Jeju-do(Jeju-si) , Former Jeju

Tamnaguk is the ancient name for Jeju Island, once a small country, and the term Ipchun means the first day of spring. The coming of spring was also the beginning of the farming season, and Tamnaguk Ipchun Gut Nori is the customary gut (exorcism) ritual performed by the people of Jeju to pray for a bountiful harvest. In modern times, this event is an authentic reenactment of the many traditional gut rituals and is also held to welcome the coming of spring. Festival Overview: The festival is held for two days with an opening ceremony in the evening, followed by the main event on Ipchun day. The opening ceremony features a procession by Jeju citizens dressed in traditional clothing followed by lively music and traditional instruments made up of gongs and drums. On the second day (the first day of spring), the festival will proceed to downtown Jeju, stopping here and there to perform gut rituals. Generally a gut ritual expresses ancient beliefs; and specifically, the ipchun gut is meant to ensure a bountiful harvest at the end of the agricultural season. The ritual performers will wear tal (Korean traditional mask). A spring-related photo exhibition and drawing contest will also be held during the festival, and photos will be exhibited. Hands-on programs include making rice cakes in the traditional way from scratch to finish, and creating tal masks. Visitors can also experience traditional folk games like jegi chagi (shuttlecock) and paengi chigi (top spinning). Festival Highlights: As the festival name indicates, the highlight of the event is the gut performance. This ritual differs from those in other regions as it is performed according to local traditions with costumes unique to Jeju Island. Visitors will also enjoy walking with the farmers’ band and even “banging heads” the way band members do. For a good view of the ritual, arrive early to get a front-row seat just in front of the altar.


Chungcheongnam-do(Cheonan-si)

Aria Hotel is located in Boryeong, a comfortable and attractive city. In summer, you can enjoy Boryeong mud festival in Daecheon Beach, the largest beach in the West Sea, and you can also experience the opening sea route which is called as the miracle of Moses in Muchangpo Beach. In Boryeong, you can taste webfoot octopus and gizzard shad and also enjoy jumbo shrimp festival having the right foods in season.


Jeju-do(Jeju-si) , SinJeju

Tilda House is a European-style pension comprised of pretty buildings with orange roofs and stone walls located in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si, Jeju Island. It is a great place to stay with children as the pension has a kids’ cafe and a sand playground. The view of orange-roofed buildings under the blue sky of Jeju seems unusual and new. There is a total of six guest rooms. There are four rooms for up to three guests (four if you have a child), and one room for three guests (four if you have a child). Rooms T4 and T5 can be joined by opening the connecting doors on both sides. It would be a good place to stay for large families. The room has a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen. In the bedroom, two double beds are placed in parallel, creating enough space for kids as well. The guest room is equipped with a refrigerator, and a washing machine for greater convenience. The room also has kitchen facilities and cooking utensils. The single-family house is large enough for four to five people to stay. It has a living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. You can enjoy a private barbecue in the front yard. Children can play safely in the indoor kids’ room where there are toys and books, a sand playground, and a grassy field. Because of this, the pension is popular among families with young children. Every morning, breakfast buffet is served in the cafe that only the pension guests can use. The host prepares steamed rice, soup, and fresh side dishes for breakfast. An outdoor barbecue area is available with prior reservation. Places to see near the pension include Jeju Aerospace Museum, Osulloc Tea Museum, Jeju Glass Castle, Spirited Garden, Jungmun Resort. Geumneung Beach and Hyeopjae Beach are 15 minutes away by car.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

FLYING - Hwarang Wonjeongdae, a special edition of the original FLYING Silk Road, will be performed at Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park in a special performance hall as one of the events at Silk Road Gyeongju 2015. One of the leading non-verbal directors, Choi Cheolgi, who directed ‘Nanta,’ ‘Jump,’ ‘Bibap,’ and more also created this performance, starting from Gyeongju World Culture Expo in 2011 until now, performing for over 400,000 audience so far and gaining a lot of attention as a local permanent performance. The plot of FLYING - Hwarang Wonjeongdae features a Silla Hwarang, a type of warrior, trying to catch the escaping goblin, Dokkaebi, by teleporting to modern times through a time trap, arriving at Silla High School. The show is comprised of gymnastics, rhythm gymnastics, valley dance, B-boying, circus acts, as well as martial arts from Hwarang in the Silla Dynasty, creating various types of entertainment to watch and providing pleasure by the change of scenery through Silla, China, India, Persia, and Gyeongju.


Chungcheongbuk-do(Yeongdong-gun)

Nestled at the foot of Cheontaesan Mountain, which has an altitude of 714.7m, in the southernmost part of Chungcheongbuk-do, as well as at the boundary with Chungcheongnam-do, Yeongguksa Temple is located in the area of Yeongdong-gun.In the southern part of Cheontaesan Mountain, Local Road No. 68, stretching from west to east, connects Jewon-myeon, Geumsan-gun and Gagok-ri, Yeongdong-gun. The scenery along the road is quite beautiful as well. The road meets Local Road No. 501 where Hotancheon Stream meets Geumgang River. Along this road, you will find a sign for Yeongguksa Temple and Cheontaesan Mountain. The parking lot can be seen at the base of Cheontaesan Mountain after making a left turn at this sign. From the parking lot, visitors can start trekking along the valley in order to reach the mountain.Streams through the valleys such as Jinju Falls, Samdan Falls (previously, Yongchu Falls), Samsinbawi Rock flow through rocks and cliffs and create picturesque scenery. Also, carved poems and writings can be found on the cliffs. While going up along the trekking path, a wide basin will unfold, where Yeongguksa Temple is situated with beautiful surroundings. Samdan Falls, meaning three layered waterfall, was made by the water flowing out of two valleys, and can be seen at the edge of this basin.If going up along the valley, one can see the road to Yeongguksa Temple, which is located in a broad plain amidst the deep forest of the mountain.The time of construction is not clearly known but it is said to have been built around the late Silla period, during the time of King Seonjong. The temple prospered when the State Preceptor Wongak, who completed the Cheontae, one of Buddhist orders from Daegak Guksa Uicheon, came to the temple in the middle of the Goryeo Period. It continued to flourish until the early Joseon era and then took a dive due to the rule of anti-Buddhism. Despite the situation at the time, the temple's reputation as one of the noted temples remained.However, the situation much worse in the early twentith century, so much so that it was almost closed. The temple was reconstructed by Jubongjosa Monk in 1934. As of now, the temple contains various treasures including the Stele for State Preceptor Wongak, Stupa of Yeongguksa Temple, Three-story Stone Pagoda of Yeongguksa Temple, Three-story Stone Pagoda at Mangtapbong Peak of Yeongguksa Temple. In addition, Bell-shaped Stupa and Round-shaped Stupa, regional tangible cultural assets, are situated in the temple site. Standing structures are Daeungjeon Hall (main temple), yosa (a temple dormitory for Buddhist monks), sansingak shrine and pavilions, as well as Gyewolam Temple, a small attached temple.


Chungcheongbuk-do(Okcheon-gun)

Okcheon Hyangsu Baengni (100-ri) Bike Road is a bicycle path located along the riverside where one can enjoy the beauty of Daecheong Lake and the spirit of poetry in the hometown of Jeong Jiyong, Korea's modern poet and author of "Nostalgia." Visitors can also visit the Jeong Jiyong Literature Library and Janggye Tourist Park by biking along the national highway Route 37, which is famous for its cherry blossoms. This bicycle path is relatively easy to travel on and is suitable for beginners. It became even more popular after being featured on the TV show "1 Night 2 Days."  


Gyeonggi-do(Pocheon-si) , Pocheon

The Ildong Jaeil Oncheon is situated in the hot springs region of Pocheon-gun. Many visitors from the Seoul and Gyeongin areas come for the high-quality water that comes from the hot springs located 800~1000 meters underground.Visitors to the Ildong hot springs region also enjoy the famous Idong galbi (grilled meat), visit the nearby Baekunsan, Gwangdeoksan, Cheonggyesan, and Unaksan Mountain ranges and also visit Nasan Golf Course and Ildong Lake.The Ildong Jaeil Oncheon’s hot springs water are known to be effective in treating rheumatism, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, neuralgia, women’s diseases, arthritis, and various skin ailments. 


Busan(Haeundae-gu)

The Haeundae Grand Hotel is a five-star hotel situated in Haeundae, an extremely popular tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches and hot springs. The hotel has a variety of leisure and sport facilities, but is most popular for its hot springs sauna. The hotel sauna is supplied by special, natural hot spring water that is only found at the nearby beaches. Rich in calcium, the spa water is said to be excellent for your skin, increasing the skin’s overall softness and smoothness. Spa water used at the Haeundae Grand Hotel Hot Spring Sauna is pumped up directly from the natural hot spring water using a series of underground pipe systems installed in Busan between 1952 and 1955. While it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when the Haeundae Hot Springs were first discovered, records of the hot springs have been found dating back to the Silla Kingdom (during which the springs were referred to as the "Gunam Hot Springs") saying that Queen Jin Seong visited the hot springs as a means to treat her smallpox. One hundred years ago, the hot springs were also said to be a cure for leprosy and drew afflicted citizens from neighboring towns. Though the springs were once closed off due to frequent invasions by Japanese raiders, efforts have successfully been made to revive the hot springs of Busan, once again making them a popular spot for many visitors. In addition to the sauna, guests at the Haeundae Grand Hotel can also use the hotel’s jjimjilbang, which is comprised of various rooms such as a germanium room, a gravel room, an oxygen room, and an Elvan (quartz) room that has large heated beds made from a mixture of gems and stones. The jjimjilbang also has other heated beds made from Elvan and red clay.  


Gyeonggi-do(Suwon-si) , suwon

The Pungmi Kimchi Company uses modern production facilities to make and export kimchi.  The company's tour provides detailed information on the history of and materials used for kimchi, along with the hands-on kimchi making programs, which attract many foreign visitors and student groups. The tour starts with making kimchi, followed by a tour of the factory and laboratory. The well-organized Traditional Food Culture Hall on the 3rd floor helps visitors learn the history of traditional Korean food like kimchi, tofu, soybean paste, rice cakes and different kinds of kimchi at a glance.


Jeollanam-do(Suncheon-si)

Nagan Folk Recreation Forest is situated in Nakan-myeon, Suncheon, conveniently accessed by trains (two railway lines, Jeolla Line and Gyeongjeon Line) and two highways (Namhae Highway and Honam Highway). Just two kilometers from the historic Nagan Fortress Folk Village, Nagan Folk Recreation Forest boasts exquisite surroundings. Some famous attractions near the forest are Songgwangsa Temple, Seonamsa Temple, Juamho Lake, and Sangsaho Lake, offering opportunities to appreciate ancient temples and the glow of the setting sun over the lakes. Perhaps more famous nearby attractions, though, are the breathtaking rows of reeds at Suncheon Bay and Nagan Fortress Folk Village, the home of cultural festivals and events.Lying on a local highway between Suncheon and Naksan, this forest is surrounded by mountains and a river with a homely garden atmosphere. The two beautiful mountains, Geumjeonsan (667.9m) and Obongsan (591m) snuggly envelop Nagan Folk Recreation Forest. On rainy days, visitors can enjoy spectacular falls of water at Virgin Falls (Cheonyeo Pokpo in Korean) within the forest.Every year, Nagan Fortress Folk Village hosts Nakan Folk Culture Festival (a main festival held in Suncheon from end of April to early May) and Namdo Food Festival (October) while Yeosu, another nearby city, holds Azalea Festival and Turtle Ship Festival (from April to May) and Boseong, Boseong Green Tea Festival and Illimsan Royal Azalea Festival (May).