Jeonju City Tour: A Walk Through Joseon Dynasty

LEADERS: Jun Y.K. SHIN and Yonjoo Hong

DATE: Saturday, June 10, 2023. 10:30AM – 6:00PM

DESTINATION: Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do (Jeonju Gaeksa, Pungnamun, Namun Market, Jeondong Cathedral, Jeonju Hyanggyo, Hanbyeokdang, Imokdae and Omokdae, Gyeonggijeon Shrine and Hanok Village, etc.)

COST:  KRW30,000 for members; KRW40,000 for non-members (*Transportation to and from Jeonju, meals, and drinks are not included in the tour cost.)  ** In order to secure your train tickets, we recommend that you hurry up to purchase tickets as soon as possible.

• With KTX Tickets: (11 seats are available)
  KRW100,000 won for members; KRW120,000 for non-members (*Meals and drinks are not included in the tour cost.) **KTX tickets: Depart from Yongsan (8:38 AM or 7:42AM), and from Jeonju (7:30PM)

MEETING POINT: Meet the group in the Jeonju Gaeksa (전주객사; Jeonju Pungpaejigwan, 전주 풍패지관), 전주시 완산구 충경로 59 / 59, Chungkyeong-ro, Wansan-gu, JeonJu-city. At 10:30AM.

TRANSPORTATION:

• from Seoul to Jeonju
  • KTX at Yongsan Station (It takes 1 and half hours), OR
  • Express Bus at Central City Terminal in Express Bus Terminal Station (3호선 고속버스터미널역) (It takes 2 and half hours).
• in Jeonju
  • From Jeonju Station(전주역) or Express Bus Terminal(전주고속버스터미널), you can ride a taxi to the ‘Jeonju Gaeksa’ (전주 객사) and it takes about 20 minutes.

REGISTRATION:

RSVP by June 7 (Wednesday) by clicking HERE with payment of the fee via bank transfer. Please register one RSVP at a time.

☞Payment to be remitted to the following account:
SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)

*Reservation is not confirmed until payment has been received by RAS Korea in advance of the event.

DESCRIPTION:

Jeonju, once the heart of Joseon’s economy, is the birthplace of the royal Lee family that founded Joseon Dynasty. Jeonju is also well known for its Hanok Village, where you can find traditional Korean style houses. Hanji (traditional paper) and pansori (traditional song & music) as well as the famous cuisine, hansik (traditional Korean food), is also worth noting while visiting Jeonju.

When Jeonju city was built during the Joseon Dynasty, the city followed the Chinese geomantic rule (Jwa Myo Wu Sa, 左廟右社), placing the Shrine (Gyeonggijeon) to the east (left) and the Sajikdan alters to the west (right) of the palace (Jeonju Royal Guest House).

Our trip will start from the center of old Jeonju, Jeonju Gaeksa (Pungpaejigwan, 전주객사) which was used as a royal guesthouse as well as a venue for royal ceremonies. “Pungpae (豐沛)”, the signboard of the main hall refers to the birthplace of the founder of the Chinese Han Dynasty.

Passing by the site of Jeolla Provincial Office, we will arrive at Pungnamun (풍남문) gate of old Jeonju Fortress, which is the only remaining one after Japan demolished most of it during the colonial occupation. There we can find beautiful paintings, decorations and calligraphy tablets on the gate.

In the vicinity of the gate, there is a beautiful Romanesque Jeondong Cathedral with a tragic history of the late Joseon Dynasty when lots of Korean Catholics were executed for refusing to venerate their ancestral tablets.

After our lunch, we will go to Jeonju Hyanggyo(향교) Confucian School, which is equivalent to the modern middle school. The school is divided into two spaces, a place for ritual (Daeseongjeon Shrine) and a place for education (Myeonryundang house).

Next to Jeonju stream, there is a place to be called Hanbyeokdang(한벽당) pavilion where travelers can relax. There, we will take time to recite poems and songs like Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty.

After a short break at the pavilion, we will visit the historical site of Imokdae and Omokdae. Imokdae(이목대) is the place where the ancestors of Lee Seong-gye (founder of the Joseon Dynasty) had lived. Omokdae Terrace(오목대) is a memorial site where Lee Seong-gye hosted a banquet for his family and expressed his ambition to find a new country after a victory against Japanese invaders. From the hillside of Omokdae, we will take photos with Jeonju Hanok Village in the background.

Our last destination is Gyeonggijeon Shrine(경기전) and Hanok Village. We will take a look at Lee Seong-gye’s portrait at the shrine. If we have more time, we will stroll through alleyways that go through hundreds of traditional houses and enjoy their history and culture at various museums in the Hanok village.

Both Jun Y.K. SHIN and Yonjoo Hong are council members of RAS Korea. The former is his hometown of Jeonju, and the latter is currently living in Jeonju.

** As our excursion leaders are often too focused on leading to take photos of their own tours, we hope that you will consider sharing with us a few photos from the excursion, or write a sentence or two about your experience that we could use in future promotional efforts on behalf of the society.  Any quotes, photos, videos, or other material would be used with attribution.