Things to see and do Jeolla 전라도

This national park is the only one in the country that offers a mix of mountains and ocean. It is divided into two sections: the Oebyeonsan coastal area and the Naebyeonsan inland mountainous area. In addition to its stunning nature, the main attractions are the Gaeamsa, Naeamsa, Naesosa temples; the Jikso waterfalls and the Guam-ri dolmens. Without exaggeration, this park offers the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the whole country! It is a great pleasure to hike there.

Gwangju has little to offer, but this cultural center offers good exhibitions of contemporary artists, shows and various activities.

HYEOPJAE AND GEUMNEUNG. This white sandy beach has beautiful waters, and the small village is nice. In the open sea, you can see the island of Biyangdo. Nearby, the Geumneung beach with clean sand is quite large. In the surroundings you can find accommodation and food.

IHO. Its black sand has made it famous. It is the closest to Jeju city and the airport.

GWAKJI. It is a small white sand beach with rocks; the water is clean and beautiful.

At only 510 m above sea level, it is not the largest of the mountains. This makes it the ideal ascent for Sunday hikers who are put off by the long, steep slopes. This mountain has always been considered the spiritual guardian of the Yeosu Peninsula. In older times, it was used for collecting prayers. At the end of March and beginning of April, a festival is held here, during which activities take place such as a ritual in honor of the mountain god, a photo contest and the election of Miss Azaleas.

In the vicinity of Suncheon, several agricultural villages offer opportunities for initiation to rural traditions.

Cheongso-ri Mountain Village offers activities such as archery, potato tasting, and cooking classes.

Gyewol-ri, where plum and herb crops are grown with plant-centred activities.

Gosan, where dried fruit is the specialty.

Yongoreum, known in particular for its honey.

Haechang, where rice is grown according to traditional methods.

Gwangju, designated a Creative City of Media Arts by UNESCO in December 2014, aims to promote local culture, art and the city's economic development through the arts. The GMAP (Gwangju Media Art Platform) is one of the institutions involved in this outreach, where art and technology meet. The definition of "Media Art" is quite broad, ranging from sculpture to digital installation and performance art, but is generally focused on contemporary art. It's a great place to discover the local scene.

Route 15 from Gwangju and Hwasun to Boseong is very beautiful. A little way off to the left (it's well signposted) is the Ssanbongsa temple. We pass along a pretty alpine road with conifers and clean, timeless villages. The village before the temple is charming, with its old family altar(sadang), a pavilion by a stream in which you can bathe in summer. The temple is small but set in a pretty park. It caught fire in 1984, but has since been rebuilt. It features a very elegant 3-storey hall.

Built under the reign of King Sejong in 1419, it was unfortunately destroyed (one more) by the Japanese in 1597. It is one of the four most famous pavilions in South Korea. Indeed it overlooks a lake, and the nobles and scholars of the region came to enjoy its calm and magnificence. A very famous folk history is also linked to this place. The story is about the love story of Seong ChunHyang, daughter of a courtesan and Yi MongNyong, son of a wealthy magistrate. Despite their different social status, the two lovebirds married secretly. But suddenly, MongNyong had to go to Seoul for his studies. During her absence, the governor of the city of Namwon decided to seize the young woman by inflicting torture and other ill-treatment on her. But she always resisted! Some time later, MongNyong was appointed governor of the Jeolla region, he discovered the fate of his sweet and tender and then rushed to punish the infamous perpetrator. He officially took ChunHyang as his wife and they moved to Seoul. For those who are interested in this story, it is told in a famous novel, Chunhyangjeon, written in Korean in the 17th century. It has been translated into French by Zulma under the title Le Chant de la fidèle Chunyang.

The walks around the lake and near the pavilion are, in view of this pretty romance, marked by romanticism. Maybe this is THE place for lovers in Korea.