Famously Secret and Secretly Famous.

King Saejong, sometimes refered to as Saejong the Great ( a title that only two kings have received the title for) was born on 7th May 1397 and died on the 18th May 1450, reinging from 1418–1450. He was the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty and is said to have encouraged and nurtured the advancement of literature and technology in Korea during his reign.   

There is a town that is only an hours bus ride from the southern part of Seoul, that sits in an area surrounded by agriculture. The town center, although quiet, is the hub of life for many of the surrounding residents. In the center you can find the usual stores: cafes, sandwich shops, bars, bakeries, grocery shops and the other typical outlets that dot towns and cities throughout Korea. 
A stereotypical town to anyone just passing though. 

Saejong himself, welcoming all into the
town of Yeoju. 

In fact, if you mention its name, Yeoju, to anyone from one of the big cities, you may get a look of bewilderment; 'where's that?'. They may not be able to point it our on an unlabeled map BUT, all Koreans will have heard of the town at some-point in their lives. It's akin, to the British readers of this blog, to Bosworth - famous for a battle that we've all learnt about, but where the devil is it? 


Yeoju is one of the most famous towns in Korea. Not for a battle but for a King. Korea's most famous king, Saejong. And it is where he is burried. Saejong,  heralded as the inventor of the Korean alphabet (Hangul), a celestial globe, sundial, water-clock and rain gauge was the king who also extended Korea's boundaries and encouraged technological advancement. There has been some doubt cast over how much involvement he truly has in creation of Korea's alphabet (deemed by many linguists to be the most logical in the world) but, nonetheless, he is the man who is accredited for the work. His credentials don't stop there, but I will as, the site does an excellent job of explaining more of his life and works. 

That would ordinarily be enough to make the small farming town of Yeoju famous. But, there's more. It also co-hosts the world ceramics festival with a neighbouring town (Icheon); has the only river side temple in Korea; is birthplace to Korea's last queen (Empress MyeongSeong); reputedly has the best best quality rice, sweet potatoes and yellow melons in all of Korea (some say Asia, others are bold enough to state the world) ... the list goes on, it is surrounded by rolling hills; ubiquitous sites of interests such as arboretums and temples; and is beset by mountains (Hwanghan mountain approaches on the towns boarders). Further, the town is in the process of building a cultural theme park on the riverside.  Enough, enough. You get the picture, Yeoju is a pretty famous place. Despite the fact most people don't know where it is.

The fact that it is unknown (geographically) isn't a bad thing. This allows Yeoju to remain unexploited, quaint and unhurried. Away from Seoul's bright lights and hustle bustle. More rustic, yes. BUT, still with lots to do that is rich in Korean culture.  


Getting to Yeoju.
Yeoju is small town. Thus, it is not on the metro. Nor does it have a train station. So, the quickest way to get there (unless you have your own form of transport) is by bus. There are express bus' from every major city and some middle sized towns in Korea. 

From Seoul it will cost you 5,200 won each way and takes approximately one hour and ten minutes (traffic depending). The bus leaves from Gangnam Express bus terminal every fourty minutes.

Busan it will cost you a little under 20,000 won and it takes approximately four hours. This does sound like a long journey by bus BUT, the buses are pretty luxurious. They have reclining lazy-boy style seats and stop half way for a toilet stop.


Arriving in Yeoju

Assuming that you arrive in Yeoju on a Friday night (after finishing work and travelling there), your best bet is to stay in one of Yeoju's many Jimjilbangs (a Korean spa house, for more information on JimJilbangs visit here). Get naked, have an amazing meal, sweat it out and relax in the hot tubs. Then get some rest in the one of the sleeping rooms. The great thing about jimjilbangs (in addition to the the jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, cinema boutiques, friendly staff, low priced massage staff and accustomed restaurants) is that they are great for your budget. They cost anywhere between 7,000won - 14,000 (£4 -8 /$6 - 12). 


Small warning: you will have to get naked in the female/male areas and because the foreign population isn't that large in Yeoju, you may get oggled at. So, for the body concious, there is also a youth hostel in Yeoju, it lacks most of the perks that are offered in Jimjilbangs but will provide you with privacy.     

To find one of the jimjilbangs, simply ask one of the friendly residents or a store owner "jimjilbang od-yae-yo?" (where is a jimjilbang?) and they will point you in the direction of one nearby.

Alternatively, send me an email and you can sleep on my apartment floor  jamesjonathanfoster1986@gmail.com 


Getting around Yeoju:

For the active, Yeoju can be easily explored on foot. Alternatively, taxi's can be caught between sights or.... bring/rent a bike 

Sileuksa

 

This is the only Goryeo
 (a dynasty in Korean History)
Jeontop in existence.  

Hopefully you should wake bright and early, following your spa treatment at a budget price. Its now time to take in some culture. Head to Sileuksa (신륵사). This temple is deemed to be one of the most beautiful temples in Asia and is the only temple in Korea to be situated on a riverside.

You can get there easily on foot from the centre of Yeoju, it is just accross the river from the bus terminal (see map). So, take a steady stroll and enjoy the pictureque sights as you follow and then cross the miandering han river at a particularly charming section. 

After exploring the temple, its time for coffee and fortunately, there is a great place to enjoy a cup of joe only a small walk away. If coffee isn't your 'cup of tea' (excuse the pun) then you have the option to chose from one of the more culturally in-tune teas available. The site (Yeoju Pottery and Arts Complex), is not only packed full with tea houses but it also boasts activities for all ages. There are pottery classes; allowing you to dabble with the making of a new clay vase, mug, bowl or miscellaneous object; as well as some traditional Korean games that you can play. There are also occasionally street performers. 

For the fortunate travellers who are not on a budget, there is also a bountfiful supply of shops with professionally designed and hand made items crafts. Alternatively, for the budget traveller, window shopping can be enjoyed. Silleuksa also neighbours the site where you can board (for a small fee) a replica Hwangpo sail boat.    



Saejong's Tomb ( 세종대왕릉 )
As you have probably figured out already, Saejong is kind of a big deal in Korea and as this blg has talked about him to much already, I won't go on. 


Saejong's tomb is positioned outside of yeoju. It is walkable but it may take you thirty minutes or so. Alternatively, you can catch a taxi and catch a bus. Upon arrival at the site you will pass down a long road that is walled by two rows of trees that will guide you to the carpark. There is plenty of literature on the entrance gate to get you started and the entire park is dotted with helpful plaques that are written in Korean, Chinese, Japanese and.... most useful to the readers of this blog....  English.


Birthplace of Queen Myeongseoung.
QUeen Myeongseong, Queen Min for short, is a lady that is more famous for her death than her life. She was murdered by Japanese assassins in Gyeongbok Palace (see here for a link to more info on the palace). The assassins entered the palace to kill her and killed three maids before reaching her bedroom but, as it turns out, one of the maids that they killed was actually Queen Min. Result! So, they took her body to the garden and burnt her body in a nearby pine forest. The killing lead to yet more animosity of the Japanese among Korean's at the time and outraged diplomats throughout the world.  


At the site of Min's birthplace there is an exhibition hall and guided tours can be purchased for a small fee. The site also has a number of Hanoks (traditional Korean houses) that you can peruse without extra charge.