Gyeongsangbuk-do()

The Guryongpo Specialty Gwamegi Festival celebrates the local specialties of the Pohang city region. Pohang city is widely-known as the village where Gwamegi, dried mackerel, originated, and the festival promotes this delicious dish as well as other local specialties, such as snow crabs and squid. The Gwamegi Festival presents folk games, traditional Korean music performances, specialty product (squid, Gwamegi) competitions, free sampling exhibitions, and other cultural experience programs.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Najeong Beach is situated on the shores of the East Sea. The beach offers many facilities as well as a seawater hot spring. The parking lot and pine tree forest by the hot spring are open to the public. Various water sports are also available in the area.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Bonghwa-gun)

Waters from the Taebaek Mountains forged Seokcheon Valley (석천계곡), located in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The valley is wide, shallow, and surrounded by thick pine forests. Broad, flat rocks are scattered throughout, and the valley is a great place for children to play. Next to the valley, you will also find Seokcheonjeong Pavilion, which was built in 1535 (Joseon period). This pavilion, made of Bonghwa red pine trees called Chunyangmok, and mounted on stone, offers a great view of the nearby scenic mountain.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Yecheon-gun)

Yecheon Hot Spring (예천온천) is one of the top three hot springs of Gyeongsangbuk-do along with Punggi Hot Spring (풍기온천) and Mungyeong Hot Spring (문경온천). From Yecheon, you can also visit nearby attractions in Yeongju and Bonghwa. Yecheon Hot Spring opened on March 24, 2000 and is proud of its clean and gentle waters, which make skin soft and smooth by removing built-up cells. The nutrients in the water also have anti-aging properties. The facility completed renovations on both the men's and women's saunas on September 28, 2012, adding outdoor hot tubs that are roughly 100㎡ in size to accommodate more people wishing to enjoy the Korean spa experience.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Yeongju-si)

Sobaeksan Oknyeobong Recreational Forest (소백산 옥녀봉 자연휴양림) at the foot of Oknyeobong Peak on Mt. Sobaeksan is a great place to relax and take a rest, and beautiful trails are also available. This natural recreation forest features bungalows, a community kitchen, shower rooms, outdoor classrooms, and a designated parking area for visitors. The forest enjoys the scenic backdrop of Mt. Sobaeksan. You can also visit nearby attractions such as Buseoksa Temple, Sosuseowon Confucian School (소수서원), and Huibang Valley. Located in the northernmost part of Gyeongsangbuk-do, Oknyeobong Recreational Forest has numerous activities and beautiful natural locales. You can take a rest amidst the refreshing air, and enjoy the clean mountain waters. Also, the area offers a great view of Gukmangbong, Birobong, and Dosolbong Peaks; this recreational forest is busiest during the Sobaeksan Royal Azalea Festival. Main tree species – Pine trees (An approximately 200-year-old pine tree at the entrance)


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

The Suites Hotel Gyeongju is a high-end recreational resort located in Gyeongju, a city with over a thousand years of history. Located in the midst of natural beauty, the resort offers all the modern necessities with minimal disruption to the gentle curves of the surrounding hillsides. The hotel offers cozy guestrooms with soft colored walls, up-to-date business facilities, a golf course, and a staff dedicated to quality customer service. For the ultimate experience in lavish living, trying the Royal Suite, decorated in an elegant emerald color scheme reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea. Facilities at the hotel include ‘Suite Hall,’ equipped with the latest facilities for banquets, business meetings, or seminars, and ‘La Terrace,’ a restaurant offering seasonal foods and window views complemented by soft music. For more active entertainment, check out the ‘Park Lounge’ or the golf course where you can enjoy the breeze coming off Bomunho Lake as you putt a few holes with the family. After you’re done, cool off with a dip in the outdoor pool or relax on the wood deck by the garden.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Chilgok-gun)

Gasansanseong Fortress (가산산성) in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do is located in the middle of Chilgok-gun, between Daegu Metropolitan City and Gumi. Mt. Gasan (901m in elevation) is 10km west of Mt. Palgongsan. Because it boasts seven peaks, the mountain was called, ‘Chilbongsan.’ After enduring large wars including the Imjinwaeran (Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592) and the Byeongjahoran (Chinese invasion of Korea in 1636), the Joseon rulers built a fortress over the course of 100 years in the mid Joseon period to aid in Korea’s defense. It is Korea’s only three-layered fortress, consisting of inner, outer and central walls. The flat Gasanbawi Rock (가산바위) at the mountain’s peak, which is large enough to accommodate 100 people at a time, offers a great view of Daegu Metropolitan City. * Structure – Stone fortress encircling a valley, strategic fortress * Size and date - Inner wall: 4.0km (17-18th (1640) and 26th (1648) year of King Injo’s reign) - Outer wall: 3.0km (26-27th (1701) year of King Sukjong’s reign) - Central wall: 0.6km (17th (1741) year of King Yeongjo’s reign)  


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Pohang-si)

Philos Hotel is owned by a large hospitality company that operates five-star hotels, golf clubs, and restaurants in some of Korea’s busiest districts, many of which are concentrated in Seoul and the surrounding area. The company purchased Cygnus Hotel in 2008 and reopened the hotel under the name “Philos Hotel” after extensive remodeling. The revamped hotel now features a variety of facilities and guest amenities such as a large parking facility with 400 spaces, a convention hall with seating for up to 1,500, a Chinese restaurant, a seafood buffet restaurant, a wine bar, a fitness center, a sauna, and a spa therapy center. Catering to tourists and business travelers, the hotel offers 131 guestrooms, each of which has its own bedroom, bathroom, and living room and is equipped with modern heating and cooling systems, an LCD TV, a personal safe, and high-speed internet. Hotel suites even come outfitted with a whirlpool bathtub, perfect for easing guests of their travel fatigue. Water used at the hotel is pumped up out of natural bedrock 760m underground. The alkaline water is said to help naturally balance the pH of the human body, which is getting more and more acidic due to the new technologies, pollution, and fast-paced nature of modern society.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Yeongcheon-si)

Historically the forest was called Orijangnim (오리장림) but nowadays it is also widely known as the Jacheon Forest (자천숲). The name Orijangnim originates from the fact that in olden days, before roads were established, there was a thick forest that stretched as far as "O-ri (five-ri or 1963m)"surrounding Jacheon-ri. As the national road was developed, the forest was divided into two parts, and afterwards major parts of the forest were lost to school buildings, wider roads and Typhoon Sara. It’s surely a pity that only the remaining settlements near Jacheon village can give us a feeling on what life was like in the forest long ago. However, as you drive down the un-crowded road, surely you will be able to feel the tranquility of the region. Around 400 years ago when the forest was first created, villagers annually held a ritual at midnight on the 15th of January of the lunar year to pay tribute to their ancestors and wish for peace and safety in the village. The forest houses more than 10 species of trees that come in a variety of fantastic shapes looking just like potted plants. In the summer, the cool wind of Gohyeoncheon Stream, flows in front of Jacheon Village and keeps visitors cool and refreshed, while shade from the trees of Orijangnim seem to completely blot out the the sun. Composition of Orijangnim The forest has a total of 12 species of trees made up of 9 species of 231 broadleaf trees including a gingko tree, Glandulosa willow; oriental oak; Hemipteleae davidii; Zelkova serrata; and Celtis Sinensis, to name a few. As for evergreen trees, there are 3 species of them including pine trees, black pine trees; and the Himalayan Cedar. Most of the trees in the forest are huge with an average age ranging from 20 to 350 years and a x_height of six to 24 meters.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gunwi-gun)

Once you reach the Hantijae Peak of Mt. Palgongsan, the Gunwi Buddha Triad Grotto (known as ‘the 2nd Seokgulam Grotto’, 군위삼존석굴) stands to welcome you. This grotto, designated as National Treasure No. 109, is a natural cave on a sheer cliff. Here, you can see the beautiful Amitabul Buddha, the Bodhisattva of Power and the Bodhisattva of Compassion. This 4.25m-wide and 4.3m-long cave is located 20m above the ground. This grotto is the progenitor of the Gyeongju Seokgulam Grotto, preceding the construction of Seokgulam grotto by 100 years. It has been designated as a world cultural heritage. The square-shaped ceiling is highest in the middle of the chamber. The Amitabul Buddha sits in the center with the Bodhisattva of Power and the Bodhisattva of Compassion flanking its left and right sides. The main Buddha is very refined and graceful with short hair and a divine smile on its face, sitting with crossed legs in a full-lotus posture.