Chungju

Chungju is a beautiful town that is abundant with tourist sources and Jungwon (the center of a field in Korea) culture. It is easy to get from any region in South Korea. It is also the hometown of Ban Ki moon, the Secretary General of the U.N.

Chungjuho has the largest multipurpose dam in South Korea which holds the largest body of fresh water, linking Chungju, Jecheon, and Danyang in Chungcheongbuk do. There are Mt. Wolaksan National Park, Mt. Geumsusan, Gudambong Peak, etc. around the lake, so you can enjoy the beauty of nature harmonizing with the blue water. They run a tourist ship from Chungju to Sin Danyang (53km).

Forests are formed for relaxation near Chungjuho, and you can take a break in the forest and hot springs. You can visit one of the forests and see the remains of the Samguk (Three Kingdom) Period including the Jungwon Goguryeo bi (monument), the only stone monument of Goguryeo (37 B.C. ~ 668 A.D.) in South Korea.

Dear My Friends,
‘If you have the intention of feeling the aura of one country, you should stay among the common folks.’ This is the tip of a journalist who is in charge of the leisure section of one newspaper. Once I’ve been to china with my parents, but we just traveled by car and dropped by a few tourist attractions just taking photos. I thought to myself that it would be much better to see every nook and corner and feel it. Actually, many people can’t feel the aura of other countries during travel. That’s because of ‘sightseeing for sightseeing.’ They just push the button of a camera and feel disappointed and annoyed by the jammed tourist attractions.

For that reason, if I have an opportunity to introduce Korea to you, I’ll take you to the Korean traditional village and let you feel the aura of Korea. I’ll show you many Korean traditional performances like tightrope walking, a folk music concert, seesawing. If fortune smiles upon us, we may see the scene of shooting a film or historical drama. Maybe, I will have a chance to ask a foreign friend what their traditional games are.

Getting a little tired doing some activities, we can try some Korean traditional foods like folk wine, rice cake, and pumpkin candies. At dinnertime, we will go to my hometown Chungju, and go to a spa. Maybe we will get along in there and do jokes like ‘So cool!’ At night, I want to take you to experience an Ondol (Korean under floor heating system) room, not a bed. Lying on the warm floor, we could pass time talking each other all night long.

The next day, I want to take you to the Chungju World Martial Arts festival. It is a festival where we can see many martial arts of other countries, and I want to introduce Taekwondo and Taekgyeon to you. Although Taekgyeon is not as popular as Taekwondo, I want to make you have interest in it. If time allows, I want to take you to my house and let you experience Bal sam dying. And I’ll tell you the touching story about Bal sam dying.

And the next day, I want to take you to a traditional market. You may be surprised and feel exotic to see the dogs, chicks, and ducks in the market, and fresh vegetables and fishes. It will be a great experience for both of us, and I think that you will remember the experience with me much longer than just visiting tourist attractions.

Sincerely, Myeongsu

The Chungju World Martial Arts Festival is held in October each year. You can enjoy Taekgyeon, a Korean unique martial art, and various world martial arts.

* More information: http://english.cjcity.net/