Sujongsa Temple is visited heavily by both the believers of the religion as well as average people who enjoy hiking, owing to its mild condition of trekking route reaching about a little over 600 meters, and its convenient location from Seoul. Nestled in Joan-myeon of Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, the temple has a commending view over Bukhangang River, which is rated to have one of the top magnificent views. Thanks to this geological reason, visitors here can hear clearer sounds of bell ringing from the temple, and the soothing water streaming down the mountain peaks and valley. It is no coincident that the place was named after this define sound-effect, thus called sujong, which directly translates into 'water-bell.'
There is another folklore that has been passed down for generations, with regards to the origin of the temple's name. When King Sejo (1417-1468) was returning from the Geumgangsan Mountain trip, he stayed a night in the current Yangsu-ri region, and had heard the bell ring from afar. On the next day, he had his courtiers to look for the bell-ringing source but only ended up finding a cave, where water falling from the cave's ceiling has been making the the supposed 'bell-ringing' sound. Besides the discovery of the cave, King Sejo also found 18 small Buddha statues. To commemorate the excavation, the king ordered to construct a temple at the very site.
Visitors will not be able to see these valuables on-site currently, but still be able to enjoy beautiful sights of Ungilsan Mountain and learn some historical facts. The artifacts from the temple site are now managed by and exhibited at the National Museum of Korea. Although the exact date of the temple's foundation has not been proven yet, experts estimated the period to be during the early Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Ulleungdo Lighthouse was first lit in 1958 as a guiding light for boats coming to and from Ulleungdo Island. The lighthouse is a round, white concrete structure rising 7.6 meters high with a light reaching as far as 50 kilometers away. The hiking trail up to the Ulleungdo lighthouse is a natural, narrow path among groves of trees. The gentle slope is surrounded by uniquely shaped cliffs, so it is a popular hiking course for tourists.
Deokpojin Museum of Education was established by Kim Dong-seon, an elementary school teacher, for his wife, Lee In-suk who lost her eye sight due to an accident while she was also an elementary school teacher. He decided to build the museum to cheer up his wife who was deeply depressed with the fact that she could no longer teach students. Through the husband's will to give his wife opportunities to teach children again, his dream to create a hands-on educational programs not available in the ordinary school education system became a reality as well. The museum was finally opened in 1996 with materials collected by the couple, comprised of a music class taught with her harmonium and Mr. Kim's collection of various school materials such as a book wrapper, a nature textbook from 1960, nickel silver lunch boxes and more. These collections attracts many visitors, from kindergarteners to university students and even family visitors.
Jisimdo Island is about 500m wide and 1.5km in length and sits 5km to the southeast of Geojedo Island’s Jangseungpo Port. The island is densely filled with tree. 37 species of trees including pine trees, and Geoje aerides can be seen but camellia trees account for 60 to 70 percent of the whole area of the island. The flower of cameillia trees blooms in the beginning of December and closes its flowers in April. The best time for seeing the flowers is around March even though people can admire the blooming flower for 5 months.
The island’s edges are mostly comprised of steep cliffs, otherwise private land and mountain slopes are generally flat. To see the whole island, it may take 2 to 3 hours on foot along the flat trail in the village.
Pocheon Sansawon is a museum of traditional Korean liquor, mainly home-brewed liquor. Several rows of liquor crock pots in Sewollang, a garden in Sansawon, create a magnificent view. Old materials and books about the history of Korea's liquor culture attract visitors. After touring the museum, visitors can try non-sterilized liquor of Baesangmyeon Brewery and join activity programs for making home-brewed liquor, fruit-based liquor, seasonal liquor, and more.
Located within Woljeongsa Temple in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Woljeongsa Museum was founded in October 1999, and began displaying treasures and artifacts from some 60 plus temples in the southern part of Gangwon region. Currently, the museum houses Sangwonsa Temple’s Jungchanggwonseonmun (National Treasure No. 292) and Woljinseokbo (Treasure No. 745), the remains of Octagonal nine-story pagoda (National Treasure No 48), and many other treasures.
Taebaek Highland Natural Recreational Forest is located in 700m above the sea level. Being in the highland, visitors can enjoy snowy landscape in winter, cool and breezy stay in summer, and a peaceful walk with clean and refreshing air in spring and autumn.
Sandong-myeon in the Gurye-gun region is widely known as the home of Sansuyu (cornus fruit) and is responsible for 67% of Korea’s Sansuyu fruit production. The Sangwi Village located at the foot of the southwest side of Manbokdae Mountain (1,433m) is considered the region’s most representative village of Sansuyu. The village has a beautiful natural landscape with the snow-covered Jirisan Mountain range to its back and a small valley to its right.
Visitors to Sangwi Village can wind down at the hot spring complex near the village, which is famous for its germanium content and said to have numerous health benefits. The Sansuyu flowers of Sanwi Village typically are at full bloom between March 20th and March 31st, drawing throngs of visitors.
* Please note that blossom dates are not exact and change slightly from year to year.
The Invention Education Center offers an experience room, experience hall, lecture rooms, and various other facilities throughout four floors. Visitors can learn about top inventors and their inventions in each area. The education programs are conducted by researchers from Daedeok Innopolis, members of the board of examiners of the Korea Industrial Property Office, professors from top universities and more. With their vast knowledge and experience, the lecturers help to cultivate students' ingenuity and competitive spirit.
The Invention Education Center aims to help students understand inventions better through the use of fun and playful experiences. The experiences are divided into four themes, including "Click, Imagination Icon," "View Imagination's Strength," "The Fruit of Imagination," and "Imagination is Reality."
Geumsusan Mountain (altitude: 1,1015m) is located in Jeokseong-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. The mountain is also known as Minyeobong (beauty peak) because the mountain range, when seen from afar, is said to resemble a beautiful woman lying on her side. The mountain was originally called Baegamsan, but the noted Joseon-period scholar Yi Hwang (pen name, Toegye) renamed the mountain Geumsusan (silk embroidery mountain) when he was the chief governor of Danyang County, saying its graceful features matched the fineness of silk embroidery.
Geumsusan Mountain is considered as one of the “Eight Scenic Views of Danyang” with visitors flocking all year round to enjoy the scenic mountain landscapes carpeted with royal azalea blossoms in spring, greenery in summer, foliage in autumn, and snow in winter. In the vicinity is a seaside filming location of Korean historical dramas. The Geumsusan Mountain Gamgol Maple Festival is held in this area every October.