Traveling Jeollabukdo - By the Numbers


Greg Timlin
Korea is a country rich with large, dynamic, frenetic cities, where shopping and nightlife can be enjoyed until the not-so-wee hours of the morning. But many of the most unique and rewarding experiences you can have await you beyond the hustle and bustle of Seoul or Busan.
Located about 250 km due south of Seoul, Jeollabukdo is one of South Korea's least populated provinces - and also one of its most beautiful. Jeonbuk (as it is also called) has great skiing and hiking, picturesque river valleys, impressive temples, sites of historic interest, and some of the nation's loveliest beaches. In addition to this, as Korea's breadbasket, it is also home to some of its best traditional food. But Jeonbuk is more than these wonderful tourist experiences - it's all the charming spots in between - it's the slower paced, rural life of a Korea that in so many places has already disappeared.
Jeonju City, Maisan (Horse Ear Mountains) and Muju Ski Resort are among its most famous and frequented places. But I'd rather not repeat at length in this article what can be easily found in the Lonely Planet, or a myriad of other travel books, and focus instead on experiences that locals here (Korean and non-Korean) treasure most in the area.
The first thing I would recommend to get the most out of your visit to Jeonbuk, is to do so on your own terms, and not be dependent on mass transit, which only takes you were the masses go, when the masses are most likely to be on the go. Get your own wheels, whether it be a car, motorbike or scooter. Although an adventure to be sure, driving in Korea is not that difficult, and surprisingly easy to actually set up. An international license will make renting a car a snap (for around 70,000 won per day). But if you're going to be in Korea for a while, you may want to consider buying a second hand vehicle cheaply. Depending on where you're from, getting a Korean license is as easy as showing your license from home, paying 10,000 won or so, and doing the eye test. You can then drive a car or van, or even ride a motorcycle as long as the bike's engine size is under 250cc. Any bigger, and you'll need to take the motorcycle test to get a "big bike license".
Now that you've got your vehicle, get a decent roadmap and let the adventure begin.
Jeollabukdo's coastline has some amazing views and surprisingly quiet, clean, sandy-white beaches. The Buan Peninsula's coastal and interior roads are stunning, and well worth a look. There are a few ways to access them. You can take Highway 23 south toward Buan city, then go west on Highway 30. Follow the coast, or detour into the interior on route 736 for large rocky-faced hills, boulder-strewn streams and charming rural scenes. 736 meets up again with the 30 near Gosapo Beach.
From Gunsan, you can take highway 77, which runs 33 km south, across the East Sea by way of the controversial Saemangeum Seawall (the longest seawall and biggest land reclamation project on the Earth), providing fantastic views of Seonyudo, an island cluster which it intersects with on its way to the Buan area. Incidentally, the Seonyudo archipelago is a great side trip in its own right, but is best accessed by ferry from the Gunsan port. Several of the islands are connected by bridge, and scooters or bikes can be easily rented for tours that provide views that would not be out of place in Halong Bay or Thailand.
Once the wall beets up with the mainland, turn right where the 77 meets with 30, and follow this highway around the perimeter of the entire peninsula. Gosapo Beach, about 6 or 7 km west of the seawall junction, has perfect camping conditions on a pine-tree covered bluff just above the long, clean beach, with views of the sun-set over the islands. At the western tip, Kyeokpo is a more touristy area with several pensions, many seafood restaurants, and a very up-scale resort. Here you can also catch a ferry to the picturesque and peaceful Weedo, a sparsely populated island 45 minutes or so off the mainland.
The highway after Kyeokpo turns south, then east as it follows the peninsula's southern coast. The road undulates delightfully, above the sea's blue-green water while mountains and cliffs tower above you on the other side of the road. Don't miss Naesosa, a famous temple complex, with hiking trails to the hills above it, through to Jikso Waterfall, and on to a wonderful lake surrounded by rocky mountain peaks.
On the road again, highway 30 will not long after (maybe 15 minutes or 20 minutes) meet with highway 23. Turn left (north) to head towards the province's larger cities - Jeonju, Iksan and Gunsan - or continue the adventure by heading right (south), until the 23 meets with the 22. Go due west on the 22 to Seonunsa, a temple complex centered near a lush, tree lined brook, spreading from its main buildings to lofty perches amongst stunning mountains of lush greenery and exposed granite. Take the hiking trails as they follow the spines of the rugged hills, providing unforgettable scenes of the valleys bellow to the east, or towards the sea in the west.
Pick up a few bottles of the locally made mountain-berry wine (bokbunja - yummy), get back on highway 22 heading east, pass the junction with the 30, and ride on to the township of Jeongeup, where you can strike out at Naejangsan, one of Korea's premier locations for experiencing fall colors, or just spectacular hikes and mountain temples year round.
Further east can be found breathtaking valleys, gorges, lakes, one of Korea's best ski resorts and some of the finest motorcycle routes available. But descriptions of all this and more will have to come in a different article.
For further information, help or a heads-up for events being held in this area, you may want to check out the Jeonju Hub web-site, or join Iksan's Facebook page, the Iksan Foreigners' Association. Both cities have a lot of events and active ex-pat communities. Things of interest include live bands, open-mic nights, hashes, wine clubs, art exhibitions, quiz nights and parties of all kinds. People are pretty friendly here so visitors and new faces are welcome.
Article and photos by Greg Timlin (greg_timlin@hotmail.com)