Gangwon-do(Chuncheon-si)

As the master country of Taekwondo, Chuncheon Open International Taekwondo Championships provide the opportunity for Taekwondo artists from all over the world to demonstrate their Taekwondo skills. The championships are held every other year.Description: The championships are categorized into three divisions: Gyeorugi, Gyeongyeon, and Color Belts Gyeorugi. The Gyeorugi Division has the most contestants, and is sectioned into male/female, junior/senior, and children. The Color Belts Gyeorugi Division is open to only foreign contestants over the age of 14 years.The Gyeongyeon Division includes Sonnal Gyeokpa which uses only a single hand-surface, the Jumeok which uses the fists, and the Jonghap Gyeokpa. Also in the Gyeongyeon Division are the Creative Pumsae, which uses the basic elements of Taekwondo, Taekwondo Gymnastics and Hosinsul.Other related events also scheduled are the Taekwondo Demonstration, Sports Dance, Street Demonstrations, and more.Championships Highlights: The festival is an international festival with its an overriding Taekwondo theme, now an official Olympic Sport and Korea’s native martial arts. The festival consists of welcoming, opening and closing ceremonies, and of course the championships themselves. The most attractive feature about this festival is that Taekwondo fans can see the world’s leading Taekwondo artists up-close.The host city of Chuncheon is also surrounded by many major tourist attractions such as Namiseom Island and Cheongpyeongsa Temple, which visitors can enjoy along with the festival.


Gangwon-do(Chuncheon-si)

The 2012 Chuncheon Dakgalbi (Spicy Chicken Ribs) & Makguksu (Buckwheat Noodles) Festival is scheduled to be held this year from August 23rd to 28th. Visitors can enjoy Chuncheon-style buckwheat noodles and spicy chicken ribs, two representative dishes of the region. Special events include the Chuncheon Local Cuisine Cooking Contest and free sampling every afternoon of the area’s famous dishes.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Hapcheon-gun)

Featuring the highest peak, Sanghwangbong, Mt. Gayasan is composed of many summits each over 1,000m in x_height. From the Taebaek Mountains, the Gayasan stretches from east to west. In 1972, it was designated as National Park No.9 due to its breathtaking scenery. Gayasan is know for its many tourist highlights, namely Haeinsa Temple, which is in the southwestern part of Gayasan. It is one of the three most famous temples in Korea. The Tripitaka Koreana (National Treasures No.32), consisting of over eighty thousand blocks, are found here. The place makes for fantastic scenery with the old temple and the beautiful landscape. In addition, there are other cultural properties such as Jangkyunggak (National Treasure No.52), Stone Buddha Figure (Treasures No. 518) Banya Temple Gyeongwangsa Monument (Treasures No.128) which was designated as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Moreover, Gayasan is noted for its graceful mountain landscape. The water flowing from Gayasan valley meets in front of Haeinsa Temple and flows to the southeast where it forms Gayacheon stream. Among the many valleys, Hongryudong valley (its water seems to turn red because of the leaves' autumnal tints) finishes the grandeur scenery with the several thousand year-old pine tree. Namsanjeil-bong, a peak located in southern part of Hongryudong, is called Mt. Cheonbulsan among Buddhists because it seems like thousands of Buddhist statues cover the mountain ridge. Mt. Cheonbulsan is a favorite one-day mountain climbing course for many. Gayasan shows magnificent landscapes every season with the cherry blossoms, azaleas and royal azaleas lined up on the road to Haeinsa Temple in Spring, the clean water and green trees in Summer, the glorious tints of its autumn foliage along the rock ridges in Autumn and a snowy landscape in Winter.  


Chungcheongnam-do(Nonsan-si)

Just like other berry farmers, Uncle Strawberry at first supplied his products to retail distributors such as markets, department stores and discount stores. But he decided to change that, and now he meets his consumers himself at his farmland and provide his berries directly to people. With no retailers in-between, Uncle Strawberry is now able to provide his best quality strawberries to his customers at a lower price. In 2006, Uncle Strawberry started to run hands-on experience programs in his farmland. Initially, there were only 8 of them, but now the number has jumped to 44. For years, Uncle Strawberry’s farmland has grown its berries based on all-nature and environmental friendly farming methods. Uncle Strawberry is a determined farmer who thinks providing best strawberries to his customers is most important. With this in mind, he is doing his best to grow high-quality and healthy strawberries by means using natural pest control, and his products are certified organic.    


Busan(Dong-gu)

Urban regeneration centered along Sanbokdo-ro road, this road was designated to be the province of renaissance. An archive center where stories of local residents in Sanbokdo-ro road can be found, and a new planned exhibition is held every two months. Personal collection, as well as the history of locals living in this district are well preserved, and such variety of cultural contents is served as a warehouse of resources for the future. * Opening Date: March 6, 2013


Seoul(Jongno-gu)

Changuimun was often called Jahamun. It was one of four mini gates in the north surrounding the castle town Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. But because one of the four main gates, Sukjeongmun, was closed, Changuimun became a favorite north gate. Hence, people also called Changuimun the North Gate. It is the only gate among four mini gates that is still in its original state. Although it is small, almost 50m², in terms of size, it looks very firm and sturdy. While Dongsomun Gate, one of four mini gates, is decorated with a phoenix, Changuimun Gate is adorned with a wooden chicken along its rafters. The reason behind the wooden chicken was that the chicken was believed to be the nemesis of the centipede. People believed that installing the wooden chicken was important to overcome the harmful spirit of the centipede. 


Busan(Yeongdo-gu)

A small plaza projecting toward the south coast of Jeoryeongdo Island, 75 Square is one of the eight scenic sites of Yeongdo-gu in Busan. It was constructed in 1975 and became known as 75 Square from then on.  


Seoul(Mapo-gu)

Dream Concert will be held in Seoul World Cup Stadium located in Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu at 6:00PM. Popular idol groups such as SHINee, EXO, 4Miute, Infinite, VIXX, B1A4, Sistar, Red Velvet, T-ARA, EXID, and others will appear in the concerts as the first line-up. Further notice for the second line-up, including more stars, will be announced later. Inquiries and reservation regarding ticket are available on the official website.* E-mail (English): ejgo@lottejb.com* Homepage (English): www.lottejtb.net (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)  


Gangwon-do(Yeongwol-gun)

Cheongnyeongpo Cape (청령포), located on the upper stream of Namhangang River in Gwangcheon-ri, Nam-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, is known as the place of King Danjong’s exile. The area was designated as Scenic Site No.50 in December 2008. King Danjong (r. 1452-1455, 6th King of the Joseon Dynasty) was banished from the kingdom after being overthrown by his uncle, King Sejo. King Danjong was exiled on Cheongnyeongpo Cape, surrounded on three sides by water and a steep, wall-like rock called Yugyukbong on its west side. The cape is so isolated that it can only be reached by ferry. On Cheongnyeongpo Cape, visitors can see Geumpyobi Headstone, created during Danjong's exile; and Danmyoyujibi, set up during the reign of King Yeongjo. Both landmarks help convey the cape’s interesting past. Other historic sites include Manghyangtap Pagoda, Nosandae Observatory, and Gwaneunsong Pine Grove (Natural Monument No. 349). Cheongnyeongpo Cape is where King Danjong, the 16-year-old dethroned king, lived a tragic life in exile filled with tears and heavy sighs. The site however, is now known for its well-preserved scenery and the beauty of the nearby Seogang River.