Places linked to a character to visit South Korea

It is a very beautiful home of a noble family from Joseon. It was built nearly 300 years ago by a member of the Yi family of Jeonju, the original clan of the royal family. This complex of buildings is a rare example of a well-preserved yangban house. Furniture is on display, as well as objects from Joseon's daily life. There is a museum in a small new building that displays some very interesting antique objects, including noble clothes, jewellery, etc. We will not fail to visit this place.

This group of traditional buildings is an altar to the memory of Song Si-yeol (1607-1689), a scholar and statesman of Joseon. He was the tutor of King Hyojong and directed the neo-confucianist school Giho and adhered to the old doctrine (Noron). A little anecdote about Song Si-yeol: oral traditions say that in his early years, he is said to have possessed "magical powers" such as being able to read at night without a lamp or to see ghosts. We'll let you be the judge of that information. His notoriety increased as he grew older. This ritual specialist was a particularly virtuous conservative, which cost him his life. He reproached King Sukjong, who had raised one of his adulterous sons to the rank of prince, and was exiled to Jejudo. Called back to Seoul for trial, he was ordered to poison himself on the way (one bowl of poison was not enough to kill him, he had to ingest three). He was later rehabilitated and King Jeongjo raised the altar to him in 1785 (he himself wrote the plaque that adorns the main building). In addition to the altar itself (sadang), there is a pavilion facing the river, not far from the Daerosa memorial stele, which dates from 1787.

At the exit of the city before the bridge, Yeongweollu overlooks the river. This pavilion is in fact the former door of the district town hall, which was moved here when the new building was constructed in 1921. A good place to take pictures of the temple on the other side.

Originally, this building, whose architecture happens to be a subtle blend of modern and traditional, was the residence of the Secretary General of the Presidency of South Korea and was therefore closed to the public. The museum, which opened in 2010, offers an immersion into the history of Korean politics with the aim of offering visitors a wide range of Korean culture in one place. A good complement to visits to the DMZ and the city's main museums, to understand Korea as it presents itself to us today.