Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

Jumunjin Seafood Market was founded in 1936 and is situated in Gangneung next to Jumunjin Port, home to a large fleet of squid boats. It is the largest seafood market on the East Coast and includes a dried seafood market and a sashimi center. The market is a favorite among both Koreans and international visitors. Market specialties include a variety of fresh seafood caught on the East Coast such as squid, mackerel, pollacks, pikes, and crabs. At the market, visitors can purchase these items (and a number of dried seafood products) at inexpensive prices, as well as get a taste of fresh, delicious sashimi. In addition, the market hosts a variety of fun events such as the Blowfish Festival and Squid Festival.  


Gangwon-do(Jeongseon-gun)


Gangwon-do(Pyeongchang-gun)

The Kensington Flora Hotel is an H.E.R.B (Health, Entertainment, Relaxation, Beauty) hotel located on Mt. Odae. The hotel, the first of its kind in all of Korea, was established with the goal of providing women with a classy leisure resort that combines relaxation with quality beauty care. Befitting of its feminine image, the hotel is decorated mainly in the theme of herbs and flowers.In addition to excellent customer service geared towards its female clientele, the hotel offers a variety of facilities such as a state-of the-art seminar hall (with all the latest lighting, audio, and video capabilities) and a luxurious sauna.The sauna is supplied with water from underground mountain bedrock that is known for its effects in revitalizing the body and relieving stress and fatigue. Professional trainers at the sauna’s health center test each client’s BMI, blood pressure, and heart rate and compose a tailored program, ensuring a health experience perfect for each individual.


Gangwon-do(Donghae-si)

Cheongok Cave (천곡천연동굴) is a limestone cave that extends horizontally for 1,400 meters. Estimated to have been created 400 to 500 million years ago, it is the only natural cave located in a downtown area. The cave features ceiling craters, one of which is the longest in Korea, along with stalactite curtains, travertine terraces, stalactite cascades, and many other fantastic rock formations. It provides a grand spectacle for tourists and great speleological samples for researchers. As the inside of the cave is lined with over 20 types of secondary formations, such as stalactites, stalagmites, and limestone pillars, it is an invaluable resource for earth science education. 


Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

Gyeongpo Cherry Blossom Festival takes place at the center of Gyeongpodae Pavilion, the 6th regional tangible cultural treasure of Korea, when cherry blossoms on trees on the 4.3㎞ path around Gyeongpoho Lake are in full bloom. During the festival, various cultural events and flower exhibitions are held against the backdrop of the beautiful cherry blossom covered Gyeongpodae. 


Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

The Daegwallyeong Museum is located in Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do Province. It is housed in a building that resembles a dolmen, striking a balance with its surrounding landscape and earning it an Outstanding Architecture Award from the Construction Association of Korea and the Best Award from Gangwon-do Province.The museum has six exhibition halls, including those that are named after the guardian gods that represent the four directions. Cheongnyongbang (Room of the Green Dragon - East) is decorated in blue and displays celadon and traditional ceramics. Baekobang (Room of the White Tiger - West) is in white and exhibits Buddhist art and wooden dolls. Jujakbang (Room of the Red Vermillion - South) is in red and displays a bridal palanquin, folk paintings, and calligraphy. The black Hyeonmubang (Room of the Black Turtle - North) displays bronze relics. Also, there is the Togibang (Earthenware) showing Prehistoric era shacks and earthenware. Uribang exhibits wooden furniture and folk craftwork.The outdoor space offers an exhibit of stone pagodas and statues as well as a thatched cottage and an operating water mill. 


Gangwon-do(Samcheok-si)

Bonjuk (본죽) is a leading rice porridge franchise restaurant serving a wide range of tasty and healthy juk (rice porridge). With about 1,000 partner stores nationwide and 10 worldwide (USA, Japan, Malaysia), Bonjuk is at the forefront of popularization and globalization of 'juk.' Meanwhile, Bonjuk-Samcheok branch has been recommended in the Michelin Guide for top restaurants.


Gangwon-do(Goseong-gun)

Hwajinpo (화진포) is named so because there are sweet briers that bloom by the lake, and it is one of nature’s great lagoons. It is designated Gangwon Provincial Monument No. 10 with a circumference of about 16 km, and it has a wide reed field which is an important place for migratory birds and swans in the winter. Hwajinpo Lake is surrounded by evergreens and white sandy beaches; it is a lagoon where the river and the sea meet. Materials drifting down the river deposited at the bottom of the river become a sandy beach that eventually block off the river from the sea, creating a lagoon. Hwajinpo Lake is the largest lagoon near the East Sea, and has many ancient artifacts around it, such as the Ten Goindol rocks (also called Jiseokmyeo) scattered around the lake. Because of its excellent scenery, Kim Il-Seong (1912-1994) of North Korea and the South Korean president Lee Seung-Man (1875-1965) had summer houses here after the independence of Korea in 1945. The two houses that originally faced each other with the lake at the center are gone now, but the sites still remain as tourist destinations. They have been converted to Hwajinpo’s Museum of History, and opened to public as a security exhibit center.


Gangwon-do(Samcheok-si)

A small and quiet beach, Jeungsan is close to Chotdae (Candlestick) Bawi Rock in Chuam Beach, which is famous for its breathtaking sunrises. With an average depth of 1 to 2 meters, it attracts numerous vacationers in the summer. Nearby is Suro Buin Park where visitors find the Dragon Ball structure that grants peoples’ wishes. In winter, the sea and seagulls combine to create a romantic winter scene.


Gangwon-do(Yangyang-gun)

Uisangdae (의상대) is located on a seaside hill, on the way to Hongnyeonam Hermitage’s Gwaneumgul Cave from Naksansa Temple. It is a small temple, believed to have been built by Great Monk Uisang (625-702) during King Munmu’s reign (661-681) during Silla Period, on the spot where Uisang used to meditate while building Naksansa Temple. The current pavilion was built in 1925.Hongnyeonam Hermitage is a place you shouldn’t miss when you visit the octagonal Uisangdae. Believed to be built 5 years after Naksansa Temple, it is also where Great Monk Uisang used to meditate. It was named Hongnyeonam ('Hong' meaning 'red' and 'Ryeon' meaning 'lotus flower') because there is a legend that a red lotus flower bloomed in the sea during Great Monk Uisang’s seven days of prayer. It is built against the cliff beside a rocky cave, making it part of a great scenery, and the sunrise from Uisangdae is absolutely spectacular.Songgang Jeongcheol, who was a poet from the mid Joseon Period (1392-1910) expressed his feeling on the spectacle of sunrise from Uisangdae like this: “After the pear-tree flowers have fallen and when the cuckoo cries sadly, beyond the hill east of Naksan Mountain at Uisangdae, I get up in the middle of night to see the sun rise. The auspicious clouds look like they are blooming, and the sun look as if it is being held up by six dragons. As the sun rises majestically from the sea to the sky, the whole world shakes and the sun rises swiftly, shining more brightly than a thousand candles.” That is how much wonder the view of sunrise from Uisangdae has created from long ago.