008 in The Guinness Book of Records as the longest bridge fountain in the world with the total length of 1,140m. The bridge starts from Banpo Hangang Riv. Park created under the project of Hangang Renaissance Project. At night, over 200 lightings creates a fantastic view of a beautiful rainbow.Plus, there are sports facilities including Bubble Playgournd, Inline Skating Track, soccer field, and basketball court. You may also enjoy the gorgeous view of Hangang river and sky scrapers on the riverside from Gureum and Noeul café, lookout places located on the southernmost part of Dongjak Bridge.Seoraeseom which connects from Banpo Hangang River Park is an artificially created island to provide refreshing and leisure place for Seoul urbanites. Every spring, the place is flooded with waves of rape flowers and people to enjoy picnic and spring events like ‘Searaeseom Butterfly, Rate Flowers Festival’.Your joyful experience in the park doesn’t end here - there are more things to see and enjoy including a nature experience field, boat quay, bike lane, and picnic spots.

The Seoul Animation Center (management: Seoul Business Agency) was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in May 1999 with the aim of providing comprehensive support to Korea’s cartoon and animation industry. The center runs an information desk, offers educational programs, holds events to support new talents and productions, and hosts diverse events and exhibitions (animation film festival, etc.).A major facility of the Seoul Animation Center, AniCinema is a multicultural space that can accommodate diverse cultural events. Its primary objective is to facilitate the supply of domestic animation films to theaters and to promote animated works by holding a range of film festivals. The theater has 179 seats and state-of-the-art facilities for screening both digital and analogue animated films. High quality equipment at AniCinema, such as the 5.1 channel digital surround sound system and wide screen, allows for a pleasurable viewing experience.

Located in Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu, the Daegu Modern History Museum was officially opened on January 24, 2011. The museum is housed in a building that is rich in history. First built by Japan in 1932 as a bank, the building was once a symbol of repression and exploitation during the Japanese colonial rule. Today, the building stands proudly as an educational site and bears the title of ‘Cultural Property No. 49’ in recognition of its historical and cultural significance.The two-story museum (1,971 square meters) houses a permanent exhibition (1F), featured exhibition (2F), and a hands-on exhibition room and classroom for diverse cultural activities and lectures. The history exhibition features the lifestyle of Daegu citizens, local customs, and education of the late 19th century and the early 20th century.Opening hours are between 9:00am and 7:00pm; the museum is closed on Mondays.