Travel/Culture List

Situated at the joining point of two rivers, Seomjin and Boseong, Amnok Resort is renowned as a summer vacation spot with a 100,000m² beach. Since mosquitos are rare here, it is continuously gaining popularity as a family camping site and Banweol Bridge and Cheol Bridge make for beautiful scenery. The popular fishing spot located at the lower reaches of Boseong River attracts many anglers. The riverside is lined with various native local restaurants where you can taste Amnok’s specialities such as king crab soup, roasted sweet fish, and Maeuntang (pepper-pot soup).  

Located on the slopes of Mt. Namsan (home to Cheongdo-gun’s landmark Nakdae Waterfall), the Cheongdo Hanok School is an educational center for carpenters who specialize in traditional Korean architecture (hanok). Hanok (traditional Korean houses) hold cultural and historical value and the school has been gaining in popularity not only among carpenters, but also those who are interested in enjoy and upholding Korea's proud architectural history. The entrance of the school is marked with a large traditional "Neowa" (a house roofed with thick, unfinished shingles of pine) that immediately catches the eye. The school provides 3 types of courses. There is a basic carpentry course to teach people how to make wooden objects and structures, a course to nurture professional carpenters, and a course to teach carpenters how to build Hanok. The school’s hands-on programs offer visitors a chance to make a traditional Korean window and to saw and plane wood. There are cultural programs for children as well. Children, along with their parents, can make rice cake by pounding rice with a large hammer, bake sweet potatoes, or join a seminar on traditional Korean houses. The cultural programs change with each season.

Ziplining is a popular outdoor sport worldwide, gaining increasing popularity in countries like the United States and Australia. After spending years studying facilities around the world, Zipline Korea built Asia’s first zip-line facility in Buljeong Recreational Forest in Mungyeong. Open year-round, this 9-course facility (with course ranging from "beginners" to "advanced") gives families and other visitors a chance to relieve stress in an unusual and active way. 

Located in Jungpyeong-dong at the family village of the Pyeongsan Shin clan, the Seobyeok House was originally created when Hanchang Shin, a scholar from late Joseon Dynasty, got married and moved out of his parents’ house. The house was expanded by Chigu Shin in 1739 (15th year of the reign of King Yeongjo). The house and is built in a rectangular shape with 6 rooms in the front, 4 rooms on the sides and a courtyard in the middle. This style was a popular housing structure among the upper-class in the late Joseon Dynasty. The house was designated Folk Cultural Asset No. 101 of Gyeongsangbuk-do on November 30th, 1993.

Opened on February 23, 2007 as a branch museum of Busan Marine Natural History Museum, Busan Fishing Village Folk Museum displays cultural artifacts and materials related to tradition, history and folklore of Busan's fishing culture and development. Designed with a theme of "Fishing Village Trip from the River to the Sea," the exhibition halls are divided into Nakdonggang River Fishing Village Folk Hall and Busan Fishing Village Folk Hall.

This stone grave is known to be the tomb of King Guhyeong, the 10th King of the Gaya Kingdom. He is also known as King Guhae or King Yang, and is the grandfather of Kim Yoo Shin. Since becoming the King of Gaya in 521 CE, he reigned for 11 years until he handed over his country to King Beopheung of the Silla Kingdom in 532 CE.There are two different scholarly opinions about this tomb. One is that it should be classified as a stone pagoda and the other, a royal tomb. The reason why this was regarded as a pagoda is that there are similarly shaped stone pagodas in the Andong and Uiseong regions. The basis for it being called Wangreung, or royal tomb, is that there is a record in Dongguk Yeoji Seongram (an ancient history book published during the rule of King Seongjong in the Joseon Dynasty) and in Saneum-hyeon Sancheonjo (a record of events in the region) of it being a tomb. The notes state that "there is a structure with steps on the four faces, in the form of nine dragons piled up of stones at a distance of about 16 km (40 ri in traditional Korean scale) from the village, so people believe it must be a royal tomb".The record describing the name of the king buried in this tomb can be extracted from a record of travels called Wangsan Shimreunggi written by Hong Ui Young, a Joseon Dynasty scholar. In addition, there’s also an entry  in Wangsansagi, a book on the history of Wangsansa Temple (a temple located west of the tomb) that the person buried in the tomb is King Guhyeong.Unlike ordinary graves, the tomb is built at the middle part of the hill's slope. The tomb has a unique appearance made up of steps and layers, with the highest point being 7.15 meters high. There are seven layers at the front and no steps at the back due to it being built on an inclined surface. The overall shape of this tomb is different from the pyramids built on level ground. The top of the tomb is oval in shape. At the center, there is a stone tablet with the words "Royal Tomb of King Yang of the Garak Nation". In front of the tomb, there are several stone pieces that have been added to the original tomb.During the 17th Year of King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty (1793), a wooden box that was passed down from generation to generation in Wangsansa Temple was discovered. The box contained portraits of King Guhyeong and his queen, their clothes, an archery bow, and other objects. To preserve these, a royal building called Deogyangjeon Hall was constructed. To this date, a memorial service is held here in spring and autumn of every year. 

The four-kilometer stretch from Hwapyoju (화표주) to Morundae Cliff (몰운대), surrounded with 100 to 150-meter high rock cliffs and thick forest, is called Sogeumgang River (소금강, small Geumgang River), meaning that its beautiful scenery is reminiscent of that of the breathtaking Geumgang Mountain.

National Center for Forest Activities Chuncheon is 335 ha of area located near Samhangol Valley. The center has a slogan PLAY meaning P for Play, L for Lead, A for Act, and Y for You. Various facilities are available including area for experience programs, accommodations, restaurants and more. Experience programs for individuals and groups are available as well as special programs for people with disabilities and elderlies.

Hanpungnu Pavilion is the site where the noted poets of the past use to frequent to appreciate nature and the arts. The pavilion was burned down by Japanese soldiers in 1592 (25th year of King Seonjo’s reign) and rebuilt in 1599 (32nd year of King Seonjo’s reign). During the Japanese colonial period, the pavilion served as a base for propagating Buddhism. After the liberation of Korea, it was moved to Yangsan-myeon town in Yeongdong-gun and was renamed as Geumhoru. In 1971, the people of Muju moved the pavilion to its current location of Dangsan-ri in Muju-gun, Jeollabuk-do Province. Hanpungnu is one of the most famous pavilions in the southwestern region of Korea, along with Hanbyeokdang of Jeonju and Gwanghallu of Namwon. It is also known to have the most picturesque exterior among the three famed pavilion.

The Hwaseong Fossilized Dinosaur Egg Site (화성 공룡알 화석지) was discovered on an island in the tidal plain south of Sihwaho Lake (시화호). The island was revealed when seawaters were blocked during a land reclamation project. As a sedimentary layer formed during the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era (dated around 83 million to 85 million years ago) was eroded by weathering, around twenty 50-60 cm diameter nests and roughly 130 dinosaur eggs ranging in size from 11 to 14 cm, located at six to seven sites, were discovered. It is anticipated that more fossils will be discovered once a thorough investigation is carried out and more land is reclaimed. Most dinosaur eggs are oval shaped and dark red. Considering the properties of the fossilized shells, the eggs that have been discovered so far are assumed to belong to four-legged herbivorous dinosaurs with a long neck and tail, and two-legged herbivorous dinosaurs, including the Hadrosaur. A wide range of plant fossils were also discovered alongside the fossilized eggs, leading to expectations that the formerly lush environment may yet be restored. The discovery of the Fossilized Dinosaur Egg Site in Hwaseong has greatly expanded the scope of Korean paleontology; previous paleontological discoveries were exclusively limited to fossilized dinosaur footprints. This significant discovery has attracted many internationally renowned scholars who have visited the site in Hwaseong. The site is closed to individuals in order to preserve its integrity. But, you can visit the area by joining the fossil site exploration programme offered by a locally operating environmental group.