Natural Attractions in Korea

Before going to Korea, I did not know that the country is made up of about 70% to 80% of mountainous area. This became more and more obvious as I explored South Korea. During my one week trip, I visited Mount Sorak National Park, which is one of the most beautiful and popular national parks in Korea. During winter, many Koreans enjoy skiing at the resorts located here. As I visited in summer, there was of course no snow to be seen.

At the national park, we took a cable car up to Gwongeumseong. Do take note that the cable car ride may not be available during bad weather or maintenance period. Besides that, the cable car does not actually bring you all the way to the top. There is still quite a long hike before you reach the peak and enjoy the beautiful view of the East Sea and city of Sokcho. Here, you can also see the many rocks and stones which make up Mount Sorak.

The Teddy Bear Museum is not exactly a natural attraction but I included it here as the branch I visited was located at Mount Sorak. It is pretty small and it takes less than half an hour to explore the whole area. However, there are lots of photo-taking opportunities with the cute bears. There are bears in various themes such as wearing Korean traditional clothes and bears in the shape of bees and even polar bears.

Shinheungsa Temple is located in the Seoraksan (Mount Sorak) National Park. It is about a thousand years old. At the temple, you will see a huge sitting Buddha flanked by lotuses. Visitors can also spend some time admiring the traditional architecture of the pavilions and bridge located in the area.

Nami Island is most famous for its winter landscape when the island is covered by snow. This is because Winter Sonata, a famous Korean drama, was filmed there in winter. However, even during the other seasons, the island is still very beautiful. I was there in summer and the flowers were blooming. The tall trees around the island also provide some shade from the hot sun.

The island was created as a result of the construction of the Cheongpyeong dam. Today, it is visited by many tourists. A famous lane is the Metasequoia Lane where visitors can reenact the walk made by Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo, the Winter Sonata actors. The island also has various exhibition halls such as the UNICEF hall and the Winter Sonata Photo Gallery.

Close to Incheon Airport is Wolmido Island. Visitors can take a short ferry ride from Yeongjong Pier to Wolmido. During the ride, we bought prawn crackers and threw it at the many seagulls which were flying about. They were really quick in grabbing the prawn crackers as seen in the video I took. As I was on Wolmido Island very early in the morning, many shops were still not open. But during my short stay there, it looked like it would be a very lively place in the evening as there were many seafood restaurants and cafes there.