The adrenaline and actions for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will take place in less than 200 days time. Besides soaking in the thrills and excitement as well as watching the opening and closing ceremonies of Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in awe, there are numerous places of interest that Winter Olympics goers can visit whilst in PyeongChang. PyeongChang is one of the 11 counties and 7 cities in Gangwon-do, while Gangwon-do forms up one of the nine provinces in South Korea. Situated in the North-Eastern part of South Korea, Gangwon-do borders North Korea to the north and East Sea to the East. The province covers more than 20,000㎡ in area, with over 80% of the province being mountainous. Here are some of the places that visitors to the PyeongChang Olympics can visit while in the province.
 |
| Map of Gangwon-do |
For the Nature Lover - Seoraksan National Park
One of the "must-go" places of interest in South Korea is Seoraksan National Park. This iconic national park was designated UNESCO Biosphere Protection Site, with oddly shaped rock formations, dense forests, abundant wildlifes, hot springs and ancient temples. Nature lovers would find it hard not to fall in love with Seoraksan National Park. The national park has a total of 15 hiking trails ranging from 1km to 24km, hikers of all levels of fitness are bound to find a trail that suits them.
 |
| Entrance to Seoraksan National Park |
 |
| Seoraksan National Park |
 |
| Rock formation in Seoraksan National Park |
I visited Seoraksan National Park both my twice visit to South Korea, the beauty of Seoraksan National Park never fail to captivate me. Mt Seorak, the centre piece of Seoraksan National Park, stood majestically welcoming visitors to this area. Seoraksan National Park has activities catered for all visitors. Other than the hiking trails, a cable car system operated since 1970, has taken numerous visitors up Mt Seorak to soak in the views of the surroundings. From the summit station, visitors can walk up to Gwongeumseong Fortress, built around 1253A.D. during Koryo Dynasty to fend off Mongolian invasion. Instead of finding a building, what I saw at the Gwongeumseong Fortress was a bunch of rocks. As the fortress is built on top of the mountains, visitors are treated to views of the Seoraksan Mountain Ranges and fresh mountain air here.
 |
| View from Mt Seorak |
 |
| View from Mt Seorak |
 |
| View from Mt Seorak |
 |
| At Gwongeumseong Fortress |
 |
| The other side of Mt Seorak |
 |
| View from Mt Seorak |
Nested within the valley in Seoraksan National Park is where Sinheungsa Temple sits. The ancient temple was believed to be built in 653 and is the oldest Zen temple in the world. With the surrounding tranquil mountain, I experienced a sense of peace and zen when entering the temple grounds. I could spend the whole afternoon here, sitting under the tree in the courtyard, enjoying the peace and calm the temple offers. This is a good place to escape from the sometimes massive amount of visitors to Seoraksan National Park.
 |
| Bronze Buddha Statue in Seoraksan National Park |
 |
| Temple building beside the Bronze Buddha Statue |
 |
| Entrance to Sinheungsa Temple |
 |
| The peaceful Sinheungsa Temple grounds |
 |
| Sinheungsa Temple |
 |
| The peaceful Sinheungsa Temple grounds |
 |
| The peaceful Sinheungsa Temple grounds |
For the History Buffs - DMZ
North Korea has always been a mystery to most people around the world. There are several places in Gangwon-do that allows visitors to get up close to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. Cheorwon county is one of the more popular places for visitors to get up and close to North Korea. Other than Cheorwon being situated on the North Western part of Gangwon-do, the county, bordering between the two Koreas, was part of North Korea before the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement that created the DMZ between the two Koreas. The war broke out in Cheorwon during the Korean Wars, which saw the county being divided into two, with Cheorwon being claimed by South Korea. Speaking about visiting DMZ, many people flock to Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjeom, which is more expensive and crowded to peek into North Korea. Cheorwon offers a cheaper and less crowded alternative for those who are interested to learn more about the history of Korean wars and the aftermath of the war.
 |
DMZ
(image credit: https://koreaprivatetours.com/tours/cheorwon-dmz-tour/) |
 |
View of DMZ
(image credit: https://koreaprivatetours.com/tours/cheorwon-dmz-tour/) |
Cheorwon saw the fierce fight during the Korean War and reminiscence of war is still present today. Most of the War sites lie within the Civilian Control Zone that spans 20km from the border. The Second Tunnel, dug by North Korea in 1975, allows visitors to experience what the soldiers went through during the Korean Wars. The tunnel was a tactical move for the North Korean Army to infuriate into South Korea. About 1km of the 3.5km tunnel lies in South Korea
and it’s large enough for some 16,000 soldiers to stream through
per hour. The tunnel isn't as cramp as the famous Vietnamese tunnel, however headroom can be a challenge at some parts of the tunnel. A 150m staircase leads down to the well-lit albeit damp tunnel, which brings visitors just 300m from the border.
 |
Entrance to 2nd Tunnel
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264482) |
After passing a few battle-scarred buildings, visitors arrive at the former Labour Party HQ. Here is where one would be able to see the reminiscences of the Korean war. The surviving facade look and feels eerie, more like a haunted house. This building is where many civilians were imprisoned and tortured when Cheorwon was part of North Korea. Visitors are not allowed to enter the whatever remains of the Labour Party HQ as the building is being cordoned off, however looking up at the facade of the building is sufficient for one to feel the sufferings that war brings.
 |
Ruins of the Former Labour Party HQ
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264482) |
 |
Ruins of the Former Labour Party HQ
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264482) |
 |
Ruins of the Former Labour Party HQ
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264482) |
 |
Ruins of the Former Labour Party HQ
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264482) |
For the Cultural Seekers - Naksansa Temple
One of the oldest temple in Gangwon-do, Naksansa Temple has a 1,300 year old history and is found by the ambassador of the 30th King of Silla Period in 671 after his return from China during the Tang Dynasty. Since then Naksansa Temple has been rebuilt several times and the most recent reconstruction of Naksansa Temple was in 1953 as the temple fell victim to the Korean Wars. Naksansa Temple is a major cultural attraction in this region, that also offers temple stays for visitors who wants to immense into the religious culture of South Korea. Through the temple stay, visitors not only are able to experience the life of Buddhist practitioners, they can also learn the various aspects of Korean Buddhist Culture and history through stories told by the monks in the temple.
 |
Map of Naksansa Temple
(image credit: http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/bbs/board.php?bo_table=250&wr_id=7) |
There are two gates that forms the main entrance to Naksansa Temple. The first gate that greets visitors to this ancient temple is the Iljumun Gate, which is also called the One-Pillar Gate as it appears to be supported by a single pillar when viewed from the side of the gate. This gate sybmolises the one true path of enlightenment and purification that one must leave their worldly desires when entering the temple. The second gate that visitors will pass through before hitting the temple grounds is the Hongyaemun Gate, which is built by King Seo in 1466. The Hongyaemun Gate is built with 26 stones representing the number of counties.
 |
Iljumun Gate - The first gate at Naksansa Temple
(image credit : http://en.gangwon.to/cyber/en/board/read/id/en_themetour/page/2/num/34) |
 |
Hongyaemun Gate is the second gate that visitors will come across before hitting the temple grounds
(image credit: http://en.gangwon.to/cyber/en/board/read/id/en_themetour/page/2/num/35) |
Naksansa Temple is spread out over a large area and houses numerous cultural assets. A little further from Hongyaemun Gate, the first thing that greets visitors is the bell pavilion to the far left side, housing a large copper bell, one of the cultural assets in Naksansa Temple. Further from the entrance is where one would land themselves into the Cheonwangmun Gate, with statues of the Four Heavenly Kings guarding the temple. Sitting in the middle of the upper courtyard is another cultural relic of this temple, the seven-tiered stone pagoda. The temple building behind this pagoda houses the statue of Gwanseeum-Bosal. Further into the temple grounds, up a small slope is where visitors can find a large statue of Gwanseeum-Bosal. This 18m tall statue, looking out into the East Sea, also called the Haesugwaneumsang. The Haesugwaneumsang (Bodhisattva of Mercy) stands on a 9 foot tall pedestal looks peaceful and serene.
 |
Copper Bell Pavilion in Naksansa Temple
(image credit: http://chdkstks.tistory.com/233) |
 |
Seven-tiered pagoda in front of the temple
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
 |
Golden Statue of Gwanseeum-Bodal inside the temple behind the stone pagoda
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
 |
The 18m tall stone Haesugwaneumsang that looks out into the East Sea
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
The other highlight in Naksansa Temple is the pavilion built on top of the cliff facing the East Sea. Uisangdae Pavilion was built where Ui-sang used to sit and mediate. The view from this pavilion is stunting and peaceful. One can simply spend some time here and enjoy the scenery of the sea. A little further from Uisangdae Pavilion is where Hongryeonam, a small Buddhist temple built above a stone cave sits. There is a 10 cm hole under the sanctuary floor where visitors can peak through the view the sea.
 |
| Uisangdae Pavilion(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
 |
View of the East Sea from Uisangdae Pavilion
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
 |
| Hongryeonam, a small temple built on a cave(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
 |
Hongryeonam up close
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264245) |
No comments:
Post a Comment