Travel/Culture List

Jaman Mural Village is located in the ridge between Omokdae and Imokdae along the foot of Seungamsan Mountain’s Jungbawi Rock. Jeonju Hanok Village is also visible from the wide street. Although it is a fairly steep walk up to Jaman Village, visitors will be able to enjoy colorful murals painted on the buildings and walls along the way.    

AmorePacific, a Korean brand, initially gained popularity in New York since its opening of AMORE Beauty Gallery & Spa in Soho, New York. The AMORE Spa is a popular spa and treatment center frequented by many international celebrities. The AMORE Spa Seoul branch, opened in April 2005, offers approximately 30 different kinds of programs. One of the most popular spa programs is Spa Therapy, which uses a diverse range of natural therapy materials including lotus flower, ginger and bamboo. Another popular program is the Halla Green Tea program, which uses green tea leaves grown in Jeju's Hallasan Mountain. Other programs include Gold & Silver Energy Healing therapy, Mystic Bamboo Forest, facial therapies, body slimming and massages.

Mokdong Stadium, located in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, was opened on November 4, 1989 to accommodate an increasing number of people who want to work out in Seoul. It houses a soccer field, baseball field, figure skating rink, as well as a traditional game field at the Jungang plaza. Also, it has an indoor shooting range and fitness club. The main stadium is comprised of a soccer field and an athletic sports stadium, spanning over an area of 16,233㎡ and is able to accommodate up to 16,000 people. The ice rink covers an area of 6,018㎡ and can accommodate up to 7,000 people. Not only are there the usual on-ice activities such as ice hockey and figure skating, ice ballet performance is also held in the stadium. The stadium is used for a diverse range of sports, as well as, a daily work out place for nearby residents.

A big grass field including a refreshing pond and well-organized paths make visitors excited at Yongsan Family Park. Yongsan Family Park spans an area of 90,000 pyeong (297,520.66㎡) in what was the former golf course of the Eighth US Army Division and after that the park was scaled down the size to 27,000 pyeong (89,256.20 ㎡) following the construction of the National Museum of Korea on November 15, 1997. The park is comprised of various facilities such as a 2km-walking path, a natural education site, Taegeukgi Park. Visitors can watch pigeons and wild pheasants living the park.

Past names of Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine included Yongdubong (Dragon Head Peak) and Jamdubong (Silkworm Head Peak), but was renamed in 2000.Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine is the site of the Byeonin Persecution of 1866, where many Roman Catholics were brutally murdered.This site was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Byeonin Persecution and to remember the spirit of martyrdom at Jeoldusan.The Martyrs’ Museum and Martyrs’ Memorial were built in 1967, and in 1972 Martyrs’ Park was opened to the public. Pope John Paul Ⅱ visited in the site in 1984 and Mother Teresa visited in 1985.

The beloved outdoor swimming pools at Yeouido was reborn as Supia, a year-round theme park in Hangang. Unlike the previous pools, Supia at Ttukseom and Yeouido is a water park that added Flow Pool to the existing Adult Pool, Youth Pool, and Children’s Pool.* What is Supia?- Combining Arisu (the former name of Hangang) and Utopia, Supia is a fun theme park in the middle of the city that can be enjoyed all year long. 

Deogyusan Resort (former Muju Resort) is one of Korea’s most famous mountain peak ski resorts. Covering an area of over seven million square meters, the resort is located in the Gucheon-dong Valley, at the base of the famous Deogyusan Mountains. Nature lovers will particularly enjoy visiting the resort, since it is located in one of Korea’s beautiful national parks, and was specially designed to harmonize with its natural surroundings.The six ski slopes are categorized according to level of difficulty. The Silk Road Slope is Korea’s longest course. It begins at the Peak of Deogyusan Seolcheon Mountain and follows the snow-covered landscape all the way to the base. The Raiders Course has the steepest slopes in the entire nation.As well as the truly great skiing on offer, the Deogyusan Resort also provides a wide selection of food and entertainment.

Boramae Park is a former Air Force Academy site that has been transformed into a recreational park. It adopted the name ‘Boramae’ (meaning hawk) which was the symbol of the site when it was the Air Force Academy. There are a variety of exercise facilities including multi-purpose areas, badminton courts, an X-game court and climbing wall, a turf field, an air park, a musical pond, a playground, picnic sites and various other facilities.The symbolic tower of the Air Force Academy still stands as a powerful symbol of loyalty and filial piety. Visitors can get a more intimate feel of the old Air Force Academy with a visit to the aircraft display (8 pieces in all) located behind the main fountain. 

The National Gugak Center (Formerly: National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts) is the governing body established to preserve and promote traditional Korean performing arts. It consists of three performance halls. First, the largest venue for traditional Korean performing arts is the Reservation Hall. The outward appearance of this theatre is based on Suwon Castle. The interior is built to accentuate all the features of the performing platform for traditional performing arts, and can accommodate every single type of traditional performing art, such as Palace Music, Court Music, and all other genres including major productions of Changguek (Korean musical drama). The structure of the stage and seats are reminiscent of a Korean yard.Long ago in Korea, traditional arts were performed in the yard. The audience was separated into an area in the shape of an earthen wall, and the ceiling had a shield/kite shaped emanating plate. The theatre gives the illusion of being in an ancient Korean household. On the 2nd floor of the Reservation Hall, there is a separate children's playground, which allows for quiet enjoyment of the music in the performance hall. Umyeondang (small hall) was designed to accommodate performances which were held outdoors. The performing space can be adjusted to fit the needs of the production.The National Gugak Center Outdoor Performance Stage is also called the "Star Welcoming Stage." You can watch many traditional performances that are usually held on traditional holidays. You can listen to traditional music, and if you want more information on the music try going to the Gugak Museum. Videos on Korea's traditional instruments and other Gugak related videos are always exhibited here. Also at the shop you can buy various Gugak related souvenirs. Having a Gugak CD or a cassette will be a great souvenir to remember the inspiration of Gugak for a long time. At the Front courtyard of the museum you can try to play traditional games and instruments from 10am to 5pm. You can play traditional games like neol ttwigi (seesaw jumping) or jegi chagi (Korean hacky sack) and try playing traditional instruments like the jing (gong), janggu (drum), kkwaenggwari (cymbal) and buk (drum).

Dae Jang Geum Park in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do is the largest historical drama set in Korea and a hallyu themed park run by Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC). Located at 25, Yongcheon drama-gil, Baegam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, the theme park was built on a 2,500,000㎡ site. Facilities in the themed park are semi-permanent facilities reflected the architectural style, lifestyle and culture of the past, based on historical records. The facilities are in great harmony with the surrounding natural landscapes, which makes tourists feel as if they have traveled to the past in a time machine. Popular dramas of MBC, such as "The Moon that Embraces the Sun (2012)," which made actor Kim Soo-hyun a super star, and "Gu Family Book (2013)" that starred Lee Seung-gi and Bae Suzy, were filmed at the Dae Jang Geum Park. "Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace; 2004)," a mega-hit drama that was exported to around 100 countries, was first shot in Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, but later filmed at the Dae Jang Geum Park. In the park, you will be able to see buildings like Muryangsujeon Hall, Gyujanggak (Royal Library), Donggungjeon Palace (Crown Prince’s Palace), and Hyeminseo (Medical Institution) that appeared in the drama. You can also enjoy various things in 23 tour zones like Jeojatgeori (downtown), Pocheong (Police Bureau) & Oksa (a prison), Injeongjeon Hall, Bopyeongjeon Hall, Yeonmujang (practice ground), and more. Among them, Donggungjeon Palace was the main filming spot for the drama "Dong-Yi (2010)," and Yeonmujang is often used as a filming spot for various battle scenes. Injeongjeon Hall was used for shooting large-scale banquet scenes. For example, the coronation ceremony scene in the drama "Queen Seondeok (2009)" and the final battle scene in "The Moon that Embraces the Sun(2012)" where Hweon (Kim Su-hyun) and Yangmyeong (Jeong Il-woo) fought against traitors were all shot here. Injeongjeon Hall is a popular set for major scenes of many dramas. Dae Jang Geum Park is a well-known filming site for movies and commercials as well as MBC dramas. It also is used by foreign broadcasting networks including NHK to shoot historical scenes about Korea.