are testaments to the city's glorious past, while glittering skyscrapers and bustling traffic indicate its vibrant present. Seoul, with a population of more than 10 million, is not only
the capital of South Korea, but also its political, economic, cultural and educational center.
The city of Seoul is home to four ancient royal palaces belonging to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910): Gyeongbokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Chang
Kyunggung Palace. There are also the Jongmyo, or ancestral shrines dedicated to the royal ancestors of the Joseon Dynasty. Hoeon, adjacent to Changdeokgung Palace, is another famous destination
with its scenic gardens and classical architecture. Other places recommended for foreign tourists include the National Museum, the National National Kokugaku
Institute, the Sejong Cultural Hall, the Hoyam Museum of Art and the Korea House. The National Museum of Modern Art in the southern satellite city of Gwacheon is also
worth a visit. From the Seoul Tower in Namsan Park in downtown Seoul, visitors can get a panoramic view of the city and see the Folk
Village.
Another experience tourists should not miss is to try a Korean meal
at a modern restaurant or a Korean-style restaurant with a palace atmosphere. Excellent Chinese and Japanese meals are also available, as well as French, Italian, Mexican, Pakistani and other regional cuisines
. Seoul also has a vibrant nightlife, with rooftop nightclubs, restaurants and cafes with singing and dancing, and many restaurants, bars
and stores serve in English.
Korean Folk Village
Located about 30 minutes south of Seoul, this traditional village recreates the folk life of ancient Korea. The village
was built in 1973, and it now embraces almost every aspect of everything that made Korea unique in years gone by. There
typical houses of each lane can be distinguished. In the village square, you can regularly see rope walking, wedding or funeral ceremony performances, kite flying
contests, and performances by folk dance teams. In addition, blacksmiths, carpenters, ceramicists and musical instrument makers can be seen working in
their stores.
Hwaseong
Hwaseong is a walled city in the Kingdom of Joseon and is on UNESCO's prestigious list of World Heritage Sites
. Hwaseong is adjacent to the Folk Village. Yongin Nature Farm is a comprehensive recreational place with state-of-the-art amusement facilities
. The magnificent Hoyan Fine Arts Museum here exhibits more than 5,000 works of art. About 80 porcelain kilns are concentrated in the Icheon and Yeoju areas, which are the center of Korean ceramics
. Visitors can enjoy the dense colors of Goryeo celadon and pure white
porcelain at the annual Icheon Ceramics Festival held in September.
Ganghwa Island
Located at the mouth of the Han River north of Incheon Harbor, Ganghwa Island is Korea's fifth-largest island and is an area rich in historical relics as well as natural
beauty. Major historical monuments include an altar (believed to have been set up by the legendary founder of Korea, Tangun
), castles, walls, a celadon kiln belonging to the 13th-century Goryeo Dynasty and the Temple of Transmission. The area is about
an hour and a half by car from Seoul.
Panmunjom
Panmunjom is located 56 kilometers north of Seoul and can be accessed by bus***. It is the Armistice Village, the place where the
Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, ending the fierce fighting in the Korean War. It is a ***co-security zone, managed by both the UN forces and the North Korean Guard***
. Visitors to the site must make reservations several days in advance to receive permission from the military.
Central Region
This region has an extensive road and rail network. Daejeon, about 2 hours south of Seoul, is a major rail hub for the Seoul-Busan and
Seoul-Gwangju-Mokpo lines, and is now fast becoming one of Korea's major science centers. Expo Park, the site of the 93
Daejeon International Exposition, has been refurbished into a public **** science park. Buyeo was the last capital of the Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C.
A.D.
660). Buyeo has a distinctive national museum with a collection of nearly 7,000 artifacts from the Baekje Kingdom.
East Coast Region
The east coastline stretches 390 kilometers (234 miles) of rugged, mountainous scenery from Hwanyangpo to Busan. Skiing and other winter
sports help make this area a year-round destination, but the most popular pastimes are summer swimming and fall
hiking. The beaches here are probably the best in South Korea, with beaches that slowly reach into shallow water and then into gentle ocean currents.
Seoraksan, part of the Geumgangsan mountain range, is considered one of the world's most spectacular natural landscapes. Other tourist attractions include
Alpine ski resorts, hot springs and the Unification Observatory. Chuncheon in Gangwon Province hosts the Chuncheon Puppet Arts Festival every August, which is attended
by puppet troupes from all over the world.
Ulleungdo
Ulleungdo is an extinct volcano rising out of the East China Sea 268 kilometers (161 miles) northeast of Pohang, and Dokdo is the easternmost point of
South Korea, 92 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of Ulleungdo.
Southwest
This region, which includes Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do, is less mountainous and has large rice fields. Jeonju is famous for bibimbap and hanji (Korean paper)
. Deogyusan National High School overlooks the 30-kilometer-long, scenic Muju Guchandong Valley. The ski resort in the valley is the largest in Korea
. Gwangju, in Jeollanam-do province, is located south of Seoul and can be reached in four hours by car or train. The Gwangju National Museum houses
a collection of Chinese porcelain salvaged from a Chinese merchant ship wrecked 600 years ago off the coast of Shinan. Gwangju Expo is held every two years
The Gwangju Expo provides an opportunity for cultural exchanges between countries. Tamyang, 22 kilometers north of Gwangju, is a center of bamboo cultivation and bamboo crafts
. The Tamyang Bamboo Museum is the world's first museum specializing in bamboo handicrafts.
Jindo
On Jindo Island, 350 kilometers from Seoul, visitors can see the Korean-style miracle of Moses. The waters between Hinodong-ri
on the shore of Jindo Island and nearby Maodo Island can literally part for nearly an hour, revealing a 2.8-kilometer-long, 40-meter-wide land path. The
sea water here
separates 2 times per hook back in the same year, with the first occurring in early May and the second in mid-July. Jindo is also
famous for producing Jindo dogs. The Jindo dog is a native breed of dog in Korea and has been designated as Natural Monument No. 53 by the Korean government.
Southeast
Gyeongju has been the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 B.C. - 935 A.D.) for over a thousand years. Scattered around Gyeongju are tombs of the royal family
, ruins of temples with weathered stone pagodas and Buddhist reliefs, and remnants of castles. The mound-shaped royal
mausoleums have yielded many valuable ancient artifacts, including ornate gold crowns and other ancillary items. Ancient history records that
Gyeongju was modeled after the capital city of the Tang Dynasty, with streets running north-south and east-west and crossing each other at right angles. At that time, Gyeongju had one million inhabitants
and all the houses in the city had tile roofs.
Two of Gyeongju's greatest treasures are the Bulguksa Temple, built in the 8th century, and the nearby Seokguram Grotto. They represent Korea's highly refined Buddhist
art, which is widely praised in East Asia and was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1995
. Other important historical sites include Dobun-ri Park, the Five Tombs, Junseongdae, the Tomb of General Kim Gung-shin, and Namsan Mountain, which is dotted with many
Buddhist statues, pagodas, and temple ruins. The Gyeongju National Museum has a collection of ancient treasures found in the extreme vicinity of Gyeongju.
Pumun Lake Recreation Area in the eastern suburbs of Gyeongju is a comprehensive recreation area with several first-class restaurants and various amusement facilities.
Haeinsa Temple is famous for its collection of more than 80,000 woodcut
plates carved in the 13th century for the printing of the Koryo Daizangjing, the most comprehensive compilation of Buddhist scriptures in East Asia. The woodblocks of the Koryo Daizang Sutra have been inscribed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
Near the historic city of Gyeongju are the growing industrial cities of Pohang and Ulsan. Pohang is home to the Pohang Iron and Steel Company and Ulsan is the headquarters of Hyundai, one of Korea's leading conglomerates. Busan is Korea's main port and
South Korea's second largest city. The Busan Fresh Fish Market is located near the docks. Fishmongers haggling and arguing over the price of fish has become an early morning feature that attracts many tourists.
Jeepjeonggang is the largest fish market in Korea.
Jeju Island and the South Coast Region
Jeju Island is the only island in South Korea that has been constructed as a province, and is about an hour's flight from Seoul, but Jeju has a completely different
character. Jeju has a subtropical climate, and its plants and natural landscape are distinctly different from those on the mainland. The main mountain on the island is Hallasan, which is 1,950 meters above sea level. It is an extinct volcano with a huge caldera. The most recent eruption of the volcano took place in 1007, when the molten basalt that flowed down from the volcano cooled rapidly, resulting in a number of caverns, pillars, and other bizarre
rocks. Other tourist attractions are the Jeju Folk Crafts Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Chinese Rest and Recreation Resort and the Cheonjiyeon
waterfall. Jeju is a popular tourist destination and a favorite honeymoon spot for newlyweds.
The areas along the southern coast of Korea have long been known to Korean tourists, but it wasn't until the completion of the Hunan Expressway and the Namhae Highway in 1973 that the scenic tourist routes along the southern coast were opened up. Jinhae, Tongyeong, Jinju and the surrounding areas of the South
Haihae are the first places to visit for those who come to this tourist destination. The southern part of the Korean Peninsula has a concave coastline shaped
into many irregular bays, small harbors and more than 400 coastal islands. Busan and Yeosu are connected by highways and railroads
and by hydrofoils. The hydrofoil stops at Songpo, Chungmu, Samcheonpo and Namhae along the way. Tourists can book tickets and hotel rooms through
travel agencies in Seoul.