Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Gwangju Station is the representative train station of Gwangju, a cultural and industrial city located in the southwest region of the Korean peninsula. The station opened its doors in 1922 and moved to its current location in July 1969. In 2004, it was included as a stop along the KTX (Korea Train Express) high-speed rail services. From the station, trains run to and from Yongsan Station (Seoul), Mokpo Station, Daejeon Station, and Suncheon Station.Gwangju is the only metropolitan city in the southwest region of Korea and is an important node in the nation’s transportation network. The city hosts a variety of international festivals and events such as the Gwangju Biennale (an international art exhibition) and the World Kimchi Culture Festival. As a result, Gwangju Station is bustling with tourists all year round.Points of interest nearby Gwangju Station include Mudeungsan Mountain, Jeungsimsa Temple, and Wonhyosa Temple.


Gwangju(Gwangsan-gu)

Songjeong Station (Gwangju Songjeong Station) is located in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju-si. The station serves the KTX train from Yongsan Station and the Honamseon Line from Mokpo Station. It also operates an intercity bus stop, allowing tourists to move to other areas easily.


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

The Owen Monument and Memorial Hall is located inside the Christian College of Nursing. The monument was erected in 1914 in memory of missionary Clement Owen who, together with Priest Bae Yoo-ji, was the first missionary to come to Jeollanam-do Province. The monument was built using the 4,200 dollars collected by Owen’s relatives in the USA after Owen died as a martyr in Gwangju.A Western-style building with a total surface area of 434 square meters (including the annex building), the monument is said to have been used as chapel and assembly room. Today, the building serves as the auditorium of the Christian College of Nursing.Clement Owen came to Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in the 1900s and served as a missionary and medical volunteer with his wife, who was a nurse, before dying of exhaustion and overwork in 1909. Owen had hoped to build a memorial hospital in honor of his grandfather, but died before his plan was materialized. The plaque hanging in the hall honors both men in English and Chinese reading, “In Memory of William L. and Clement C. Owen.”


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

Missionary Wilson’s House is a two-story brick building that sits upon the eastern foothills of Yangnimsan Mountain. Known as the oldest surviving Western-style house in Gwangju, the house is an icon of modern culture and architecture in Korea. The house was built by an American missionary named Wilson in the 1920s (exact date unknown) and was the home of the Wilson family while they stayed in Korea. When the family completed their work in Korea, they sold the house for a very cheap price with the stipulation that the house continued to be used for missionary purposes. The house fell into the possession of the General Assembly of Chonnam Presbyterian Church of Korea in 1986 and now serves as the home office for the Presbyterian Church of Korea.The square-shaped house consists of a living room, a family room, a kitchen, and a bathroom (1F), several bedrooms (2F), and storage areas and a boiler room (B1). The fact that the entrance of the house faces east is said to be a result of the prevailing architectural culture of Korea at that time. A Netherland-style house built with 55-milimeter thick, gray bricks, the first and second stories are delineated on the exterior with an eye-catching band of bricks.


Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Located in Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Namdo Folk Food Museum was established to preserve and promote the folk foods of the Namdo region. The museum is housed in a building that resembles both the long, rectangular presses used to make patterned rice cakes and the Ipseokdae Rock of Mudeungsan Mountain, a symbol of Gwangju. Even the colors of the building’s walls hold special significance. The obangsaek ‘five colors’ (blue, white, red, black, and yellow) symbolize the cardinal directions, the seasons, the major organs in the body, different tastes, feelings, and philosophy.Major facilities at the museum include: a special exhibition room for invitational displays on culture and art, the permanent exhibition room on Namdo folk food, the Museum Studio with material related to the museum itself, and the Museum Shop, which sells a selection of Namdo folk food. Other facilities include the Honam Cultural Material Exhibition Room, which showcases the culture of the Honam region (literature, customs, and art), and a seminar room for art and culture-related lectures and conferences.


Gwangju(Buk-gu)

Jungoe Park is one of the nation's most famous leisure spaces. There is a folk museum, an education center, and a biennale showroom in the Biennale & Museum section of the park. Moreover, the Grand Park section has various rides and amusement facilities. The park is also famous for its beautiful autumn foliage.


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

The House of Choi Seung-hyo is a traditional residential building located on the southeastern slopes of Yangrimsan Mountain. Choi Sang-hyeon was an activist who offered his attic as a place of refuge for other activists. Since the building was constructed in the 1920s, it offers a valuable glimpse into the architectural style of Korean houses at the end of the Japanese colonial period.The rectangular building is open to the east, has 8kan rooms in the front and 4kan rooms to the sides (kan: a traditional unit of measurement), and is graced by a traditional ‘paljak’ roof.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

The Uijae Museum of Korean Art was established in memory of the famous Korean artist Heo Baekryeon. Construction of the museum ended in December, 1999, but the museum wasn’t officially opened until November 17th, 2001. Built to mimic the curve of a gently sloping road, the museum’s unique design earned architect Jo Seongryong the 10th Korean Architecture Award the same year as the museum’s opening. Measuring 6,000㎡ (B1-2F) in size, the museum is comprised of two exhibition rooms, a storage facility, a seminar room, and a tea ceremony room for visitors.Since its opening, the Uijae Museum of Korean Art has hosted notable exhibitions and seminars such as the 2002 Biennale Project 2 International Symposium. Currently, the classic works of Heo Baekryeon and a photographic exhibition of the famed artist are on display.


Gwangju(Dong-gu)

Located on the western foothills of Mudeungsan Mountain, Jeungsimsa Temple is a representative temple of Gwangju. First founded by Buddhist monk Cheolgamseonsa Do Yun in 517 (Silla Kingdom), the temple was remodeled by Buddhist monk Hyesoguksa in 1094 (Goryeo Dynasty) and again by Kim Bang in 1443 (Joseon Dynasty). The temple was burned down during the Imjin Waeran War (Japanese Invasion, 1592-1598) and was reconstructed in 1609 by three Buddhist monks: Seokgyeong, Sujang, and Dogwang. It underwent several additional restorations before being destroyed again by fire during the Korean War (1950-1953). Most of the existing buildings, including Daeungjeon (main temple building), were rebuilt in the 1970s.Jeungsimsa Temple is home to a large number of valuable cultural assets: Obaekjeon (hall of 500 Arhats); Cheoljo Birojanabul Jwasang (seated metal Buddha statue, Treasure No. 131) enshrined in Birojeon (Saseongjeon) Hall; a three-story stone pagoda from the latter Silla Kingdom (Gwangju Tangible Cultural Property No. 1); Beomjonggak Pavilion; Beomja Seven-story Stone Pagoda engraved with Beomja (ancient Sanskrit); and more.


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

The Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery is the final resting place of 23 missionaries who brought Christianity to Gwangju and led the movement to free the nation from under Japanese colonial rule. Yangnim-dong in Gwangju Metropolitan City was the main area in which Priest Bae Yu-ji and Dr. Clement Owen carried out their work as the first missionaries to Jeollanam-do Province. As part of his outreach, Priest Bae Yoo-ji established the Jennie Speer Memorial School for Girls. Clement Owen dedicated himself to serving the church and providing medical care along with his wife, who was a nurse. Nearby is a monument dedicated to Priest Bae Yoo-ji and the Owen Memorial Building, built in honor of Dr. Clement Owen and his grandfather. Both memorials are cultural assets and particularly prized by locals of the Christian faith.