Korean Job Discussion Forums

placeshifter · Joined: 23 Jan 2010

Just curious -- what's the most beautiful area of S. Korea that you've been to that offers a peaceful & beautiful countryside filled with opportunities for being within nature, hiking, and enjoying scenic views of the mountains (or forests or coast line)?

I've heard Jeolla-do has some of the most beautiful places in S. Korea (e.g. near Jeonju).

kinerry · Joined: 01 Jun 2009

anything along the ktx route from busan to seoul

VanIslander · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:50 am Post subject:

Forward Observer · Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Location: FOB Gloria

There's a smallish mountain in Cholla Bukdo area named "Nae Jang San" that is amazing during the fall season. The fall colors are some of the best in the country. Any other time of year, it's just like everywhere else - and btw, it's really, really, REALLY overcrowded during the months of October and November. Don't waste your time waiting in line to get on the cable car either.

Try to get there really early in the morning, because you don't want to be there anytime after 12 noon. Trust me on this.

Arthur Dent · Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Location: Kochu whirld

Gangwando, Inje-gun area is quite nice, as well as many places along the Nerimcheon.

air76 · Joined: 13 Nov 2007

Gangwon-do is by far the most rural, and the closest to proper countryside that you will find in Korea. It's hard to find a place in Korea where you can look in every direction and not see something man-made. I am not bashing Korea, it's a small country with a lot of people, I am just saying that you have to change the way that you think about nature here...nature generally comes with loudspeakers, buildings, and virtually no animals.

I think that most of the Korean countryside is pretty, but nothing here is spectacular. One "mountain" is more or less like the others. Of course I am exaggerating a bit, but you certainly won't find any knock-your-socks-off National Parks here.

I lived in Jeollanamdo for a couple years and there were a lot of places to hike there....expect anywhere decent to be pretty packed with other hikers.

runlikegump · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: Seoul

If you're in Seoul, you need not travel far. Buhkansan and the area around it is beautiful. The hiking trails are great, but on weekends are very busy.
I live in Gaepo-dong, and within 20 minutes, by foot or by bus, can get to Guryongsan, Daemosan, Umyeongsan, Gwanaksan, and Cheonggyesan. Again, you need to choose your times accordingly (i.e. not Saturday or Sunday between 11:00 and 4:00), but if you're an early riser or have a weekday off work you can find yourself alone on many a trail.

redaxe · Joined: 01 Dec 2008

Koreans will tell you to go to Gangwon-do. Seoraksan for hiking and the beach at Sokcho. I've never been but I've seen pictures and it looks nice.

kinerry · Joined: 01 Jun 2009

stevieg4ever · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Location: London, England

Jungfrau in Switzerland Laughing

Oatmeal Prince · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

The prettiest place I went to was the green tea field (and even moreso the surrounding forest) in Boseong. The bamboo forest in Damyang is also nice.

placeshifter · Joined: 23 Jan 2010

Thanks!

Gangwon-do, Green Tea fields, and Bamboo Forest it is for my next 3 out of Seoul trips.

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

Yeah, I really enjoy the tea fields in Boseong. They have a green tea festival in May, so that's a good time to go.

The county of Danyang is unremarkable, but I enjoyed the cave there.
http://rokdrop.com/2010/01/08/places-in-korea-gosu-cave-in-chungcheongbuk-do/

Two places that were really remarkable were Cheonghak-dong and Samseong-gung in Hadong county, Gyeongsangnam-do:
http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2008/11/cheonghak-dong-and-samseong-gung.html

Some discussion here about the best places to see in Korea: DMZ, lava tubes in Jeju, Lotus Lantern Parade, among others.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

Anytime you can get into a bamboo forest it's nice. Especially the tall, old ones. Around Kwangju, Chollanamdo, there is a poet's house (from 1300 A.D.) which has a bamboo forest, natural waterfall, and the house like a set of boxes set alongside the falls so as to admire them. When I went there alot of snow was on the ground. It's famous around Kwangju, on the outskirts/environs, Soswaeson.

Bamboo forests tend to squeak in the wind and it's supposed to be one of the scariest all time sounds.

Out towards the coast after Muju (Maisan Prov Park near Jinan) there is this very famous mountain which looks like two poolcue handles jutting out of the earth (yeah, I know, nice analogy, haha). Really, in all Korea they are distinctive. And, nearby, is an old temple which has a standing buddha statue which is distinctive for having a hat like a square board. Do you remember the movie Close Encounters of the Third kind and the mountain Richard Dreyfus was obsessing about? Well it's as distinctive as that.

The mountain secondary highway around Miryang is awesome for motorbiking on.

I like GojeDo. I went up and down over there and know it well and the vistas from high roads looking down mountainsides to the sea, and small islands, cliffs, it's awesome.

One of the most beautiful places was a few miles north of Ulsan on the coast driving a Hyosung RX125 on tracks (trails) just over the hill inland from the East Sea. The vegetation is lush (natural forest) as if the rainclouds heading in from the sea are torn open by the mountain.

I wouldn't wait to go on some long jaunt but, instead, on the weekend go to the nearby bit of woods and just wander around. Korea has delicate features, little hills, valleys, and dales. The wooded mountains are great, within sight all the time wherever you go, get to the treeline and slip in.