Travel/Culture List

The breathtaking view of the South Coast can be seen at a glance from Sangjogam County Park. The glittery surface and towering cliffs create a spectacular backdrop. Clear footprints of dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era remain extending over the coast around Sangjogam, and thus the area was designated Goseong-gun Gosi No. 20. on November 10, 1983. The beach in front of the youth center contains shingles worn down by the tide and a precipitous wall of stratified rocks can be seen beyond the wide bedrock of dinosaur footprints. The rocks are named after the table leg-shaped stone caves such as “Ssangjok” or “Ssangbal”. Many oddly shaped rocks inside the caves have their own folktales. According to one tale, fairies from heaven came down to the Sangjokgul Cave to weave clothes out of brocade for the King of Heaven, and bathed in the Seonnyoetang. The shape of a loom and a puddle still exist. Nearby the cave, Chotdaebawi and Byeongpungbawi rocks create scenery beyond description and leisure cruise boats toss up gentle sea waves. Naturally, the park continuously attracts numerous tourists in all seasons. Also, many are drawn to the mysterious dinosaur footprint fossils at Sangjogam. The site is recognized as one of three major dinosaurs sites in the world, along with those in Brazil and Canada. The footprints belong to dinosaurs familiarized by the popular movie, ‘Jurassic Park’, such as Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Allosaurus and Naranosaurus. It has been designated natural monument No. 411, as dinosaur footprints are valuable resources in discovering the uncovered mysteries of life before the appearance of mankind.

Situated in Juwangsan National Park (in Cheongsong, Gyeongsangbuk-do), Cheongsong Museum was opened in 1999 to promote the history and culture of the county and its nearby area. The three-story museum offers indoor & outdoor exhibition halls and archive rooms. The Indoor Exhibition Hall showcases educational material related to farming and customs of Cheongsong. Exhibitions - such as the Traditional Guest Room, Weaving Room, Items of Everyday Use, and Cheongsong Porcelain - offer glimpses of how people lived in the past. The Outdoor Exhibition Hall reproduces a traditional tavern, Mulle banga (waterwheel), Yeonja Banga (a millstone operated by a horse or ox), Josan (a monument to ward off misfortunes and protect prosperity), and Seondol (natural stones used for worship), with which visitors can experience farm life in the past. Traditional totem poles (called Jangseung or Sotdae) await visitors at the entrance of the museum. Exhibition hours are between 9 am and 6 pm (until 5 pm during winter). The museum is also surrounded by many tourist attractions: Wangbeodeul (grand willow trees designated as Natural Monument No.297) in Bugok-dong, Dalgi Falls, Cheongun Stream, and Songsaeng-ri Student Campgrounds to name a few.  

‘Molundae’ (몰운대) literally means ‘the cliff beyond which clouds disappear’. The tip of the steep cliff is adorned with three specimens of 500-year-old pine trees. Legend has it that gods would perch on the cliff’s top and enjoy the beautiful view. At the foot of the cliff lies a large sheet of rock that can accommodate hundreds of people.

Deokpung Village is a typical mountain village with bountiful resources and a great potential for development. The village has abundant forest resources with rare and valuable flora and fauna and is home to a natural recreational forest, mountain goats, and wild ginseng. The major income sources of this village are farm products such as pepper and garlic. You can enjoy fly fishing, hiking and a variety of hands-on experience programs. It also has several places to accommodate tourists.

Ilyeong Herbland (일영허브랜드) boasts picturesque scenery, combining both natural and man-made beauty with herbal gardens resting on a wide outdoor field. An herbal botanical garden; an herbal shop; a well-being corner; a restaurant; an outdoor garden; and a walking path are built across an area of 1.7 ha. Visitors can buy herbal plants such as white sweet marjoram, stevia, salad burnet, borage, sweet basil, lemongrass, chive, Italian parsley, parsley, chervil, and can also have various herbal teas and boiled rice with herbal flowers and assorted mixtures.

Bangtaesan Recreational Forest is known for its beautiful scenery like the two-step waterfall at Madangbawi Rock. The autumn foliage in the forest is worth seeing because of the outstanding species of broadleaf trees in the Reserved Forest.Wild animals like rabbits, roe deer, and squirrel inhabits the forest. Various programs like the forest explanation and experience of forest are available.

Located in Odaesan National Park, Sambong Recreational Forest (삼봉자연휴양림) is filled with large acicular trees like fir and broad-leaved trees like birch. Lenoks, a species of fresh-water fish that are considered a Korean natural treasure, found only in the cleanest water, thrive in the waters of the deep valley running through the park. The park is surrounded by three peaks – Gachilbong (1,240m), Mt. Eungboksan (1,155m), and Sasambong (1,107m). In the middle of the area surrounded by the three peaks, rests the Sambong Mineral Spring (삼봉약수), whose waters attract many visitors. The spring’s waters are said to ease stomach complaints. The park is also popular since visitors can go leaf peeking in autumn while enjoying the mountains and sea at the same time in summer.