Travel/Culture List

The Hwasun Dolmen Site is located near the waterfalls of the mountain pass linking Dogok-myeon of Hyosan-ri and Chunnyang-myeon of Daesin-ri. According to experts, 135 of the 980 stones in Dogok-myeon Hyosan-ri are dolmen. There are also about 100 damaged stone tables that still maintain their original form. What makes the Hwasun dolmens special is that in such a small district there are as many as 596 dolmen, including Korea’s biggest stone table. Acknowledging the importance of the cultural assets, the Hwasun Dolmen Site was registered as World Heritage No. 997 in year 2000 along with Gochang and Ganghwa Dolmens.  

The Gosalli Forest Trail runs along a stream in Harye 2-ri, Namwon-eup on the southern part of Jeju Island. The area was recognized by the Ministry of Environment in 2013 for their outstanding efforts in preserving and protecting the local ecology. The forest trail passes through one of Jeju's beautiful forested areas, and is perfect for peaceful leisure walks, being less known among tourists. To limit the amount of damage to the natural environment, the trails are unrefined, so guests are reminded to tread carefully.

With excellent views of the unfolding blue ocean, Oceano Tourism Complex offers visitors a great relaxing opportunity by way of their varied facilities such as golf links zone, auto camping site zone, cultural arts zone, and marine world zone that are planned to be established. Particularly, Pine Beach Golf Site located inside the tourism complex is surrounded by the ocean, and is perfect for playing a round of golf toward the endless ocean. The course is regarded as Asia’s Pebble Beach which is a small coastal resort destination and home to famous golf courses in California.

The graveyard of Sinjangjeolgong (Sinjangjeolgong myoyeok) is the site of General Jangjeolgong Sin Sung-gyeom's tomb. Sin Sung-gyeom (Jangjeolgong is the posthumous name) is regarded as the founder of the Pyeongsan Sin clan. Together with Hong Yu, Bae Hyeon-gyeong and Bok Ji-gyeom, they dethroned Gung Ye and helped Wang Geon, the founder and first king of the Goryeo Dynasty, in claiming the throne. In 927, as Wang Geon was on the verge of death in this battle as his troops were closely besieged by the enemy, General Sin wore the king's armor and kept fighting for his country with until he died. The enemy thought he was the king so they beheaded him. Hence, Wang Geon was able to escape safely from the battle. The king grieved over the death of General Sin and used a head made of gold for the funeral. To mislead grave robbers, three graves were built even though there is only one dead body. Chosen as one of top four favorable sites for a grave in Korea, the graveyard is located inside of a dense pine grove. Also at the site are the Yeongjeonggak, Sindobigak, a memorial hall, and a house bulit for a memorial service.

During the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, it is said that there were three major lakes in Gyeongsang Province alone, and to this day, traces of such lakes can be found in the Namhae coastal area. Such traces are particularly distinct in Uhangri, Haenam-gun. The Uhangri area had originally been a part of the sea, but this changed when the Damsuho Lake and surrounding area was formed by the building of the Geumho Tide Embankment. This lake has a sea cliff that is 3-4 meters high, stretches about 5km in length, and is made up of sedimentary rock formed during the Cretaceous age. Embedded in the rock around the lake are footprints of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and water birds that lived in this area tens of millions of years ago. There is no other place in the world where footprint fossils of all these different dinosaurs were found in a single area. The footprint fossil of a pterosaur discovered in this area is the largest in the world at a length of 20-35cm. Also, the footprint fossil of a bird with webbed feet showed that the bird lived in the Cretaceous period, which is at least around 20-30 million years earlier than the Eocene of the Cenozoic era discovered in the US.

Created in 1991, Wando Arboretum is the only warm temperate forest in Korea where only 15% of the landscape is considered a warm temperate region. Wando Arboretum is home to a broadleaf evergreen tree forest that has high medicinal value, covers an area of 200 ㏊ (2,000,000㎡), and is home to 709 species of rare warm temperate plants such as goodyera, calanthe striata, and cephalanthera falcata.There are 30 special gardens for each different plant life, a green house, an observation path, and an observatory. At the observatory, visitors can enjoy the view of Dadohaehaesang National Park and Namdo. The observatory offers an opportunity to educate visitors on nature and the  environment and allows them to take a rest during their visit.

Recently, the government announced its plan to designate part of Guleopdo Island as a natural monument. This island, located to the southwest of Deokjeokdo Island in Incheon, is indeed a beautiful island, boasting unique coastal landscape formed by strong tides, waves, and wind. Though there are numerous islands near Deokjeokdo, Guleopdo Island boasts such splendid beauty that it is said to be unmatched by any of the other islands in the West Sea. The island has been the dream of resort developers for years. The north beach of Guleopdo, Seondanyeo (near Baekado) and Jaraseom boast oddly-formed rocks and an exquisite coastal landscape. It’s a prime spot for fishing enthusiasts and is known for its abundance of flatfish, rock trout, and soft clams. Just fifteen minutes to the west of the dock facility in Guleopdo is Mokgimi Beach (a costal sand dune) that has a unique elephant-shape because of the rocks that were carried there by strong waves. Other rocks have fallen down from the nearby cliffs. Along the coast, there is also a beautiful white sandy beach that stretches over 600m. Not well-known to tourists as of yet, this beach is a great spot to enjoy calm, relaxed summer vacations.

Sinheungni Beach is on the far side of Cheongsanhang Harbor on Cheongsando Island. The gently sloping beach stretches for a distance of 2km (during low tide) and has a large mudflat filled with clams. Sinheungni Beach is a popular summer vacation spot for families who come for camping and auto camping. The forest of ancient pine trees at the edge of the beach not only serves as a windbreak, but also provides visitors with a cool shelter from the summer heat.