South Korea Travel

This pretty park (563 3450; adult/youth/child W2800/1800/1300; sunrise-sunset) has always been popular and has inspired poets such as Sa Chong-ju:

Seongsan-ri (Fortress Mountain Village) is at the extreme eastern tip of Jejudo, at the foot of the spectacular, extinct volcano Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak; 784 0959; adult/youth & child W2000/1000; before sunrise-sunset). The summit (182m) is shaped like a

Amid the tangerine groves on the lower slopes of Hallasan sits touristy Seogwipo, Jejudo’s second-largest town. It’s much smaller and more laid-back than Jeju-si, and scuba diving and ballooning are available. The town centre (up a steep slope from the ha

This small relaxing island, 13km from Daecheon harbour, has few cars and three relatively unspoilt sandy beaches. It attracts so many visitors that it’s become Minbak Island, with nearly every one of the several hundred households offering accommodation a

Samcheok is a gateway to some gorgeous coastlines, fascinating caves and sculptures. It’s the gateway to Hwanseon Donggul, a huge cave complex under mountains, and is promoting itself as the City of Caves with plenty of cave exhibitions. The area has twic

Pohang is a good springboard to Ulleungdo or the even more remote Dokdo, but isn’t particularly scenic in itself. The largest city on Korea’s east coast and an important industrial centre, Pohang is dominated by Posco (Pohang Iron & Steel Company), the wo

Panmunjom, only 55km north of Seoul, is the only place in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where visitors are permitted. This is the village established on the ceasefire line at the end of the Korean War in 1953. In the blue UN buildings in Panmunjom, peace d

A seowon is a Confucian academy, and Oksan Seowon was one of the most important. It was established in 1572 in honour of Yi Eon-jeok (1491–1553) by another famous Confucian scholar, Toegye. Oksan Seowon was enlarged in 1772 and was one of the few seowon t

The Unification Observatory (Tong·il Jeonmangdae; 945 3171; www.jmd.co.kr; adult/youth W2500/1300; 9am-6pm Apr-Sep, 9am-5.30pm Oct, Nov & Mar, 9am-5pm Dec-Feb) at Odusan is as close as most Korean civilians can get to the DMZ. Panmunjom, north of Seoul, i

Like Seoraksan, Odaesan (Five Peaks Mountain) is a high-altitude massif. The park (332 6417; adult/youth/child W2800/1300/700; 9am-7pm) has great hiking possibilities, superb views and two prominent Buddhist temples: Woljeongsa and Sang·wonsa. Near the so