Travel/Culture List

Yi Sang-hwa is a nationalist poet, who resisted the Japanese colonialism. This house had been his residence from 1939 until he died in 1943. Unfortunately, the house had been neglected since. However, the citizens' movement in 1999 to preserve the house urged the Military Mutual Aid Association to purchase it, and donate it to the City of Daegu on October 27, 2005. It has been restored and opened to the public, serving as the center for education of the poet's brave spirit and work.

Located in Bongseong-ri, Aewol-eup, Saebyeol Oreum (also called Hyoseongak) is a parasitic volcano located almost 520 meters above sea level. It is a famous oreum, which means 'mountain in the Jeju dialect, and hosts the Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival every year, marking the first full moon day of the lunar calendar. During the festival, the pampas grass covering the oreum is lit and the entire oreum becomes engulfed in flames. The mountain is renowned for it’s elegant curves, connecting ridges as well as being one of the best spots to overlook the nearby landscape.While thickets blanket the North Slope, the rest of the mountain is a meadow. Burial mounds can be seen on the northwest, southwest and the southern outskirts of the mountain. The name is related to Saebyeol Oreum the lonely morning star rising first in the night sky. Visitors can climb to the top of the mountain within 30 minutes.Visitors are not permitted to climb Saebyeol Oreum at times due to fire danger (Feb 1 to May 15 and Nov 1 to Dec 15), so they should check the availability of hiking at the Aewol-eup Office prior to their visit.※ Aewol-eup Office: +82-64-799-6001* Information on Hiking Restrictions during the Mountain Fire Warning Period 

Located on the outskirts of Mt. Bugak, this park was the first officially-designated park in Korea (1940). The name Samcheong (literally "three blue") refers to the three highest ideals in Taoism that men can attain. Surrounded by cherry blossoms planted long ago, the park becomes crowded with tourists every April when the trees are in full bloom. The park offers many amenities: badminton and tennis courts, a playground, a snack bar, and a multi-purpose rest area.Major hiking trails winding through Samcheong Park connect the park to the Mt Bugak Seoul Fortress Wall Hiking Trail, a mineral spring spot in Seongbuk-dong, and Waryong. While hiking, visitors can encounter Malbawi, an excellent spot chosen by City of Seoul where they can overlook Seoul at a glance. Malbawi Historic Site Visit Program, run by Jongno-go Office (Seoul), provides children and adults with the opportunity to learn about natural ecology in Samcheong Park and the history of Seoul Fortress Wall from designated guides. Through well-developed roads around Samcheong-dong, visitors can easily move from Samcheong-dong to Seongbuk-dong. Currently, Samcheong Tunnel near the park connects the two localities.

Cheongju National Museum collects and preserves national cultural treasures. The first thing to do when you enter the museum is to obtain various pamphlets at the information desk, from which you can get a lot of information on the museum. The Sangseol Exhibit is the most important place in the Cheongju National Museum. Here you will mainly see displays of artifacts discovered in and around the Chungcheongbuk-do area. In the first division of the exhibit, the Seonsa Room, you can see treasures from the Guseok Period, Sinseok Period, and Cheongdong Period. In the second division, the Samhan-Samguk Room, various artifacts from the houses and tombs of the Samhan and Samguk Periods are displayed. In the Unified Silla-Goryeo (918~1392) Room are displayed the clay pottery, metallic pottery, and gold artifacts used in daily life or related to Buddhism from the Silla and Goryeo Periods. In the fourth Joseon-Go Print Room, you can see the treasures discovered in Chungcheongbuk-do area from the Joseon Period (1392~1910), such as Buncheongsagi and Baekja ceramics. The most carefully decorated room in the Sangseol exhibit is the Children’s Exhibit. It was built to let children experience and learn the culture of Korea’s past. It is also a very helpful place for foreigners who do not know the folk culture of Korea. You can experience first-hand various traditional Korean sounds, such as Dadeumi sound. You can also see a traditional Korean wedding and funeral with all their associated customs in small miniature models. The funeral service shows “sangyeo”, which is not generally known to foreigners. Sangyeo was a device used to carry dead people to their graves. All the miniature models are very detailed and very charming. Besides these, you can try wooden mask printing and the Takbon, as well as tools used by people in the past in the Learning Room. You can try creating clay pottery here as well. 

Jeonju, the mecca for the traditional culture and style of Korea! The Korea Traditional Culture Center was established to preserve and develop Korean traditional culture, to promote it in and outside Korea and to create an industry. The center supports traditional cultural projects in order to preserve the cultural assets of Korea, such as hanok (traditional Korean housing), hansik (Korean food), hansori (traditional Korean music) and Hangeul (Korean alphabets), and graft modernity onto traditional culture. Visitors can participate in education and activity programs related to Korean culture. The Korea Traditional Culture Center has the Hanji Industry Support Center, the Traditional Culture Creation Center, and Jeonju Masterpiece Onn, which is why the center is called the mecca for traditional Korean culture and style.

Incheon Grand Park is an urban nature park located in Jangsu-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon. The park is surrounded by Gwanmosan Mountain and Sangasan Mountain. Spanning across 727 acres of land, Incheon Grand Park is the only large-scale natural green park in Incehon. The park provides a pleasant atmosphere for citizens to escape city life and enjoy natural surroundings. Opening date  April 13, 1996 Closed  [Park] N/A (Open all year round) [Zoo & Botanical Garden] Mondays Natural Preservation Areas (closed to public)  2.6km of Gwanmosan mountain path, 1.9km of Geomasan mountain Operating Hours  March-October 05:00-23:00 November-February 05:00-22:00 Parking Facilities  Available (Main Gate Parking Lot: 2,685 spaces / Manuigol Parking Lot: 275 spaces) * Parking fee collection time March-October 07:00-21:00 November-February 08:00-20:00 Admission Fees  Free Available Facilities  Outdoor theater, artificial turf grounds, skating rink, botanical garden, bicycle trails, lake, sledding hill, children's zoo, observatory, etc. Facility Utilization Fees  [Bicycles] Solo Bike: 2,000 won / 500 won for each additional 10min Tandem Bike: 5,000 won / 1,000 won for each additional 10min Group Bike: 10,000 won / 2,000 won for each additional 10min [Sledding Hills] Adults 7,000 won / Teenagers 5,000 won / Children 4,000 won  Restrooms  Available Facilities for the Handicapped  Free wheelchair rental services (09:00-17:00) * Identification card required. Parking Fees  Small cars: 3,000 won / Large cars: 4,000 won Baby Stroller Rentals  Free rentals available (60 baby carriages located at the park's information center.) * Identification card required to rent Pets  Permitted (Pets must be leashed and cleaned up after)

Running through the central part of the Korean Peninsula, the Hangang River flows from Gangwon-do towards Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeonggi-do, through Seoul and continues on to the Yellow Sea. The river has witnessed the history of the Korean people for over five thousand years, through good and bad times. The riverside parks offer a nice retreat for the citizens of Seoul. The Namhangang River (South Hangang River), which is the main source, originates from Taebaek-si in Gangwon-do. The water runs north through Goljicheon Stream in Samcheok-si and then passes through Gwangdong Dam before flowing into Songcheon Stream. Songcheon Stream starts from Hwangbyeongsan Mountain (1,407 meters) in Jeongseon-gun and flows into Joyanggang River. After joining Odaecheon Stream, it flows south into Donggang River, which in turn flows into Seogang River. Then after joining Dalcheon Stream in Chungju-si, Seomgang River and Cheongmicheon Stream, the river combines with the branch streams of Yanghwacheon, Bokhacheon, and Heukcheon before it finally joins Bukhangang River (North Hangang River) in Yangsu-ri.

Daegu Concert House, previously Daegu Citizen’s Hall, is newly opened after undergoing renovations from April 2011 to August 2013 to reconstruct eaves and columns of the large concert halls and to build a performance support hall perfect for international concerts. The hall is equipped with sound facilities matching international standards. Grand Hall has 1,284 seats, Chamber Hall (small concert hall) has 248 seats, and the parking lot can accommodate a total of 387 cars throughout 215 spaces in the basement level parking lot and 72 spaces in the parking tower. In addition, the concert hall houses an exhibition hall, practice room, and community facilities. In particular, the Grand Hall offers vivid, visible, and acoustic effect by shortening the distance between the performers and audience so that it fits the international standard for concert halls with the best sound facilities.

Digital Pavillion, located inside Digital Media City in Sangam-dong, offers visitors a look into IT-related products in its ubiquitous lifestyle experience center. Covering a total area of 9,721 ㎡, the four-story building holds about 40 items on display. The Exploration Hall on the second floor and the Imagination Hall on the third floor are especially popular among children. * Opened on April 30, 2008

Located in Gyoha-eup (Paju, Gyeonggi-do), Paju Book City is a giant cultural complex, belonging to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. It is home to 250 publishers with over 10,000 workers. It covers the entire process of publishing from planning to printing and distribution.Asia Publication Culture & Information Center houses book cafes, used bookstores, galleries, and restaurants, hosting diverse exhibitions and forums; Tan Tan Story House, run by Yeowon Media specializing in illustrated storybooks for children, is a cultural center for children with a performance hall, a gallery, and a book café. Other notable attractions include Yeolhwadang, Chameleon (BIR Publishing’s book outlet), Darakwon Book Café, and Moongongsa Book Café. The first floor of Paju Book City is full of book stores and cafes.Visitors need to be aware that some stores are closed on weekends and during holidays and only open between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Aside from bookstores and cafes, Paju Book City also boasts many attractions. For instance, its chic building meshes perfectly with the beautiful surroundings; in the corner of Asia Publication Culture & Information Center is an elegant Hanok (traditional Korean house) that boasts both traditional beauty and modern touches.