Get Recommendations For Your Trip
Popular Destinations
PRIME TOURISM ¤ Asia Tourism ¤ South Korea Tourism
South Korea Tourism
South Korea Tourism
Korea's southeastern region, encompassing Gyeong-sangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do provinces, is an area rich in tourist attractions, cultural assets and historical places. Hallyeosudo Waterway, and the Jirisan and Gayasan mountains are outstanding natural resources in this region.
The entire city of Gyeongju, which was the ancient capital of the 1,000-year Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), is now an exceptional open-air museum. Royal tombs, temple sites with weathered stone pagodas and Buddhist decorations, and fortress ruins are scattered all around the city. Mounded royal tombs have yielded many precious antiques, including exquisite gold crowns and other jewelry.
The two supreme treasures of Gyeongju are Bulguksa Temple and nearby Seokguram Grotto. Both were completed in the eighth century and are representative of highly refined Buddhist art widely appreciated throughout East Asia. They were included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1995. Other important historic sites include: Dumuli Park, Oreung (Five Tombs), Cheomseongdae Observatory, General Kim Yu-sin's Tomb, and Mt. Namsan, which is dotted with numerous Buddhist images, pagodas and temple remains. The Gyeongju National Museum houses antique treasures recovered from Gyeongju and its vicinity.
Bomun Lake Resort, six kilometers from downtown on the eastern outskirts of the city, is an integrated tourist destination with several first-class hotels and various recreational facilities. Haeinsa Temple is famous for housing the 80,000 wooden printing blocks used to print the Tripitaka Koreana, which were carved in the 13th century. The Tripitaka Koreana is acknowledged as the most complete compilation of Buddhist scripture in East Asia.
Not far from historic Gyeongju are the growing industrial cities of Pohang and Ulsan. Pohang is home to the POSCO steel mills, while Ulsan is the industrial base for Hyundai, one of Korea's leading conglomerates.
Further to the south is Busan, Korea's principal port and second-largest city. The Jagalchi Fish Market, one of Korea's most famous markets, is right next to the piers where fishing boats unload their daily hauls. The market offers tourists a great, early morning attraction as buyers and sellers haggle over the catch of the day.
Andong is one of the last living vestiges of old Korea, a treasure-trove of Confucian tradition. Hahoe, a small village near Andong, is famous for its unique traditional masks and the mask dance-drama, Hahoe-talchum. Dosanseowon, a Confucian academy founded in the 16th century by one of Korea's most well-known scholars, Yi Hwang, is also nearby. Massive international tour and resort complexes are due to open in 2006 in the western and northern areas, featuring ultramodern recreation and leisure facilities.
The entire city of Gyeongju, which was the ancient capital of the 1,000-year Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), is now an exceptional open-air museum. Royal tombs, temple sites with weathered stone pagodas and Buddhist decorations, and fortress ruins are scattered all around the city. Mounded royal tombs have yielded many precious antiques, including exquisite gold crowns and other jewelry.
The two supreme treasures of Gyeongju are Bulguksa Temple and nearby Seokguram Grotto. Both were completed in the eighth century and are representative of highly refined Buddhist art widely appreciated throughout East Asia. They were included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1995. Other important historic sites include: Dumuli Park, Oreung (Five Tombs), Cheomseongdae Observatory, General Kim Yu-sin's Tomb, and Mt. Namsan, which is dotted with numerous Buddhist images, pagodas and temple remains. The Gyeongju National Museum houses antique treasures recovered from Gyeongju and its vicinity.
Bomun Lake Resort, six kilometers from downtown on the eastern outskirts of the city, is an integrated tourist destination with several first-class hotels and various recreational facilities. Haeinsa Temple is famous for housing the 80,000 wooden printing blocks used to print the Tripitaka Koreana, which were carved in the 13th century. The Tripitaka Koreana is acknowledged as the most complete compilation of Buddhist scripture in East Asia.
Not far from historic Gyeongju are the growing industrial cities of Pohang and Ulsan. Pohang is home to the POSCO steel mills, while Ulsan is the industrial base for Hyundai, one of Korea's leading conglomerates.
Further to the south is Busan, Korea's principal port and second-largest city. The Jagalchi Fish Market, one of Korea's most famous markets, is right next to the piers where fishing boats unload their daily hauls. The market offers tourists a great, early morning attraction as buyers and sellers haggle over the catch of the day.
Andong is one of the last living vestiges of old Korea, a treasure-trove of Confucian tradition. Hahoe, a small village near Andong, is famous for its unique traditional masks and the mask dance-drama, Hahoe-talchum. Dosanseowon, a Confucian academy founded in the 16th century by one of Korea's most well-known scholars, Yi Hwang, is also nearby. Massive international tour and resort complexes are due to open in 2006 in the western and northern areas, featuring ultramodern recreation and leisure facilities.
