South Korea’s Southern Charms

Recently, the Korea Tourism Organization sponsored at trip for Asian Journeys to South Korea. The purpose of the visit was to experience the charming people, amazing scenery, exotic places, epicurean food, and beautiful sub-tropical islands located around the Republic’s southern metropolis of Busan.

BUSY BUSAN

The area used to be known as “Pusan.” However, it’s now officially named Busan Metropolitan

City, is South Korea’s second most-populous city after Seoul. It is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern Korea. Busan is home to Korea’s gigantic shipyards and its port ranks among the fifth busiest in the world. The metropolis lies less than 200km from the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Honshu.

The surrounding “Southeast Economic Zone” (including Ulsan and South Gyeongsang) is South Korea’s largest industrial area.

The metropolitan area, including the adjacent cities of Gimhae and Yangsan, has a population of about 4.6 million. The most densely built-up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong and the Suyeong Rivers, with mountains separating most of the districts. The Nakdong is Korea’s longest river and Busan’s Haeundae Beach is also the country’s largest. Interestingly enough, Busan is also home to the world’s largest

THOUGH THE SOUTHEAST ECONOMIC ZONE IS KOREA LARGEST INDUSTRIAL AREA ROBERT STEDMAN FOUND A GREAT DEAL TO ENTICE TOURIST TO THE SOUTH OF SOUTH KOREA.

department store, the Shinsegae Centum City. When you visit, remember to save some money for shopping.

INCREASING NUMBERS

Our group took an easy, six-hour flight from Singapore to the southeast part of Korea. We landed at Gimhae International Airport. The smallish, regional airport is located on the western end of Busan. Rest assured, the airport is expanding. Plans are underway to construct a new airport to accommodate the ever-increasing number of tourists visiting Busan.

Our first stop was to checkout the Gimhae Nakdonggang River Rail Park. This park was built on sections of old railway, which runs about three kilometers. Park operators fabricated custom rail bikes that allow you to use pedal power to explore the old tracks. Each bike seats four with the ones in the font seats providing all the leg power. You can pedal across the bridge that stretches over the Nakdonggang River—the views are spectacular. While most of the rail sections are flat there are gentle slopes that can give your legs a workout. The park is visited by families and courting young couples. It’s a great way to spend the morning.

RASPBERRY WINE

Located next to the park is the Raspberry Wine Cave. As the name suggests, it stores the bounty from the surrounding raspberry farms in the form of a very tasty raspberry wine. The enormous cave is tunneled deep into the side of a mountain. Inside, temperatures remain cool and constant no matter the time of year. A small bar offers the wine by the glass or the bottle.

In all honesty, the wine really doesn’t taste as you’d expect. It’s not sweet and yet there is a subtle taste of the red fruit. Tourists love the cool dark cave that’s decorated with wine bottles, crates and barrels. Both the Rail Park and wine cave have an entrance fee.

KISS OF KIMCHI

After the park our host took us to a special lunch that featured Dakgalbi, a spicy stir-fried chicken and one of Gimhae’s gastronomic specialties. It’s a flat pot in which vegetables, chicken and cheese are added. Together with the chicken dish a bowl of kimchi was also given. In fact, kimchi was offered with every meal we ate in Korea.

What I didn’t know is that there are so many types of this famous fermented food. There’s water kimchi that is mild, in addition to hot and spicy kimchi, turnip kimchi. It seems the varieties are endless for this typical Korean vegetable dish.

ROCK TO GARDEN

Afterwards, we headed of to Geoje city, on Korea’s

second largest island. From there we hopped on a ferry to visit Oedo Botanica, or what used to be a barren rock that has now been wholly transformed into a botanical garden.

Oedo Botania is, as you might have guessed, full of all sorts of plants. The story has it that in 1969, Lee Chang-ho, while riding out a squall, took shelter near Oedo, a tiny heap of rocks sticking out of the emerald green waters of Hallyeohaesang National Park. The island enchanted him. In 1976, Lee and his wife started planting what would eventually become a stunning botanical garden that now covers the entire island. The gardens are breathtaking. It really is amazing how the island foliage looks more like the gardens of Versailles than a small island off the Korean mainland.

ODDLY OUT OF PLACE

After returning from the ferry trip our group hiked up to Windy Hill, a must-go place in Geoje. Situated to the right of Dojangpo Dock, which operates ferries to Oedo Island, the hill features breathtaking views of the ocean and surrounding islands. The windmill is impressive and yet, like the Oedo Botanica, seems oddly out of place. On the day we visited you could light a candle as there was nary a breeze. We were informed that on windless days the windmill is turned by a motor, creating the illusion of wind.

With the European anachronisms behind us, the next day found us traveling to Tongyeong city. Tongyeong and Geoje are often referred to as the Naples of Korea, offering fantastic scenic views and are ranked as one of the must-go travel destinations of Namhae. Tongyeong is a historical city. Its original name was ‘Chungmu’ named after the honorary title of Admiral ‘Yi Sun-sin’. The new name ‘Tongyeong’ means ‘Command post’ because it is believed to have been the major base of operations of Admiral Yi during the Japanese invasion from 1592–1598. Japan and Korean history are intertwined and there seems to be a love/hate relationship between the countries. On the one hand Koreans appreciate and respect Japanese culture and history but on the other, they will never forget the wars and colonization that was inflicted on them by the nation of the rising sun.

A LONG RIDE

Our tour’s destination in Tongyeong was Mireuksan Mountain. To get there we took the Hallyeosudo cable car. Stretching out some 1975m, this is Korea’s longest cable-car ride. Near the top of Mireuk-san (461m), the view of Hallyeo Maritime National Park is dramatic. If you’re up for a two-hour hike, buy a one-way ticket, walk down the back end of the mountain and head towards the Undersea Tunnel. You can pick up a map from the booth near the ticket

window. Atop the mountain we were able to see the Hansan National Marine Park. We went for a short, invigorating hike in the pine forest.

At the Tongyeong Traditional Craft Museum our group tried making mother-of-pearl key chains, which was fun yet challenging. Shells are sliced into paper-thin pieces and then glued to a surface. Manipulating these delicate slices of pearl shell isn’t easy. Still, Tongyeong are proud of their pearl shell industry and you can see mother-of-pearl products everywhere—from fine furniture to handbags and even chopsticks.

A FEAST FOR LUNCH

Lunch proved to be a feast. We dined on one of Tongyeong’s local specialty, fresh oysters. They’re consumed raw or cooked and have a variety of condiments added to them. Delicious. After lunch, we set out for Dongpirang Mural Village. The village rests above the city and you’re able to get great views of Gangguan Port. We walked down the hill and headed to Tongyeong Jungang Market. With almost 400 years of history, Tongyeong Jungang Market is very popular. Located on the coast, seafood makes up a huge part of what the market offers. If you like local wet markets this place is for you.

On our fourth day we left Tongyeong city for Jinju, a city that has 1,000 years of historical heritage. Jinju has been well renowned as a home of patriotic spirit, education, culture and art. We visited the Jinjuseong Fortress, which is historically linked to the Japanese invasion of 1592. Chokseongnu Pavilion, located within the fortress, has a bird’seye view of the Jinju Fortress and the surrounding area. Breaking from its military past, the fortress today is a peaceful calming place with splendid views of the Namkang River.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Our fast paced tour saw us next visiting Sancheong County, which has long been connected with noted Korean doctors of traditional oriental medicine. In Donguibogam Village we had a special medicinal herb lunch. The lunch was good and didn’t taste like “medicine” but our host assured us that it was indeed good for us.

The village has museums and natural healing centers. The medical museum at Sancheong consists of “Donguibogam Hall” and “Traditional Korean Medicine Experience Hall.” Donguibogam Hall has more than 170 medicine-related relics on display, while the Experience Hall offers information on how to differentiate and combine medical herbs. To complete the experience you can try on traditional doctor and nurse’s clothing from the period. The costumes make for great photos.

DIG THE POTATOES

We got up early and boarded the bus for Daegu. In addition to a thriving population, the city boasts mountains, temples, and an abundance of natural and historical sites. At Daegu, we visited a farm outside the city and dug up potatoes. Afterward, we took turns using a large mallet to pound out Injeolmi (Korean rice cake). What’s more the farmer’s wife took our potatoes and boiled them, providing us with a snack before lunch. There’s nothing quite as tasty as freshly harvested and prepared potatoes. With just a touch of salt, the steaming white tubers tasted fantastic.

Back in the city, we visited Gyesan Cathedral (first gothic style building of the Yeongnam area) and Hanok House of Yi Sang-hwa (a famous Korean poet). It was startling to see how small the poet’s house was. Later, we stopped by the Seomun Market (formerly known as Daegu-keun Market). This market is steeped in history. Along with Pyeongyang Market and Ganggyeong Market, Seomun Market was one of the three main markets during the Joseon Dynasty.

FLAMING STEAKS

The Seomun Night Market opened quite recently in June 2016. After 7:00pm the market turns into a night market that’s well over 350m long and features over 80 kiosks selling both local delights along with popular Western dishes. Here you’ll see everything from flaming steaks, pickled kimchi to a magician who sells ice cream.

The following day we took the Palgongsan Cable Car to check the views of Daegu city from the observatory. The views were almost Alpine in nature—from verdant green pine forests to jagged mountain peaks. Along the way to Busan we stopped at Tongdasa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yangsan city. Located in southern part of Mt. Chiseosan, Tongdosa Temple is famous for not having any Buddhist statues in the temple. If you admire things Buddhist then you will find this temple fascinating.

FRESH, RAW & RARE

Later that night in Busan we dinned on that city’s local seafood delicacies at the Haeundae Food

Tent Zone. All of the dishes were fresh from the sea and raw. We ate baby octopus, abalone and a very odd looking creature called a “sea squirt.” Sea squirts are a marine invertebrate. They got their name because of their habit of contracting their bodies sharply and squirting out water when disturbed. Some great tasting Korean beer and Soju or Korean rice wine helped wash down this living feast.

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, which is situated on the coast of the northeastern part of Busan, was our next destination. This superb attraction offers a rare find as the temple is situated along the shore; most temples in

Korea are located in the mountains. The great Buddhist teacher Naong during the Goryeo Dynasty built Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in 1376. Haesu Gwaneum Daebul (Seawater Great Goddess Buddha), Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, Yongwangdang Shrine, Gulbeop Buddhist Sanctum (enclosed in a cave), and a three-story pagoda with four lions can all be seen looking out over the ocean. When visiting the temple go early as by mid-morning the temple can become crowded.

REFLECTIVE MOOD

After the temple and on the way our group stopped at the UN Memorial Cemetery just outside Busan. The cemetery honors UN soldiers who were killed in the Korean War. This serene park spreads across a grassy plain of 135,000sq/m.

The memorial creates a somber, reflective mood. Pillars representing each country that took part in the conflict list the names of those killed in the conflict. By far, the United States sacrificed the most with more than 50,000 of its warriors killed. The next country with the highest number of death was the UK with nearly 1,200 who gave their lives.

After the somber WWII Cemetery we lunched at the famous Choryang Milmyeon restaurant that serves delicious cold wheat noodles and dumplings. Cold noodles may seem strange but they tasted super. And the dumplings adorned with a few drops of vinegar are simply wonderful. After lunch, we set out for a much-needed walk to Busan’s Bupyeong Market, also known as Kkangtong (tin can) Market. It earned that moniker when it offered imported canned goods from the United States during the Korean War. As we strolled down the road, we came to Gukje Market.

MORE MARKETS

Following the Korean War, refugees who fled to Busan set up stalls in order to make a living, and this was the beginning of the Gukje Market (gukje meaning “international” in Korean). We continued on our walk and finally reached Jagalchi Market, Korea’s largest seafood market.

Here you can select fish and have it brought up to the restaurants above the market to be prepared for your meal. It’s clean and surprisingly doesn’t smell fishy, which means the seafood is super fresh.

One thing you’ll discover while visiting Busan is just how the Korean War affected the city. In pockets located around the city you’ll find refugee camps that became, over time, vibrant tourist attractions. Whether they offer food stalls or coffee shops these areas are brightly painted and offer unique views of the surrounding city. Usually placed on top of hills these “camps” have unmatched views of the city and ocean

Our trip ended with a stay at the airport hotel, so we could catch our 8:00am flight back to Singapore. All of us in our tour were grateful to the Korean Tourism Organization for its generosity and hospitality while showing us the many unique attractions that southeast Korea offers. It’s defiantly well worth visiting. So the next time you think of visiting Korea remember there’s much more than just Seoul.