North Jeolla

North Jeolla, renamed Jeonbok in 2024, is a province in the southwest of South Korea.

Cities

• 1 Jeonju (전주) - Capital of North Jeolla, home of traditional houses (Hanok) and culinary hotspot
• 2 Gimje - the location of Geumsansa, one of South Korea's most famous Buddhist temples
• 3 Gochang - home of UNESCO heritage dolmen sites.
• 4 Gunsan - harbor city with many modern architecture.
• 5 Iksan - railroad junction and the location of famous Mireuksaji Temple Pagoda
• 6 Jeongeup
• 7 Muju - home of Deogyusan national park and Taekwondowon.
• 8 Namwon - the hometown of important Korean classical literature, such as Chunhyangjeon and Heungbujeon. Chunhyangjeon was written for Pansori at first but people also met the story as a novel. It is a representative love story of Korea written in the Joseon (1392 1910) period. Namwon is also a background of the story of Heungbujeon, one of the top Korean classical literature.

The Maitreya Hall at Geumsansa

Other destinations

• 1 Imsil Cheese Theme Park
• 2 Seonyu Island - Holiday island near Gunsan
• 3 Byeonsanbando National Park - national park that incorporates both mountains and beaches.

Understand

Location in South Korea

Get in

From Seoul, Honam and Jeolla KTX from Yongsan Station connects the North Jeolla cities of Iksan, Jeonju, Jeongup, and Namwon. Gunsan can be reached by Saemaul train from Yongsan or transfer at Iksan.

Gunsan Airport (KUV ^IATA) has flights from Jeju.

See

The Gochang dolmen site

• See the Gochang dolmen sites which together with the ones in Hwasun and Ganghwa are highly praised for their archaeological worth, and added to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list in 2000.
• Visit Namwon to see the Gwanghallu garden, which is the representative traditional garden built in the middle years of Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). Chunhyang first met her love, Lee Mong ryong, here. You can enjoy the beautiful view of nature.
• Visit Naejangsan Temple in Jeongeup.
• In the northern part of this region you can find two of the sites of the Baekje world heritage; the Archeological site in Wanggung-ri and the Mireuksa Temple site.
• Two of the four components of the natural world heritage site Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats are in North Jeolla; the Seocheon Getbol and the Gochang Getbol.
• One of the sites of the world heritage site Gaya Tumuli (grave mounds from the Gaya Confederacy ruling the area around the 1st-6st centuries CE) is in North Jeolla, near Namwon.

Do

• Ski in Muju
• Maple Leaf Festival in Jeongup

Eat

• Chueotang (추어탕), a spicy, hearty stew made from minced loach (mudfish), potatoes, mushrooms, rice cakes and anything else lying around. A speciality of Namwon, where July 5 is "Chueotang Day".