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Underwater Tomb of King Munmu
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

On the bus from Gyeongju to Bonggil-ri, the sight of the vast blue sea spread before your eyes will leave you breathless. As you gaze at the glittering blue sea, a small but particularly beautiful islet catches your eye. This little rocky islet is the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu (661-681 A.D.), who unified the three kingdoms and became the 30th ruler of the Silla Kingdom. The king gave specific instructions to be buried in the East Sea after his death so that he would become a dragon and protect Silla from Japanese intruders. The rocky island, about 200m in circumference, is divided by a cross-shaped waterway, forming a pool at the center, at the bottom of which is a granite 3.6 meters long, 2.9 meters wide and 0.9 meters thick. Legend has it that the remains of King Munmu’s cremated body are buried under this rock. Historians still debate whether the ashes of the King Munmu were scattered or stored in an urn and placed under the granite. The beauty of the landscape of the underwater tomb reaches its peak in autumn.

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Gyeongju National Museum
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Gyeongju National Museum is steeped in tradition. Representing Gyeongju, which was the capital city of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC - AD 935), the museum is where you can view the cultural history of Gyeongju district. Exhibitions are divided into 4 large areas: the Main hall, Annex I, Annex II, and the Outdoor Exhibit Area (Museum Grounds).In the Main Hall you can see earthenware, with various artworks and craftworks in the Arts and Crafts room. Gukeun Memorial Hall exhibits over 600 artifacts, which were the personal collection of Dr. Lee Yang-Seon, donated to the museum for preservation. Artifacts from the great tombs of the city of Gyeongju are displayed in the Gobun Gallery in Annex I. There are many glittering accessories, such as golden crowns and ornaments, belts, earrings, etc. You will be introduced to the superb artistry of the Silla Period through these artifacts.Approximately 30,000 artifacts have been excavated from Wolji Pond, the most significant of which are exhibited in the Wonji Gallery in Annex 2. Other galleries in Annex 2 exhibit household goods. These various types of items show many aspects of life in the Royal Court during the Silla Period. After the galleries, you can move on to the Outdoor Exhibit Area, in the Museum Grounds. King Seongdeok’s Bell, located here, is the most renowned of all Buddhist temple bells. You cannot help but feel solemn as you gaze upon the relic. There is also a variety of artifacts from royal palaces and temples exhibited throughout the grounds. Buddhist sculptures make up the majority of the stone artifacts. If you are a traveler interested in Buddhism or the magnificent culture of royal palaces, this is a place you do not want to miss.

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Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Mungyeong-si)

There are 3 legendary boundary gates at Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park, on rough mountaintops, which are reputed to be too tall for even birds to fly over.Mungyeongsaejae, which overlays Mt. Joryeongsan, has always been the highest and most dangerous mountain pass. It was cleared during the time of Kim Taejong (reign 1400~1418) of Joseon Period, and was used until a new road was built through the Ihwaryeong Gyegok Valley.The boundary gates and castle walls were raised here after the Japanese Invasion of Korea (1592 and 1598). The second boundary gate, Jogokgwan, was raised in 1594, and in 1708 Juheulgwan and Joryeonggwan were raised and were used as fortresses for national defense. They were damaged after that point, but in 1966 the No. 1, 2, and 3 boundary gates and castle walls were designated collectively as historical relic No. 147 and were later restored in 1976.Take the big road beside boundary gate No. 1 of southeastern Korea, Juheulgwan, for about 1.5km and you’ll arrive at Joryeongwon. There are only stonewalls left from the many inn-like dwellings, which were built to accommodate government officials on official tour. Past the tavern, which was restored in 1983, you’ll reach the Jogokgwan. The area around Jogokgwan is famous for its birch trees, and the Mungyeongsaejae Revolt Monument can be seen on the left side of the road.It’s 3.4km from Jogokgwan to Joryeonggwan, through a walkway with its harmonious scenery of rocks and cool streams. Instead of taking the big road, you can take the road with the sounds of stream water, to a waterfall. 30 minutes farther and you’ll arrive at Hyeguksa Temple.Hyeguksa Temple is at the edge of Juheulsan, and is the place where King Gongmin (reign 1351~1374) stayed while avoiding the peasant uprising. Past Hyeguksa Temple and the Royal Palace about 1km, you’ll reach the sacred peak of Mt, Juheulsan. The view of the winding mountain ranges from the mountaintop is spectacular. From the mountain top, past the valley, is Jogokgwan.The 3rd boundary gate is at Juheulsan (1,106m), and it takes about 4~5 hours to get to Jogokgwan from Juheulgwan. The area was designated as a Provincial Park in 1981.KBS drama studio is located in Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park, specializing in historical dramas, and it is the largest scale studio in the world. There are three palaces and many houses from the Goryeo Period, spread over 60,000 m2.

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Bomun Tourist Complex
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

BomunTourist Complex is the international tourist district of Gyeongju. This tourist district is formed with Bomunho Lake at its center, located about 10km east of downtown Gyeongju. The dimensions of the area is 19.38 square km, and it is designated as a spa and special tourist district. It is a total tourist complex that opened in April 1979. At the entrance, the stream from Deokdongho Lake flows in, powering a water mill inside, and flows on to a 12m artificial waterfall.Within the Bomun Tourist Complex are facilities designed in a traditional style such as the tourist center, international conference room, golf resort, shopping mall, and a tourist hotel. It contains many amusement facilities such as a ferry port, Yukbu Village, Seonjae Art Gallery, Bomun Outdoor Performance Hall, drive-in theater, and Gyeongju World. Every year from April to January the following year, traditional Korean music (Gugak) performances are held free of charge at Bomun Outdoor Performance Hall. You can also enjoy the hot spring in the Bomun District. Along the lake is a long walkway with many cherry trees. In April the whole walkway is covered with pink petals of cherry blossoms.

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Shilla Millennium Park
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Shilla Millennium Park is a theme park integrating both education and entertainment about the history and culture of the Silla Period.Focusing on the Silla Period (57 BC - AD 935), the park reproduces Silla architecture and a village of aristocrats, tells children fun stories about the period, and offers symbolic architecture such as Emile Tower and Seokbinggo. Visitors are also invited to participate in things such as the Craft Clinic.Visitors can enjoy an outdoor set in which the famous Korean drama "Queen Seondeok (2009)" was filmed. In addition, the park houses Ragung, the first hanok (traditional Korean house) hotel in Korea. It became famous when it appeared as Yoon Ji-hoo’s home in the Korean drama , “Boys over Flowers (2009).” The hotel is divided into Suite Hanok and Royal Suite Hanok. Inside each hanok is an outdoor open bath offering comfort and rest to visitors. For more information on Ragung, call +82-54-778-2100 or visit the official website. 

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Gyeongju Yangdong Village [UNESCO World Heritage]
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Gyeongju Yangdong Village (양동마을) is Korea’s largest traditional village, showcasing the traditional culture of the Joseon Dynasty and the beautiful natural surroundings. Thanks to its many cultural heritages, including treasures, national treasures, and folklore materials, the entire village has been designated as a cultural heritage site. Many people have visited this village to see its wealth of cultural heritages and scenic surroundings. Charles, Prince of Wales, visited this village in 1993.Mt. Seolchangsan and its four spines of mountains can be seen beyond the village. Approximately 160 old houses and 500-year-old thatched-roof cottages are nestled within the valley. Fifty-four of these homes, are over 200 years old and have been excellently preserved in their original state, offering a rare opportunity to view a variety of unique Korean traditional houses in person. 

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Cheomseongdae Observatory
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Cheomseongdae is the oldest existing astronomical observatory in Asia. Constructed during the reign of Queen Seon-deok (632-647), it was used for observing the stars in order to forecast the weather. This stone structure is a beautiful combination of straight lines and curves, and was designated as National Treasure No.31 on December 20th, 1962. Cheomseongdae was built in a cylinder shape with stones 30cm in diameter. 362 stones were piled up to make 27 levels. Roughly 4.16m up from the bottom there is a 1㎡ square entrance and a space to hang a ladder under it. The inside is filled with soil up to the 12th level, and the 19th, 20th, 25th, and 26th levels all have long rocks hanging on two areas, shaped as the Chinese letter '井' (jeong). It stands 9.17m high and the base stone on each side measures 5.35m. The Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice and the 24 solar terms (also known as the astronomical solar year) were determined by the observation of stars. The pavilion stone is believed to have been used as a standard of deciding directions, north, south, east and west. The 362 stones used to build Cheomseongdae represented the 362 days in a lunar year.

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Daereungwon Tomb Complex
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Large ancient tombs of kings and nobles of the Silla Kingdom can be seen around Gyeongju at the Daereungwon Tomb Complex (Cheonmachong Tomb). There are twenty-three large tombs located here; the most famous being Cheonmachong and Hwangnamdaechong.In an excavation of the area in the 1970s, Cheonmachong was discovered with a painting of a mounted horse. This painting is the only discovered painting from the Silla era. You can also view the inside of Cheonmachong. There are 11,526 remains and royal crowns inside the tomb, demonstrating the lavish lifestyle of the king. Another tourist attraction is Hwangnamdaechong, the largest ancient tomb. It houses the bodies of both the king and queen and has over 30 thousand relics and gold accessories.The unique thing about Hwangnamdaechong is that the queen's tomb has more luxurious accessories. Researchers have concluded that even the queen can have a high social position before marriage. You can feel the ancient culture of Korea 1,500 years ago when visiting these tombs.

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Gyeongju Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

According to the historical records of Samguk-sagi, Wolji Pond was built during the 14th year of King Munmu (r. 661-681 AD) of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-935 AD). Small mountains were created inside the palace walls, beautiful flowers were planted, and rare animals were brought in to create an exquisitely exotic garden fit for royalty. The pond was originally built in Wolseung Fortress (built in 101 AD during the Silla period), but the fortress was destroyed and now lies in ruins.In 1974, an excavation project revealed large spherical shapes (measuring 200 meters in diameter and 180 meters in x_height) which indicated that 3 islands had been located in the pond. Thanks to these important findings and existing historical records, Wolji Pond has been restored to nearly its former glory.ImhaejeonjiAs one of the detached palaces of the Silla royal family’s main palace, this structure was used as the crown prince’s palace. Imhaejeon is historically the most important building on the property and records often refer to the whole area as ‘Imhaejin.’An excavation resulted in the discovery of several buildings: Hoerang (corridor area) and five towers in the western part of the area. Some sites have been restored while others have been left in their natural state with only the cornerstones poking out from beneath the ground.

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Seokguram Grotto [UNESCO World Heritage]
Gyeongsangbuk-do(Gyeongju-si)

Seokguram, located on Tohamsan Mountain, is the representative stone temple of Korea. The official name of Seokguram, National Treasure No. 24, is Seokguram Seokgul. Designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, it is an artificial stone temple made of granite. The construction was started by Kim Dae-Seong (700-774) in 751 during the reign of King Gyeong-Deok (742-765) of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC - AD 935) and it was finished twenty-four years later in 774, during the reign of King Hye-Gong (765-780).Seokguram is known to have been built with Bulguksa Temple. According to the history book Samgukyusa of the Goryeo Dynasty (the country that unified the Korean peninsula at the end of the Silla Kingdom, 918-1392), Kim Dae-Seong had Bulguksa Temple built for his parents in his current life, and Seokguram Grotto for the parents of his former life.Inside the round-shaped main hall are the Bonjon Statue, Bodhi-sattva and his disciples. The Bonjon figure wearing a generous smile is seated on the stage engraved with a lotus flower design. The rounded ceiling looks like a half-moon or a bow and has a lotus flower decorated cover on it. As the sunrise from this spot is quite beautiful, many people climb the mountain at daybreak.

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