The Korea Travel Log

Throughout the past year, The Korea Travel Log has introduced listeners to 51 beautiful travel destinations in Korea that are less known to the public. Today, the six producers of the program wanted to share the places that truly stood out to them during their visits throughout the year.

The area around Songcheon in Daegwallyeong, PyeongChang County is hosting the 26th Daegwallyeong Snow Festival. The celebration of ice and snow features various snow sculptures as well as fun activities such as ice sledding, ice slides, and traditional games. Visitors will also be treated to local specialty dishes that will warm up their stomachs.

Sokcho in Gangwon-do Province is a charming city. It is surrounded by the majestic Seoraksan Mountain and is home to Lake Yeongnang and Lake Cheongcho. Its port that vibrates with energy since early morning and the blazing sunrise beyond the horizon make Sokcho even more attractive as a travel destination. Let's embark on a winter trip to Sokcho on this week's The Korea Travel Log!

There is a very special village in Sokcho, located on the east coast of Gangwon-do Province. It's Abai Village, where North Koreans who had fled the Korean War from Hamgyeong-do Province at the northeastern end of the Korean Peninsula settled down. The North Koreans built their community on the barren beach where nobody had lived before the Korean War. Let's set off on a little different trip today to Abai Village.

Jeongseon, Gangwon-do Province, one of the three origins of Arirang. Jeongseon is a small town located deep in the mountains, where only a patch of sky is visible through the tall peaks. Let's set off on a winter trip to Jeongseon, a town closest to the sky where an Arirang of its namesake was born.

Ski resorts in Korea are packed with colorfully-clad skiers and snowboarders swooshing down the slopes. Interests in winter sports have spiked in the run up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, further driving up the number of people, including foreign tourists, visiting the ski resorts in Gangwon-do Province. Let's visit one of the most popular ski resorts, Hongcheon Vivaldi Park Ski World, to enjoy the excitement of winter sports and experience the Olympic atmosphere.

If you happen to visit Hwacheon in Gangwon-do Province this winter, be sure to look around one of Korea's most iconic wintertime festival. Since its start in 2003, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival has become the most well-known winter event in Korea, drawing more than one million visitors from home and abroad. The festival offers a variety of fun activities, such as ice fishing, sledding, ice soccer, and skating, as well as great food.

Coal mines and miners at one time were the powerful engine that drove Korea's phenomenal economic growth. Sadly, the once-busy industrial site, which opened in 1964 and had flourished until its shutdown in 2001, stands empty and silent today. A few years ago, however, the old, abandoned mine was resurrected as a cultural and artistic venue named Samtan Art Mine, where the mine's dynamic yet heart-breaking history inspires unforgettably poignant works of art.

The Woljeongsa temple stay program, popular among Koreans as well as foreigners, provides a special chance to experience a day at the Buddhist temple. This week's episode highlights the temple stay program at the millennium-old Woljeongsa Temple located in PyeongChang ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Seonjaegil hiking course stretches from the fir tree forest in front of Woljeongsa Temple in Odaesan Mountain to Sangwonsa Temple. Walking on the millennium-old forest road gives hikers a chance to enjoy the dense evergreen forest and a sparkling clean mountain spring and look back on year 2017. Visit this beautiful trekking course in the Odaesan National Park near PyeongChang, Gangwon-do Province ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

The city of Yeoju, home to the tomb of King Sejong, is the center of Korean ceramics industry and the country's largest rice producing region. Let's discover the beauty of Korean ceramics and savor the Yeoju rice, which used to be offered to the royal family, in the city with hundreds of ceramic workshops.

The Wonju Hanji Theme Park located in the city of Wonju in Gangwon-do Province is where visitors can learn about the origin and history of Korean traditional paper "hanji," famous for its silky texture and superb durability. The park provides interactive programs in which visitors can try their hands at making hanji the old-fashioned way and their own hanji souvenirs.

There are rest areas along the expressways in any country, but the ones in Korea are a little bit more special. The Deokpyeong Eco-Service Area on Yeongdong Expressway is probably at the top of the list in terms of size and facility. The rest stop has not only several amenities and plenty of space for relaxation, but also a pet cafe and a theme park. Deokpyeong Eco-Service Area is not just a stopover, but a travel destination in itself, and this episode shows many ways to enjoy it to the fullest.

Gapyeong in Gyeonggi-do Province is known for its majestic mountains and sparkling rivers, but the region is most famous for its pine nuts produced from its many pine forests. Let's embark on a therapeutic trip to the Jat'hyanggi Purunsup Forest, the country's largest pine forest filled with more than 80-year-old trees.

Paju Book City is a place where books are born. The huge neighborhood is home to a number of publishing houses, printers, book planners, booksellers, and book cafes. But the most well-known landmark in Paju Book City is a multi-functional space for books and cultural performances called the Forest of Wisdom. Having won an architectural award for its distinctive use of space, the Forest of Wisdom houses a 24-hour book cafe, a bookstore, and Jijihyang guesthouse. Let's travel to Paju, the city of books, to enjoy a relaxing time with books and coffee.

Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, Namhansanseong Fortress is a tragic reminder of the 1636 Chinese invasion of Joseon. Let's rediscover the autumn and history of Korea as we walk around the mountain fort blanketed by splendid fall foliage.

Siheung Mine was dug halfway up Gahaksan Mountain in Gyeonggi-do Province in 1912 to provide Japan with mineral resources. Since the mine was closed down in 1972, it was used to store shrimp sauce and has been practically abandoned since then. Then the mine was reborn as the Gwangmyeong Cave Theme Park in 2011. Let's descend into the depth of Gwangmyeong Cave, which draws more than 1.5 million tourists annually.

Since long ago, markets were not just places to buy and sell stuff, but have served as the venues of human interactions and celebrations of life with lots of interesting things to see and eat. In Seoul the Bamdokkaebi Night Market pops up out of nowhere to entice visitors with food trucks that sell delicious specialties, handmade items, diverse cultural performances, and a magical night scenery of the Hanggang River. Enjoy the vibrant and tasty night life at the Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market.

As we tour Hwaseong Haenggung (temporary palace) and Banghwasuryujeong, we once again realize how much the reform-minded king loved his people. The various events held in and around Hwaseong Fortress remind us of King Jeongjo's governing philosophy of enriching the lives of even the ordinary people.

The crowning achievement in early modern fortress construction, realization of powerful royal authority, a well-thought-out urban development plan, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are just some of the descriptions given to Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon to illustrate its significance. Walk around the fortress wall on an autumn day to enjoy the highlight of Joseon-era architecture.

This week's episode takes listeners to the Daereungwon Royal Tomb Complex, where ancient Silla tombs from 1,500 years ago stand intact to create a unique and harmonious blending of past and present, of life and death. The itinerary also includes the Jjoksaem area where visitors can see an actual excavation site. This episode introduces the best way to appreciate Gyeongju's past and its resonance to the present time.

A nighttime tour program called "Millennium Night Trip" takes visitors to the ancient historical sites of Gyeongju and lets them enjoy the city's colorful night scenery under the quiet, shimmering moonlight. Starting at the site of the Silla era royal palace Wolseong, visitors find out about the origin of Chuseok or Hangawi, one of Korea's greatest traditional holidays, and tour through the Woljeong Bridge leading into the old Silla palace, the royal palace Wolseong, which means the Moon Fortress, and Donggung and Wolji Pond cited as the most popular nighttime destinations in Gyeongju.

If the East Sea is known for its clear water and the South Sea for its multitude of islands, the Yellow Sea in the west of the Korean Peninsula is famous for its rich tidal flats. This week's trip is to the mud flats of Seokmodo Island in the Yellow Sea. After digging for clams on the vast tidal flats, visitors de-stress and relax in the seawater hot spring right next to the sea. Watching the glowing sun dip below the horizon while relaxing in a warm spa is one of the magical moments that can be enjoyed only on the western seashore.

Busan's treasure Yeongdo still retains bits and pieces of the city's past and stories of then-residents. Nostalgic attractions and specialty in Yeongdo include the Yeongdo Bridge, the first drawbridge in Korea; Huinyeoul Culture Village where North Korean refugees settled down when they fled from the Korean War; and milmyeon, North Korean refugees' soul food. Let's travel to Yeongdo to glimpse into the heartbreaking lives of the refugees who had to leave their homes and loved ones behind.

What makes day and night in Busan so special? During the day fly over the sea on a cable car, walk on the sea by strolling on the Skywalk glass-bottomed walkway, and admire the magnificent coastal line from the Bole-gil trail. And a night tour in Busan that includes amazing little-known spots like the Diorama of History observatory, Yeongdo Cheonghak Waterside Park, and Igidae Observatory. Here's how you can spend a special day and night in Busan.

Measuring up to its nickname of "international city" or "futuristic city," Songdo in Incheon features only wide open motorways and clusters of glass and steel skyscrapers. But hidden among the cold exterior are romantic spots worthy of visiting. Go up to the observatory deck in G Tower with a sweeping view of the city, ride a canoe at Songdo Central Park, the nation's first seawater park, take a break at a coffee shop where a smash hit TV drama was filmed, and wrap up the day at another observatory admiring a fantastic sunset. You and your romantic partner are sure to enjoy this romantic date course at Songdo.

Rock music fans from all over the world flock to Songdo Moonlight Park in Incheon every summer to enjoy the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, the country's largest camp-out music festivity. Sizzling sunlight can't stop these rock lovers from jumping and shouting to the electrifying tunes. The three-day event is a great way to have fun and get in the groove and beat the summer heat.

Yangpyeong located at the outskirts of Seoul is known for its summer scenery adorned with lotus flowers. Experience everything associated with lotus plants at Korea's best lotus garden, Semiwon. A diverse array of interesting interactive programs are available at the garden, including a class teaching visitors how to make rice wrapped in lotus leaves and lotus flower tea as well as a concert held every Saturday. Come and spend a summer day among the fragrant and classy lotus flowers.

Gunsan, an advance base for the Japanese occupational regime's pillaging of Korea. As Korea celebrates its 72nd anniversary of its independence, the streets of Gunsan still retaining the traces of those days have been transformed into the background of many movies and creative spaces of young artists. Let's travel to Gunsan, a city that underwent a great makeover from a painful reminder of the past into an artistic and cultural hub.

The Japanese imperial regime opened a port in Gunsan in 1899 and shipped the rice produced in the nearby region to Japan. Having long served as an economic hub for Japanese businessmen, Gunsan still has remnants from those painful years intact. Let's travel back in time to Gunsan, where the present exists against the background of Korea's tumultuous past.

Gangneung is known for Jumunjin Port where seafood auctions take place early every morning and the scenic beaches, including Anmok Beach with a long strip of coffee shops. Also increasingly popular are the city's unique museums, such as the Chamsori Gramophone and Edison Science Museum and Son Sung Mok Film Museum. Let's take a tour of the beautiful beaches and interesting museums of Gangneung.

Gangneung is famous for being the birthplace of the most esteemed neo-Confucian scholar Yulgok Yi I and his mother and renowned artist Sin Saimdang. But the city has more to see and experience than the landmarks associated with those two notable figures. There is also the birth home of Heo Nanseolheon and Heo Gyun, the artistically gifted siblings of the Joseon Dynasty. Also, don't forget to taste the velvety and flavorful Chodang tofu supposedly made by the siblings' father Heo Yeob at Chodang Tofu Village.

Euljiro is home to many restaurants that have been in operation for more than 50 years or over three generations. Despite the passage of time, these long-standing eateries haven't changed much over the years to keep their old customers, while converting young foodie bloggers into new devoted patrons. Let's sample some of the Korean people's favorite foods at these modest restaurants in Euljiro.

Euljiro in downtown Seoul bears witness to Korea's miraculous industrialization. It was said that anything can be made in Euljiro. The area is a nostalgic urban enclave of stores that deal with a wide range of industrial components, from tools, lights, sewing machines, tiles and ceramics to sculptures, furniture, printing, and machinery. Walking through the alleyways of Euljiro is a great way to see what Seoul had looked like in the 1970s and 80s. Let's travel back in time by touring the alleyways in the Euljiro neighborhood.

It's already been more than a century since a leper colony was established on Sorokdo Island. Now it's turned into an island of healing. In this week's episode, a KBS producer tours the island's healing spots and hears the stories of island residents who are working hard to publicize and transform Sorokdo Island.

There is a small, deer-shaped island called Sorokdo at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula. In 1917, during the Japanese occupation period, Sorokdo Island housed a hospital to treat lepers in isolation. That was the beginning of the heartbreaking history of the leper colony on Sorokdo Island. On this week's episode, we remember the painful past of the island, once ostracized and discriminated as the Land of Divine Punishment.

Good food or pleasant scent you experienced during a trip long lives in your memory and makes you want to revisit that place. Here is a chance to steep your memory in Korea's aromatic traditional drink. Let's visit Samhae Soju-ga Brewery in the old part of Seoul, where visitors can brew their own bottle of the capital's iconic alcohol.

Anyone would be surprised to learn that coffee is grown in Korea of all places, since coffee plants are known to grow in tropical regions like South America or Africa. Nonetheless, Goheung-gun County in southern Korea is home to roughly 20 coffee farms. This week's trip includes a visit to a coffee farm in Goheung and a sampling of locally produced coffee at the farm's coffee shop, as well as a barista-for-a-day program where visitors learn how to roast and hand-drip coffee.

The DMZ Peace Train program is available only in Korea, the only divided country in the world. The train travels to the demilitarized zone near Cheorwon, Gangwon-do Province, where passengers can see the Baekma Hill, a strategic site where the bloodiest battle of the Korean War took place, climb up to the observatory to view the northern limit line, look around the bullet-riddled North Korean Workers' Party headquarters and the rusted train at Woljeong-ri Station. This tour program inspires reflection on this painful chapter in Korean history and appreciation for the peaceful state we live in.

One of the hottest tour programs for foreign visitors to Seoul is make-your-own-perfume program. Tourists create their own perfumes so that whenever they wear those scents they're reminded of their trips to Seoul. KBS producer Lee Beom-seok goes to a perfumery located in the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul and makes one-of-a-kind perfume, together with travelers from all corners of the globe.

In marking the UNESCO-designated World Book and Copyright Day on April 23rd, we visit Samrye Culture and Arts Village in Wanju, Jeollabuk-do Province and introduce a book-binding shop and interactive programs at a book museum in this lesser-known tourist destination.

The word "barae" is an indigenous term that refers to the act of picking sea plants and clams from the tidal flats or rocks along the beach. Baraegil Road is a walking trail that follows the very road that Namhae residents used to take on their way to do barae work. The five-hour course takes visitors to such scenic spots as Seochon Beach or Pebble Beach and allows them to glimpse into the resilient lives of those who lived in Namhae many years ago.