Gyeonggi-do(Namyangju-si)

The origin of the city name, Joan, comes from the meaning "a place where birds dwell peacefully." Namyangju Joan was designated a "slow city" in 2010 and was the first "slow city" in the Seoul metropolitan area. The city has a well-paved bike road along the Namhangang Riverbank connecting Paldang to Yangpyeong through Daeseongri. The city also has the Slow City Trail, starting from Ungilsan Station and passing through Majin Fortress and Sujeongsa Temple before arriving at Songchon Independence Park.Each of the twelve villages in Namyangju is known for a different local treasure, ranging from lotus fields to cultural heritages. Joan-myeon in particular has received compliments for its local communities, eco-friendly and organic farming, natural environment, traditional culture, and well-managed fisheries.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Andong-si)

It is a place where you can enjoy fresh Ssam vegetables and various cuts of beef and pork. The best menu at this restaurant is bulgogi, leaf wraps and steamed rice. This Korean dishes restaurant is located in Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Andong-si)

Ogyeonjeongsa House was established by Ryu Seong-yong (pen-name: Seoae, 1542-1607), a minister of Joseon, with the help of Buddhist monk Tanhong, as a place to study and educate his students. After building Wonjijeongsa House, Ryu wanted to build another house at the foot of Buyongdae Cliff amid a tranquil environment away from the village, but due to his financial situation he was unable to complete the building by himself. Then, the monk Tanhong helped him build Ogyeonjeongsa House, which took ten years (1576 to 1586) to complete, when Ryu was 45 years old. Later, Ryu Seong-yong was able to share warmth with his brother (Gyeomam), who lived in nearby Gyeomamjeongsa House. Ryu later lost his house in Hahoe in the great flood of the Nakdonggang River in 1605, and retired to Ogyeongjeongsa House where he wrote Jingbirok (The Book of Correction, National Treasure 132), a memoir of the Imjin War (Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592). The house’s guestrooms include Sesimjae (meaning ‘having a mind to this place to achieve at least one in ten thousand things,’ inspired by the I Ching or The Book of Changes), which was used by Ryu as a schoolhouse and has two small rooms between the maru gamheonrok (wooden floor, meaning ‘looking up at the sky and down at the blue water,’ inspired by Wang Xizhi’s poetic diction); Wonlakjae (meaning ‘waiting for a friend’s visit,’ inspired by the Analects of Confucius), in which Ryu himself resided and wrote Jingbirok; and the maru aeoheon (meaning ‘I also love my hut,’ taken from a poem by Chinese poet Tao Yuanming), which measures two kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns).


Incheon(Ganghwa-gun)

Ganghwa Seonwonsa Temple Site was first discovered in 1976 during a surface examination around Ganghwado Island undertaken by the Ganghwado Island Academic Research Team of Dongguk University. The site was designated as Historic Site No. 259 in 1977. Seonwonsa Temple was built by General Choi Wu in 1245 (the 32nd year of King Gojong’s reign during the Goryeo dynasty), which was right after the transfer of the capital to Ganghwado during resistance against the Mongolian invasion. The temple was meant to be a spiritual mainstay in fighting against Mongolia. It used to be one of the two largest temples in Korea along with Songgwangsa Temple. However, the temple was completely destroyed during the early Joseon era, leaving only the site itself. The famous wood blocks of Palman Daejanggyeong (the Tripitaka Koreana), currently housed in Haeinsa Temple at Hapcheon, are said to have been originally stored in Seonwonsa Temple. It is believed that the carved wood blocks were taken from Seonwonsa to Heungcheonsa Temple during the Joseon era and again moved to Haeinsa Temple during the reign of Sejo. Located on a mountain slope, the presumed location of the building site extends 250 meters from south to north and 170 meters from east to west.


Chungcheongnam-do(Seosan-si)

Palbongsan Mountain stretches out like a folding screen and stands high with great spirit, embracing nine villages. It is named Palbong (“eight peaks” in Korean) because of its eight peaks in a row. The third peak is the highest, standing at 362m with a beautiful view and crisp air, making it ideal for hiking (about a 3 hour course) and resting at the top. There is also another popular Palbongsan Mountain in Hongcheon, so this mountain is usually referred to as “Seosan Palbongsan.” Seosan is the name of the city where the mountain belongs. In fact, there are nine peaks here, but the smallest one was not included in the name, so there smallest one weeps over its exclusion at the end of each December.


Gangwon-do(Goseong-gun)

Stay Gajin is a pension located on Gajinhaebyeon-gil in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, facing the East Sea. Nestled between Gajin Port and Gonghyeonjin 2(i)-ri Beach, all of the nine guest rooms at Stay Gajin are ocean view rooms. A noticeable feature that captures the attention as soon as one walks into the guest room is the full wall window that reveals an open view of the East Sea. Since there are no entertainment facilities or other accommodation facilities around Stay Gajin, you can fall asleep peacefully while listening to the soothing sound of waves. In the morning, you can enjoy the luxury of waking up to the glorious sunrise in the East Sea. There is one guest room on the first floor, and it can accommodate up to four guests. On the second floor, there are four guest rooms, all of which are for two guests only. The fours guest rooms on the third floor which are the most popular guest rooms in Stay Gajin, are two-story rooms. The kitchen and living room are on the first floor, and the second floor is decorated as the bedroom area. The room is basically for two people, but it is big enough for up to four guests. Every guest room has its own kitchen where guests can cook, and a bathtub where they can enjoy lower-body bathing with a view of the sea. There is also a rooftop area reserved for guests and a cafe on the premises for food and beverages. Guests have great access to the nearby beach across the street from Stay Gajin. It is not a popular beach, so it does not attract many visitors; guests can enjoy a quiet outing like a private beach.


Seoul(Jongno-gu)

Since its opening, Arts Council Korea - Performing Art Center has introduced many regular programs including excellent repertory series, new generation performance artists series, themed performance arts series and other planned programs. The Marronnier Summer Festival will be a participatory festival including outdoor performances with an expected audience of 20,000 people for six consecutive days.