Travel/Culture List

The Incheon Children’s Museum is an interactive museum with hands-on interactions at its core. The museum offers a variety of interactive exhibitions, educational programs and serves as a platform where children may search and express their ideas in creative ways. The museum houses many interactive exhibition centers including the ‘Global Village Culture Search,’ ‘Science Exploration,’ ‘Teaching Tools Study,’ ‘Book Study,’ and ‘Dino Exploration.’ There is also a 3D screen room, an art experience center, and many other convenience facilities.

Palgongsan Natural Park (Gatbawi District) is centered around Palgongsan Mountain, one of the larger mountains in the Taebaek mountain range. Palgongsan Mountain is located 20km northeast from downtown Daegu, where Nakdonggang River and Geumhogang River meet. The mountain has three peaks in a row: Birobong Peak in the center and Dongbong (aka ‘Mitabong,’ 1,155m) and Seobong (aka ‘Samseongbong,’ 1,150m) on either side.In terms of administrational district, the park (30.593㎢ in size) is within Dong-gu, Daegu and has four towns along its border including Yeongcheon-si, Gyeongsan-si, and Chilgok-gun. A number of Buddhist temples including Donghwasa, a headquarters of the 9th Buddhist Parish, are located in the area.The park has numerous rocks and valleys and is carpeted with azaleas in the spring. In the autumn many visitors flock to the park to admire the falls leaves on the trees lining the 16.3km-long road through the park. With vibrant green leaves and a delicate snowscape in the winter, Palgongsan Mt is an attractive destination for visitors throughout the year.[About Gatbawi]‘Gatbawi’ is a statue of Buddha that sits against a rocky cliff of Gwanbong Peak that rises 850m above the sea level. The name ‘Gatbawi’ comes from the fact that the Buddha has a flat rock (‘bawi’) on its head that looks like a Korean traditional hat (called a ‘gat’). The statue, designated Treasure No. 431, is one of the most sophisticated Buddha statues of the 9th Century. Legend has it that the statue grants honest prayers, so every year at sunrise on New Year’s Day people flock to the Buddha statue to make a wish for the new year and see the rising sun.

Ichon Hangang Park is located on the northern side of the river between Jungrangcheon Bridge and Wonhyo Bridge. Along the riverside grow beautiful flowers and plants such as reed, eulalia and cosmos by season making the riverside path a popular course for a walk and family outing.Within the part, there are Teen Square, X-Game center, In-line skating rink, basketball court, tennis court, and gate ball field. Plus, the part also has , a rafting program where you may cross the river in a rubber boat navigating your way from one side of the river to the other. The program is popular as a teamwork training center for school students and office workers.Your joyful experience in the park doesn’t end here - there are more things to see and enjoy including a nature experience center, water sports, Cha Beom-Geun football class, and Nodleseom Island. 

Bukchon Heritage Studio is a hands-on culture space where visitors can experience traditional Korean cultural heritages. It is located in a large Korean-style house at the entrance of Bukchon Hanok Village. The studio provides various things to see and enjoy in which the traditional and the new are harmoniously mixed. Exhibitions display artwork created by intangible cultural assets and great masters.  The exhibitions also present Korean traditions from ancient art to modern art and how the process has developed.  Also, chances to see the production process of Seoul’s traditional folk alcoholic beverage "samhaeju" and sample it are offered. Other hands-on programs include traditional food programs. * First opened on April 5, 2013 * Founded by Cho Yongsik, Kim Yangsu, Kim Tonghwan * Collection: statue of the Buddha from Goryeo Dynasty, metallic cultural assets such as a tower and incense burner, works of contemporary artists including Paik Nam-june, Seo Se-ok, Byun Chong-gon, and Choi Byung-hoon and modern and contemporary furniture designed by Ettore Sottsass, Michele de Lucchi, Gaetano Pesce, and George Nelson

Zipline Jeju is located within Cave Café Daheeyeon, a green tea theme park on the outskirts of the Geomun Oreum volcanic site, a UNESCO-designated World Natural Heritage site. Zipline Jeju has four different courses of approximately 1 kilometer in length, and offers the experience of flying by zooming down on a wire cable. Ziplining is an innovative leisure sport that can be enjoyed year-round with family and friends. It offers a thrilling ride experience in the sky, which is a good way to escape the stress of daily life. At Cave Café Daheeyeon, visitors can relax while touring the beautiful green tea fields, and feel invigorated by the active zipline experience. ​

Jeondong Catholic Church in Jeonju (Historic Site No. 288) was built in honor of Roman Catholic martyrs of the Joseon Dynasty on the very same spot the martyrs lost their lives. The land was purchased by French Priest Baudenet in 1891 (28th year of King Gojong), but construction of the church did not begin until 1908. The church was designed by Priest Poinel, who also designed the famous Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. Construction was completed in 1914, a time during which Korea was under Japanese rule. Though originally built just outside of Pungnammun Gate, the site of the martyrs, the church was later moved to its current location for expansion.The first Romanesque building in the Honam region, the Jeondong Catholic Church is made of gray and red bricks and bears a striking resemblance to the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. Not only considered one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Korea, some even go so far as to say it is one of the most beautiful structures in all of Korea, citing the church’s unique combination of Byzantine and Romanesque architectural styles. The rectangular building is topped with three Byzantine bell towers (to the right, center, and left) and boasts arched ceilings, several of which meet in the form of a cross.It is interesting to note that some of the bricks used in construction of the church were made using materials from the Jeonjueupseong Fortress, which was torn down by the Japanese. It is also said that the cornerstone of the church came from a wall of Jeonjueupseong Fortress near Pungnammun Gate.

The opening of the Incheon Port in 1883 led to the start of many foreigners coming into the area for settlement. Soon, it became a rich village and many young people gradually moved out, leaving the village in a state of stagnant. As such, a renovation project was brought upon to improve development of the village by painting and decorating classic fairy tales all around.

Museum Kimchikan is a unique museum dedicated to kimchi and kimjang, the process of making kimchi which was designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The museum was also selected by CNN in March 2015 as one of the world’s top 11 food museums. Visitors can learn the history of kimchi as well as learn and get a taste of the different types of kimchi. Audio guides in English, Japanese, and Chinese are available for international visitors and a guided tour of the museum by a docent is also available at designated times. Online reservation is available through the museum’s official website.

Hangaram Art Museum, located in the left wing of the Seoul Arts Center, displays a unique exhibition of formative arts. Established in 1990, the museum has a total area of 15,540㎡ and contains 6 exhibition halls (including one for oversized artwork), a storage area, and an art shop. The building features a lighting system that controls the humidity and temperature and is equipped with a luminous ceiling system that captures natural sunlight and feeds it into the museum, allowing visitors to enjoy a brightly lit viewing area. The Art Square in front of the museum houses a wide range of exclusive artwork and serves as a venue for various events such as the Cloz Art Market. Visitors may also enjoy the open-air café right in front of the building or dine at “Yehyang,” a traditional Korean restaurant right down the stairs.

Located in Samcheong-dong and established in 1981, Seongsim Yeogongwon is an art studio by Sim Yong-sik (Intangible Cultural Property designated by City of Seoul). He works on various traditional windows and doors with his students, promoting them in Korea and other countries. In hanok terminology, daemokjang means a basic frame of a house while somokjang refers to doors, windows, and so on that add something to the frame. Doors and windows with beautiful patterns are all over the place in Seongsim Arts & Crafts: doors that can hang against a wall, windows decorated with cherry blossoms, comb-patterned windows and so on.Visitors can also enjoy beautiful crafts in various exhibition events held in Seongsim Yegongwon. The place is open to the public free of charge.