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Hwaseong
The World Heritage–listed fortress wall that encloses the original town of Suwon is what brings most travellers to the city. Snaking up and down Paldal-san (143m), the fortification wall stretches a scenic 5.7km past four majestic gates, command posts, pavilions, observation towers
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Gyeryongsan National Park
Gyeryongsan, one of Koreas smallest parks, means ‘Rooster Dragon Mountain’, because locals thought the mountain resembled a dragon with a rooster’s head. At the eastern entrance is the temple Donghak-sa ; at the western entrance, Gap-sa . A trail between the two temples runs along
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Jongmyo
Surrounded by dense woodland, the impressive buildings of the Confucian shrine Jongmyo houses the spirit tablets of the Joseon kings and queens and some of their most loyal government officials. Their spirits are believed to reside in a special hole bored into the wooden tablets.Fo
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Hwaeom
Founded by priest Yeongi in AD 544 after his return from India, this ancient temple dedicated to the Birojana Buddha is enveloped by the beautiful natural surroundings of Jirisan National Park. Last rebuilt in 1636, it has endured five major devastations in its history, including t
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Haesindang Park
Of all the things you’d expect to find in a fishing village like Sinnam (신남), a ‘penis park’ is probably not one of them. There are more than 50 phallic sculptures, some taking the form of park benches or drums. These carvings were entered for a contest in Samcheok’s now-defunct Pe
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Mudeungsan National Park
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spider’s web of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang-bong (1187m), and up to the towering rocky outcrops Seoseok-dae and Ipseok-dae . Just 30 minutes by bus from central Gwangju, it
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War Memorial of Korea
This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) with heaps of black-and-white documentary footage (with English commentary) of the main battles and events. Along with photos, maps and artefacts, the films give a fascinating insight into what the war was like. The
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Ojukheon
Revered as the birthplace of the paragon of Korean womanhood, Sin Saimdang (1504–51), and her son, the philosopher and government official Yi Yulgok (1536–84), this complex contains one of the oldest surviving Joseon-dynasty homes. The sprawling space has the feel of an elegant par
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Olympic Park
This large and pleasant park was the focus of the 1988 Olympics. Strolling its paths takes you past its stadiums surrounded by plenty of greenery, ponds and open-air sculptures. Theres a gallery of modern art and two museums on the history of the Baekje dynasty. The park contains t
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House of Sharing
An hour’s journey south of Seoul is this retirement home and museum. Here live a handful of women, now in their late 70s or 80s, who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels across Asia before and during WWII. The attached museum details their plight through testimonies, a
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Unification Park
The park consists of two areas, the main attraction being a seafront display of a warship and North Korean submarine. You can enter both for a fascinating insight into the confined spaces that both North and South Koreans lived in. The distant second area displays military planes a
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JSA (Panmunjeom)
Unquestionably the highlight of any trip to the DMZ is the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjeom. An improbable tourist destination, its here where the infamous Military Demarcation Line separates South and North Korea. Soldiers from both sides often stand metres apart eyeballing
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Songdo International City
An intriguing futuristic smart city with free economic zones created out of landfill in the bay, Songdo International City is connected to Yeongjeongdo by the 21.38km Incheon Bridge. In the works since 1994, Songdo is billed as a model urban development designed around high-tech bu
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Jogye
The focus of Jogye-sa is the giant wooden hall Daeungjeon , Seouls largest Buddhist worship hall. Completed in 1938, its design followed the Joseon-dynasty style. The exterior is decorated with scenes from Buddha’s life and carved floral latticework, while inside are three giant Bu
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Deoksugung
One of Seouls five grand palaces built during the Joseon dynasty, Deoksugung (meaning Palace of Virtuous Longevity) is the only one you can visit in the evening and see the buildings illuminated. It first served as a palace in 1593 and is a fascinating mix of traditional Korean and
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Changdeokgung
You must join a guided tour to look around World Heritage–listed Changdeokgung, the most beautiful of Seouls four main palaces. English tours run at 10.30am and 2.30pm; if you don’t care about the commentary then there are Korean tours on the hour. To see the palaces lovely Huwon s
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Dumujin
On the northwest tip of the island, this series of stunning rock formations – named after their resemblance to generals gathered at a meeting – jut out spectacularly to sea. A decked walkway snakes up and down to different vantage points.
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Tangent
Hyundai Development Company commissioned Daniel Libeskind to work with Seoul-based firm Himma on its headquarters opposite COEX. The result, Tangent, is one of Seoul’s boldest architectural statements, an enormous sculpture in glass, concrete and steel, reminiscent of a painting by
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Jeju April 3 Peace Park
Thoughtful and evocative, this museum chronicles the events that led up to and followed the ‘April 3 Incident’ – a series of island massacres between 1947 and 1954 that resulted in 30,000 deaths and the destruction of many homes. The reasons behind the deaths are complex and the mu
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National Maritime Museum
This is the only museum in Korea dedicated to the country’s maritime history. The highlights are two shipwrecks, one dating from the 11th century and the other from the early 14th century. Thousands of priceless items of Korean and Chinese celadon, coins and other trade items were
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