Jeollanam-do(Yeosu-si)


Chungcheongnam-do(Gongju-si)

Gyeryongsan Mountain is known for its diverse range of plants and animals, natural surroundings, mysterious legends, and cultural treasures that have made the mountain one of Korea's sacred mountains since the ancient times. Many visitors travel to the mountain every year for some spiritual healing and meditation. A traditional ceremony that originally began as a gesture of gratitude continued from the Baekje through the Joseon Dynasties, the Sanshinje was recognized as a national event. However, it was temporarily halted when the supervising party of the festival had to stop holding the ceremony in order to join the fight against the Japanese occupation. The festival was later restored by Sim U-Seong, the head of the Gongju Folk Drama Museum, and is now held annually in April. The ceremony draws many visitors thanks to the beautiful spring scenery of Gyeryongsan Mountain. There are also many attractions and traditional performances during the event. Yanghwa-ri Village, the main venue of the festival, is where the heritage and culture of Sanshinje ceremony are well preserved.


Jeollanam-do(Damyang-gun)

Featuring history, culture, and evergreen bamboo tree forests as a clean and ecological city, Damyang holds Namdo Food Festival in the area of Damyang Stadium in front of Juknokwon. This festival introduces a food exhibition hall that comprises of a variety of representative food in Namdo, and an event offering various healthy foods. Other events include parades, food contests, sampling, agricultural products sales market, food ingredients hall, food market and cultural art performances alike to entertain visitors.


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Seuldo Island is located off the coast of Ulsan City in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula. Its name, Seuldo ("seul" meaning the Korean stringed instrument geomungo), was given as the sound of wind and waves hitting the rock island is said to mimic the sound of geomungo. In fact, the sound of waves hitting the island is so good that it is called seuldomyeongpa or the resounding of waves. The island is also known as Siruseom ("siru" meaning an earthenare steamer) for its resemblance to the upside down siru, and Gomboseom ("gombo" meaning pockmarks) for its stones with holes in them appear as gombos. On the island, there is an unmanned lighthouse dating back to the late 1950s. The main economic activity on the island is fishery. In 2010, the TV drama "Fire of Desire" was filmed on the island.


Gangwon-do(Taebaek-si)

Cheonjedan are altars set up by people a long time ago to offer goods to Heaven. In old records such as the Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), there are records that "The Silla Kingdom organized rituals in Taebaeksan Mountain, which it considered as a Bugak Mountain (Northern Mountain, one of the mountains for rituals)." This shows that Taebaeksan Mountain was considered to be a holy mountain in the past. Cheonjedan, or the altar, is situated at the summit of Taebaeksan Mountain. With Cheonwangdan altar in the center, there is the Janggundan Altar in the north and a smaller altar in the south. The altars are built by stacking stones, a sign of a sacred ground. The Cheonwangdan altar is made of natural stone. It has an oval shape and measures 27.5 meters in circumference, 3 meters tall, 7.76 meters wide, and 8.26 meters from front to back. The natural stone is a sort of gneiss, with the upper stone being round and the bottom stone rectangular. Such a form is based on the philosophy of Cheonwon Jibang. In the valleys nearby, there are small or large stacked stone pagodas and stone platforms, which were used for prayers. It is forbidden to kill wild animals or break off tree branches in the area.


Jeollanam-do(Sinan-gun)

Heuksando Island is located at the southern end of Korea about 92.7 km away from Mokpo. It is composed of 11 uninhabited islands and 89 inhabited islands. Because of its natural beauty, it has been designated as part of Dadohae National Marine Park along with the nearby islands.Heuksando Island has a circular road that can take you all the way around the island along the seashore. Following this road, you can see almost all of the beautiful natural and cultural treasures of the island. The Choryeongmok Tree, once designated as Natural Monument, is said to have the ability to conjur up spirits when its branch is broken and placed on a Buddhist altar. Nearby are Sangroksurim and Seonghwangdang. Also on Heuksando Island are designated Cultural Treasures such as the Jiseokmyogun, Samcheungseokdeung, Samcheungseoktap, and Banwolseong. Mt. Heuksan on the island has eight especially beautiful sceneries, which are called Mt. Heuksan Eight Sceneries. Among them, Munamchangsong, Songjeonmangwol, and Myeongsasipri are especially famous. Munamchangsong refers to evergreen trees covering the sky of Mt. Munamsan, and Songjeonmangwol refers to watching the moon in front of an evergreen at harvest full moon. Myeongsasipri refers to a large white sandy beach spread out in front of Jinri Village. The Eight Sceneries of Mt. Heuksan are must-see places for those who visit the island of Heuksando. 


Chungcheongnam-do(Cheongyang-gun)

The Jangseung Park on Chilgapsan Mountain is the largest preservation area for "jangseungs," the ancient wooden or stone totem poles that were usually placed at the village entrance to ward off evil spirits. It was established in May 1999 to counter the dwindling awareness of the artifacts, and houses some of Korea's tallest jangseungs (11.5m) as well as replicas of indigenous totem poles from across the world. Today, it continues to host the Annual Mt. Chilgap Jangseung Festival, and serves as an important site of Korean history learning.


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Seosaengpo Waeseong Fortress (Seosaengpo Japanese Fortress) is a stone fortress typical of the Japanese style popular in the later part of the 16th century. It was built under the leadership of Japanese General Kato Kiyomasa in 1592-1593 at the beginning of the Imjinwaeran War (Japanese invasion, 1592-1598). The main fortress is located on a mountaintop 200 meters above sea level, a second fortress is halfway down the mountain, and a third fortress is located at the bottom of the mountain. The whole fortress is rectangular shaped. The fortress wall is 6 meters high and slants at an angle of 15 degrees. In 1594, a Buddhist monk named Samyeong-daesa came to Seosaengpo Waeseong Fortress four times to negotiate for peace, but he failed each time. In 1598, the fortress was taken over by Korea with the assistance of General Magwi of the Ming Dynasty. A year later, Changpyodang Shrine was built in honor of the 53 Koreans who died during battles against the Japanese invading forces. However, the shrine was destroyed during the Japanese imperialism period and no trace of it remains. It is possible to tell from Seosaengpo Jinseongdo (a map drawn up in 1872) that the fortress was also partially used by Korean forces.


Incheon(Ganghwa-gun) , Ganghwado Island

The Ganghwagun Agricultural Center located in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon opened in 2003 as a cultural and training center. The center provides patrons with a relaxing environment to learn about farming culture in Korea and the public value that the agricultural industry has for Korea. In the center, you may enjoy such hands-on farming activities like harvesting potatoes or picking peppers. The center also holds a farmers’ market where you can buy locally produced goods directly from farmers.


Gangwon-do(Jeongseon-gun)

The Mindungsan Eulalia Festival takes place in the Mindungsan Mountain area. Some of the events held include weekend mountain climbing, talent contests, Arirang singing contests, eulalia music concerts, a Mindungsan Gate ball competition and eulalia photo exhibition. Hands-on programs at the festival include a local food program, post card sending, mountain horseback riding and much more!