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50 Beautiful Places To Visit in South Korea
50 Beautiful Places To Visit in South Korea
South Korea
Cin Woo Lee, CNN • Updated 10th November 2017
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(CNN) — Some 25 million South Koreans -- about half the population -- travel abroad at least once a
year, but it's safe to assume that most haven't seen all the beautiful sights within their own country.
Seoul only takes up a mere 0.6% of South Korea's territory: here are 50 stunning photographs from
the other 99.4% of the country that are all worth a visit.
Here are the flowery spring landscapes, sandy beaches, rocky mountains and quietly stunning historic
sites on your new South Korean travel bucket list. And just in case you were wondering, they are in
no particular order.
The climb up the peak's northwest side ridge (its other sides are steep cliffs) to the 180-meter highest
point takes 30 minutes.
Legend has it that the wife of a base commanding officer in the Shilla Dynasty became the Granny
Rock when she died after waiting faithfully for her husband.
Gwang-An Bridge is not for pedestrians, but anyone can enjoy the spectacular night view of the
bridge from afar; its state-of-the-art lighting system allows an exterior lighting of over 100,000
colors.
Cherry blossoms rain down on the train track and countless shutters click madly away as the train
approaches the station under the cherry blossom tunnel.
The cherry blossom road at Yeojwa stream, (number 17 on this list) is also nearby for those who
want more photo-ops.
Visitors can bike or walk around this beautiful natural swamp, where migratory birds are known for
flying low.
The magical sight of huge salt farms is not the only spectacle that can be found here; the mud flat
leisure town allows tourists to experience and observe the marine life of the mud flat.
Thought to be shaped like the spine of a dinosaur (hence the name, "Dinosaur Ridge"), this rocky
ridge offers spectacular views of both inner and outer Seorak. The climb is no picnic: the peak
elevation of Gongryong Ridge, the most popular ridge route in the range, is approximately 1,200
meters.
The best photographs of Sungsan Sunrise Peak (the first item on this list) can be taken here at
Seopjikoji.
The scenery of Seopjikoji has also been captured by several Korean films and dramas, including "All
In," one of the first Hallyu dramas starring Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-kyo.
Bomun Pavilion, a small wooden gazebo standing over a quiet duck pond, is a great spot to
experience Korea's spring; the cherry blossoms fluttering over the pond provide an exquisite sight. In
fact, it's the perfect place to view all of Korea's markedly different seasons: summer's lush green
leaves, fall's scarlet and mustard foliage, and winter's blankets of snow.
The temple's other landmarks include the oldest wooden Buddha statue in Korea (the Haeinsa
Vairocana) and a UNESCO world heritage Janggyeong Panjeon ( a "storage hall of Buddhist
Sutras").
The national park on Jiri Mountain stretches over five cities and three provinces, and is home to
quietly dazzling flora and fauna as well as seven national treasures and 26 treasures.
Many tread the trail to Chunwang Peak to watch the sun rise, some simply to enjoy the view from the
top, and others for the pleasure of breathing in the crisp, clean mountain air and drinking the brain
freeze-inducing spring water of Chunwang Spring, which is located just 300 meters below
Chunwang Peak.
Eight trails around the thicket offer eight different themes to saunter through. If you look carefully
between the bamboo plants, you can spot the green tea shoots that grow from the dew that drips off
the bamboo leaves, known as Jukro tea. The Juknokwon observatory in the middle of the thicket
occasionally hosts Jukro tea tasting events.
No, it's not an exterior set of a historical drama, people actually live in those houses and better yet,
they offer overnight homestays.
Lovers visit this site to cross the "Romance Bridge", which has been used as a shooting location for
"Romance," a drama starring Kim Ha-nul and Kim Jae-won.
Bloggers say that these romantic blossoms can be most appreciated at night, when there are fewer
tourists and the pale pink flowers glow against the dark sky.
Yes, green tea-related specialties (fresh green tea ice cream and green tea pork belly) are tasty treats,
but the spectacular view of the seemingly endless tea fields is the real reason so many visitors stop by
Boseong. A green tea festival is held every May while in the winter, the fields are decorated with tiny
light bulbs.
Two granite pagodas on either sides of the temple, Dabotap and Seokgatap, as well as Seokguram, a
man-made grotto just above the temple, add to the splendid grandeur of this 1,500-year-old home of
many important relics.
If the sights are a bit too violent for your taste, check out other Cheongdo attractions such as the
Nakdae Waterfall and Unmun Temple.
Three buildings stand on three artificial islands while patches of lotus flowers frame the pond.
Gorgeous exterior lighting that go on after sunset create a magical night view.
Chunhyang, the young, beautiful daughter of a gisaeng (Korean geisha), and Mongryong, the
handsome son of the local governor, first met and fell in love in this beautifully designed pavilion,
which was designated a treasure in 1963.
770-5 Oji-ri, Ogok-myeon, Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (전라남도 곡성군 오곡면 오지리 770-5)
Rape blossoms (in spring) and Mexican Asters (in fall) in full bloom are bordered by simple stone
walls.
Yes, it's a rather heavy subject, but even those who couldn't care less about the death of Kim Jong Il
can still enjoy the beauty of this park, which is well-known for its colorful display of pinwheels and
the giant bamboo colossi.
618-13 Majeong-ri, Munsan-eup, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 파주시 문산읍 마정리 618-13)
For dedicated cyclists, there is a 132 kilometer-long cycle path following the river from Damyang to
Mokpo.
The festival runs from the beginning of May for two weeks, and organizers recommend coming at
dawn to capture the most intense images on camera.
282 Cheonsong-ri, Yeoju-eup, Yeoju-gun, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 여주군 여주읍 천송리 282)
The red bridge that connects Imgeum Rock and Ipseokdae makes mountain climbing seem easy.
Around 2,000 people attended this year's festival, marking the largest number of participants to date.
According to legend, the last prince of the Shilla Dynasty wept here after glimpsing a view of his
hometown. He was on his way to Geumgang Mountain after the fall of the dynasty.
On brisk fall mornings, the mountains surrounding this temple are slathered with a sea of clouds, and
the sight of the sun rising through this dense whiteness of clouds renders the viewer speechless.
While driving there may be rough, the snowfall makes for the best skiing in the country.
The High1 Resort features the highest peak (1,345 meters) and puffiest snow among ski and
snowboard resorts in Korea.
Fun fact: Nami Island was not an island until the 1940s, when the Cheongpyeong dam was built.
The Suncheon Bay Reed Festival is held every year in October, but the bay is just as beautiful and
charming any other month of the year.
Another legend behind the mountain's name says that a rock was wandering around looking for
Geumgangsan but settled in Seoraksan when it couldn't find it, and became the Ulsan rock.
During the Joseon dynasty, this pavilion was used to keep a lookout and for performances of King
Jungjo's archery skills; now people hold recitals of Korean traditional music and poetry surrounded
by the duck pond, the willow trees and the flowers.
The garden features more than 20 themes and 5,000 different kinds of plants, and will be hosting a
luminarie -- a decorative structure studded with 6 million LED lightbulbs -- until March 1.
131 Mountain, Choeup-dong, Busan Jin-gu, Busan (부산광역시 부산진구 초읍동 산 131)
Editor's note: This article was previously published in 2012. It was reformatted and republished in
2017.
http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/south-korea-beautiful-places/index.html