Jeollanam-do
Sandy walking trails wend through this bamboo grove, past pavilions and film locations for Korean dramas. It's one of the area's most popular attractions鈥
Getty Images/Moment RM
Jeollanam-do
This beautiful southwest province is one of Korea鈥檚 greenest and least developed. The heartland of Jeollanam-do (鞝勲澕雮弰) has rolling hills, the towering Sobaek Mountains to the east and 6100km of coastline to the south and west, with more than 2000 islands offshore 鈥 less than 300 of which are inhabited. The province was largely isolated for centuries and it retains an off-the-beaten-track feel. It also has a rebel edge, and is proud of its ceramic and artistic traditions, its exiled poets and its pro-democracy martyrs.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Mokpo
This is the only museum in Korea dedicated to the country鈥檚 maritime history. The highlights are two shipwrecks, one dating from the 11th century and the鈥
Gwangju
Overlooking Gwangju, Mudeungsan National Park is a gorgeous green mountain range with a spiderweb of well-signed trails leading to the peak, Cheonwang鈥
Jeollanam-do
Legend has it that Unju-sa originally housed 1000 Buddhas and 1000 pagodas, built because, according to traditional geomancy, the southwest of the country鈥
Jeollanam-do
This is the most popular and beautiful of the islands west of Mokpo. Some 6km long and 2.5km wide, it rises precipitously from the sea and is bounded by鈥
Gwangju
Opened in 1997, this is the final burial place for victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980, one of the most tragic incidents in modern Korean鈥
Jeollanam-do
Though it's just 42 sq km in size, Korea鈥檚 smallest national park has crags, spires and unusually shaped rocks around every corner, as well as an 8m鈥
Jeollanam-do
South Korea may have developed at a breakneck speed, but it was also the first Asian country to sign on to the international cittaslow, or 'slow city'鈥
Plan with a local
