Jeonju, South Korea

Five reasons why Jeonju is a MUST

Sohyon Lee

Lofty mountains ring the flat province of Jeonju, which is located at the heart of the southern peninsula, a three hour ride away from Seoul. The crown-like contour of the city seems to bear a remembrance to the ancestral home of the kings of the Chosun dynasty, among whom Tae-jo( meaning founder), Seonggae Lee was the first. Although the curtain of the Chosun era - which lasted for half a millennium - has fallen, Jeonju still holds the gist of what Korean culture truly is. This authenticity of Jeonju hasn’t gone unnoticed by sightseers in and out of Korea. Recently, it has become the mecca of Korean tourism as more and more people are lured by the artless charm the city holds. Jeonju is like a kaleidoscope; every time you look again, a different facet unfolds. If you are someone longing to break away from all the obligations and crowdedness of your own cosmopolitan city, I strongly recommend that you should put down what you were reading, grab a backpack, and get the next ticket to Jeonju right now.

Sik-do-lak(식도락, 食道樂)

: A frequently used Korean expression meaning ‘finding delight in dining as a pastime’

Even if a place has amazing relics of the past, no one wants to travel where the food isn’t very appealing. Especially for Koreans, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Korea is a nation of gourmets – they hold that much pride in their dining culture. So, you are far from worrying about food when it comes to Jeonju because Jeonju’s culinary art is at the zenith of exquisiteness. Although an entire book could be dedicated to the culinary traditions of Jeounju, I shall show you just a glimpse for now, to leave you anxious for more. It would be impossible to discuss Jeonju cuisine without Bibimbap(boiled rice with assorted vegetables and meat). Bibimbap is undoubtedly one the most loved and well-known Korean dishes worldwide. It comes to be such a unique dish because no other food could better...