Medium BookKorea Title CoordinatingSimon Richmond Author Yu-Mei Balasingamchow,Other César Author G Soriano, Rob Whyte 000-prelims-kor8.indd0-prelims-kor8.indd 1 88/01/2010/01/2010 22:45:42:45:42 PPMM 000-prelims-kor8.indd 2 0 - p Onsong R U S S I A r e Saebyol l Zarubino i m s - k PAEKDUSAN (p376) Undok o Hoeryong r Explore the peninsula’s highest 8 Sonbong . peak, a sacred volcano with i n a beautiful crater lake d Rajin d Musan RAJIN- ELEVATION 42ºN 2 SONBONG Puryong Shenyang 1500m Fushun HAMGYONGBUK-DO C H I N A Paekdusan 1000m (2744m) Chongjin 500m Ranam 200m Kyongsong Chunggang 0 Orang Huchang Hyesan Chasong Ansan Hwapyong Myongchon 41ºN RYANGGANG-DO Mt Chilbo Manpo Kapsan (1103m) Kilju Kanggye Pungson Wiwon Chosan Kimchaek CHAGANG-DO N O R T H K O R E A Pyokdong Tanchon Changjin Sakchu Pukchong Iiwon HAMGYONGNAM-DO Seoho Shinheung Sinbukchong 40ºN Uiju PYONGANBUK-DO Nuichon Dandong Shinpo Sinuiju Myohyangsan Hongwon Kusong (1909m) Ryongchon Hamhung E A S T S E A Chongpyong Hungnam 40ºN Sonchon Pakchon Tokchon ( S e a o f J a p a n ) Kaechon Maengsan Chongju Kumya PYONGANNAM-DO Kowon Suncheon KUMGANGSAN (p375) Yangdok Mundok Hike amid the Diamond Mountains, Songchon Wonsan home to a lagoon, waterfalls, mineral 39ºN Pyongyang Kangdong springs and Buddhist retreats Tongchon PYONGYANG (p361) 88/01/2010 2:45:47 PM Chunghwa Tick off the North Korean capital’s KANGWON-DO / Songnim 0 monumental structures while Nampo Hoeyang 1 Kosong / snatching glimpses of everyday Hwangju SEORAKSAN 2 39ºN HWANGHAEBUK-DO Kumgangsan 0 life in the secretive state Ichon NATIONAL PARK (p182) 1 Sariwon (1639m) 0 Pyonggang Follow the trails through this park’s Sohung Hwajinpo beautiful mountains and forests, Kimhwa 2 Sinchon Ganseong a blaze of fiery colours come autumn : 4 Chorwon 5 Changyon DMZ Sokcho : Kumchon 4 HWANGHAENAM-DO Cheorwon 7 Ryongyon Seoraksan Haeju DMZ Paro Lake National Park Yangyang P 38ºN M Janggok Samyeongsan K National Park gy g D 38ºN 000-prelims-kor8.indd 3 0 Janggok Samyeongsan - Kaesong p PANMUNJOM (p152) & Ongjin Panmunjom (1198m) Odaesan ULLEUNG-DO (p222) r CHEORWON (p183) Soyang Lake e Heyri Dongducheon National Park Savour the spectacular Lord of l i Feel the chill of the Cold War Chuncheon m Ganghwa-do Paju the Rings –style scenery of this at two different points on the Bukhansan Gangneung s Hongcheon remote and rugged volcanic island - 240km-long DMZ separating National Park Jeongdongjin k 38ºN o North and South Korea SEOUL 14 4 r Incheon 8 5 GANGWON-DO . International Pukan River Namhan River i Incheon n Airport Wonju Chiaksan (1288m) Donghae Ulleung-do d GANGHWA-DO (p169) 10 d Escape the urban grind on this Chiaksan Suwon Hwaseongul Samcheok Dokdo island littered with historic sights where National Park 3 you can indulge in seafood feasts GYEONGGI-DO 11 Jecheon Taebaek HWASEONGUL (p194) Danyang Chungju Marvel at the limestone wonders 37ºN SEOUL (p86) 1 Chungju Lake Sobaeksan of this cathedral-like cave, (1439m) Uljin Dive into South Korea’s hyperdynamic, CHUNGCHEONGBUK-DO one of Asia’s largest increasingly eco-friendly capital, a showcase for Cheonan the country’s traditions and forward thinking Onyang Woraksan Sobaeksan Yeongju National Park National Park Taean Haean Maritime Cheongju 37ºN W E S T S E A CHUNGCHEONGNAM-DO Jeomchon National Park Songnisan Andong HAHOE FOLK VILLAGE (p231) Gongju (1058m) Anmyeon-do Boryeong Slip back in time wandering the ( Y e l l o w S e a ) Songnisan Sangju Juwangsan Daecheon National Park 14 (721m) lanes of this charming village of Beach Daejeon Yeongdeok hanok (traditional mud-walled DAECHEON BEACH (p331) Buyeo GYEONGSANGBUK-DO 1 and timber-framed houses) Get dirty on the west coast’s Juwangsan National Park best beach during its nine-day Gimcheon mud festival held every July Seocheon 3 S O U T H K O R E A Deogyusan 36ºN Gunsan Iksan Pohang (1614m) Yeongcheon GYEONGJU (p208) Jeonju GONGJU (p324) & Explore the temples, pagodas BUYEO (p328) JEOLLABUK-DO Daegu Gyeongju Gyeongju and royal tombs of what Byeonsanbando 9 National Park was once the capital Be dazzled by Baekje dynasty National Park tomb treasures Naejangsan of the Shilla kingdom 36ºN (763m) Naejangsan Jirisan Tongdosa Namwon (1915m) Ulsan National Park GYEONGSANGNAM-DO JIRISAN NATIONAL PARK (p258) Nakiong River Hike around wonderful mountains, Jirisan 7 home to attractive Buddhist temples and Gwangju National 6 Park Jinju Masan South Korea’s second-highest peak JEOLLANAM-DO BUSAN BUSAN (p237) Suncheon 35ºN Samcheonpo Shop in the world’s largest Mokpo Geoje-do department store, explore the Hong-do Boseong Yeocheon Tongyeong bustling fish market or do a temple stay at Beomeo-sa Jangheung Yeosu Heuksan-do Tongdosa Haenam Goheung Dolsan-do 35ºN Dadohae Haesang Jin-do Jin-do Hallyeohaesang National Park National Park Honshu Tsushima Hajo-do Oenaro-do Wan-do Wan-do Yeon-do Dadohae Haesang LEGEND Bogil-do National Park Cheongsan-do S O U T H S E A J A P A N Freeway 88/01/2010 2:45:54 PM / 0 Primary Road Geomun-do ( E a s t C h i n a S e a ) 1 DADOHAE HAESANG Secondary Road 34ºN / 2 NATIONAL PARK (p281) Tertiary Road 0 1 Hop between the thousands of JEJU-DO 0 unspoilt islands in this marine park, JEJU-DO (p282) Jeju-do where life is lived in the traditional way Jeju-si Enjoy the spectacular volcanic 0 100 km 2 0 60 miles : landscapes of this activity-filled 4 34ºN Hallim 5 Hallasan (1950m) Hallasan holiday island Kyushu : 5 National Park 4 Jungmun Seogwipo Fukuoka (Hakata) P 124ºE125ºE 126ºE 127ºE 128ºE 129ºE 130ºE 131ºE 132ºE M © Lonely Planet 4 On the Road SIMON RICHMOND Coordinating Author In the midst of typhoon-strength winds and rain I fronted up at the Boryeong Mud Festival (see boxed text, p332), stripped off and splashed around in the mud pool. Apart from being huge fun it’s said to do wonders for your skin. César G Soriano Baseball, as in America, is South Korea’s national pastime. The game is more or less the same, but instead of hot dogs and pretzels vendors sell dried squid and sushi. My seatmates at Gwangju’s Mudeung Stadium (p265) plied me with soju (the local firewater) and taught me naughty Korean baseball chants. I’m not in Camden Yards anymore! Yu-Mei Balasingamchow On the climb up to this enigmatic Rob Whyte I’ve just finished rock-carved Buddha image in a 20-minute uphill march to Woraksan National Park (p343), Bongnae Pokpo (p225) on I fell into step with a couple Ulleung-do. It’s not a large of fashionably dressed hikers. waterfall, but it’s a worthwhile Although they spoke barely trip because the path weaving any English, our temporary through a thick forest leads to communion was sealed when a delightful discovery: a cool they offered me the Korean cave that maintains a year- equivalent of trail mix – a raw round temperature of 4°C. cucumber, crunchy and sweet. For full author biographies see p420. 12 Destination Korea Yin and yang: the blue and red circle at the heart of the South Korean flag neatly symbolises not only the divided Korean peninsula but also the fluid mix of ancient and modern aspects of the country officially called the Republic of Korea (ROK). For the vast majority of visitors a trip to this part of the world means spending time in South Korea. Unfairly overshadowed by the headline-grabbing antics of its bad-boy neighbour, South Korea is a dream destination for the traveller, an engaging, welcoming place where the dazzling benefits of a fully industrialised, high-tech nation are balanced alongside a reverence for tradition and the ways of old Asia. Academics still quibble over whether the Land of the Morning Calm (a FAST FACTS: term coined by travel writer Percival Lowell in 1885) is an accurate transla- SOUTH KOREA tion of the old Chinese characters by which all of Korea was once known. Dive into Seoul, powerhouse of Asia’s third-largest economy, and calm is Population: 49 million likely the last thing you’ll feel. This round-the-clock city is constantly on GDP per person: the move, its ‘work hard, play hard’ population the epitome of the nation’s US$27,646 indefatigable, can-do spirit. Life expectancy: 79.1 Dubbed the world’s Design Capital in 2010, Seoul is midway through an years ambitious frenzy of reinvention that promises grand architectural statements, greener spaces and cultural rather than industrial targets. Softer 21st-century Inflation: 2.16% (August aspirations aside, the 600-year-old city is founded on a bedrock of tradition 2009) that manifests itself in the daily pageantry of the changing of the guard at its Unemployment: 3.8% meticulously reconstructed palaces and the chants of a shaman on a hillside. (July 2009) You can hardly turn a corner without stumbling across a tourist informa- Percentage of the popula- tion booth, a subway station or a taxi that can smooth your way to the next tion with the surname discovery in this multifaceted metropolis. ‘Kim’: 21% South Korea’s excellent transport infrastructure and compact size mean that within an hour of the urban sprawl more tranquil moments are achiev- able atop craggy mountain peaks enclosed by densely forested national parks threaded through with picturesque, challenging hiking trails. Get further off the beaten bath than you could believe possible by sailing to remote islands, where farming and fishing folk will welcome you into their homes and simple seafood cafes. Or sample the serenity of a Buddhist temple retreat where the honk of traffic is replaced by meditation and the rhythmic pre-dawn chants of shaven-headed monks.