VISITINGKOREA JOURNAL
Dumulmeori in Yangpyeong, photographed on 11 November 2019. Photo: Foxy1219, “Yangpyeong Dumulmeori 2019-11-11.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.Dumulmeori’s name is a lesson in geography: this is where the Bukhangang and Namhangang meet. A visit to this Yangpyeong river junction becomes richer when the map, the former ferry landing and the waterside landscape belong..
Read guide
Jinjuseong Fortress in Jinju, photographed on 2 October 2022. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, “Jinjuseong Fortress 01.jpg”, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.Jinjuseong is more than a wall above the Namgang. A royal certificate inside the national museum, and a pavilion rebuilt beside the river, give a Jinju visit two unusually clear ways to consider how a battle becomes public memory.B..
Read guide
The stone pagoda at the Mireuksa temple site in Iksan, photographed on 24 February 2025. Photo: LandAndTree, “Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda Front View 20250224 (03).jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.Two pagodas give Mireuksa Temple Site its outline, but they are only the beginning. In Iksan, the rewarding visit connects a vanished Buddhist complex with the small, excavated..
Read guide
Ojukheon in Gangneung, photographed on 3 October 2018. Photo: Christophe95, “Ojukheon.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.At Ojukheon in Gangneung, try beginning with the size of the house rather than the fame of the people associated with it. A room, a wooden threshold and the space beneath an eave can make a better introduction than a list of achievements. This propo..
Read guideBefore paying for shopping in Korea, ask whether the store offers an immediate refund or issues a voucher for a later claim. The difference changes what you pay now, what paperwork you keep and what you must do before departure. A qualifying purchase amount alone does not establish your eligibility.This guide covers tourist refunds on goods you will take out of Korea. It is an English companion ..
Read guide
Haemieupseong in Seosan, photographed on 28 October 2010. Photo: Dalgial, “Haemieupseong.JPG”, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.At Haemieupseong in Seosan, a fortress wall is also a record of work. Town names cut into its stones offer an unusually concrete way into this Joseon site: begin with the people responsible for building it, then follow the stories held inside.The..
Read guide
Dongguksa in Gunsan, photographed on 27 November 2014. Photo: Minseong Kim, “Dongguksa.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.A corridor, a plain eave and a stone statement of apology give Dongguksa an unusual architectural story. Visit this Gunsan temple for the relationship between its Japanese origins, its life as a Korean Buddhist place of worship and the history it n..
Read guide
Yangnim Church in Gwangju, photographed on 30 September 2022. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, “Yangnim Church.jpg”, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.A hanok, a missionary’s residence and walls of reused household objects: Yangnim-dong’s history has several different scales. Build a Gwangju afternoon around the homes and institutions of this neighborhood, then leave time for the smaller..
Read guide
Gungnamji in Buyeo, photographed on 10 September 2017. Photo: Korearoadtour, “궁남지-Gungnamji-5.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.A small island and its pavilion give Gungnamji a clear center, but the view keeps changing as you move around the water. Make this Buyeo visit a walk between a historical record, a restored pond and the paths around it.An island makes you lo..
Read guide
Dumulmeori in Yangpyeong, photographed on 11 November 2019. Photo: Foxy1219, “Yangpyeong Dumulmeori 2019-11-11.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.Dumulmeori’s name is a lesson in geography: this is where the Bukhangang and Namhangang meet. A visit to this Yangpyeong river junction becomes richer when the map, the former ferry landing and the waterside landscape belong..
Read guide
Jinjuseong Fortress in Jinju, photographed on 2 October 2022. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, “Jinjuseong Fortress 01.jpg”, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.Jinjuseong is more than a wall above the Namgang. A royal certificate inside the national museum, and a pavilion rebuilt beside the river, give a Jinju visit two unusually clear ways to consider how a battle becomes public memory.B..
Read guide
The stone pagoda at the Mireuksa temple site in Iksan, photographed on 24 February 2025. Photo: LandAndTree, “Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda Front View 20250224 (03).jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.Two pagodas give Mireuksa Temple Site its outline, but they are only the beginning. In Iksan, the rewarding visit connects a vanished Buddhist complex with the small, excavated..
Read guide
Ojukheon in Gangneung, photographed on 3 October 2018. Photo: Christophe95, “Ojukheon.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.At Ojukheon in Gangneung, try beginning with the size of the house rather than the fame of the people associated with it. A room, a wooden threshold and the space beneath an eave can make a better introduction than a list of achievements. This propo..
Read guideBefore paying for shopping in Korea, ask whether the store offers an immediate refund or issues a voucher for a later claim. The difference changes what you pay now, what paperwork you keep and what you must do before departure. A qualifying purchase amount alone does not establish your eligibility.This guide covers tourist refunds on goods you will take out of Korea. It is an English companion ..
Read guide
Haemieupseong in Seosan, photographed on 28 October 2010. Photo: Dalgial, “Haemieupseong.JPG”, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.At Haemieupseong in Seosan, a fortress wall is also a record of work. Town names cut into its stones offer an unusually concrete way into this Joseon site: begin with the people responsible for building it, then follow the stories held inside.The..
Read guide
Dongguksa in Gunsan, photographed on 27 November 2014. Photo: Minseong Kim, “Dongguksa.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.A corridor, a plain eave and a stone statement of apology give Dongguksa an unusual architectural story. Visit this Gunsan temple for the relationship between its Japanese origins, its life as a Korean Buddhist place of worship and the history it n..
Read guide
Yangnim Church in Gwangju, photographed on 30 September 2022. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, “Yangnim Church.jpg”, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.A hanok, a missionary’s residence and walls of reused household objects: Yangnim-dong’s history has several different scales. Build a Gwangju afternoon around the homes and institutions of this neighborhood, then leave time for the smaller..
Read guide
Gungnamji in Buyeo, photographed on 10 September 2017. Photo: Korearoadtour, “궁남지-Gungnamji-5.jpg”, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized for display.A small island and its pavilion give Gungnamji a clear center, but the view keeps changing as you move around the water. Make this Buyeo visit a walk between a historical record, a restored pond and the paths around it.An island makes you lo..
Read guide