Gwangju & Damyang

Jeolla's city of food and art, with May 18th democracy sites and the Asia Culture Center, plus Damyang's Juknokwon bamboo forest, Metasequoia-lined road and Soswaewon garden to the north.

Gwangju is the main city of the Jeolla region in southwestern Korea, known as a city of “art, righteousness and flavour”. The May 18th Gwangju Democratic Uprising of 1980 made it a symbol of Korean democratisation, and its archives are inscribed on the Memory of the World Register; the Gwangju Biennale is one of Asia's most important contemporary art exhibitions; and Jeolla cuisine is famous for its lavish spreads of side dishes. Sightseeing in the city centres on Culture Complex subway station, with the Asia Culture Center, May 18th Democracy Square, Art Street, Daein Market and Yangnim-dong all within walking distance. To the east is Mudeungsan National Park, and the May 18th National Cemetery lies on the northern outskirts. About 25 km north, Damyang County is bamboo country, with Juknokwon, Gwanbangjerim Forest and the Metasequoia-lined road clustered in Damyang-eup, while around Gwangju Lake you'll find Joseon-era scholars' gardens such as Soswaewon and Sigyeongjeong. To the south, Hwasun County has Unjusa Temple with its thousand Buddhas and thousand pagodas, and World Heritage–listed dolmens. Getting there: the KTX from Seoul's Yongsan Station to Gwangju Songjeong Station takes about 1 hour 50 minutes, and the city has one subway line. For Damyang, take a bus from Gwangju's bus terminal (about 50 minutes); for the garden route and Hwasun, driving or hiring a car is recommended. Plan 2–3 days: one day in Gwangju, one in Damyang, and an extra day to hike Mudeungsan or visit Hwasun. Spring and autumn are best; summer is hot and humid, and rime ice often coats Mudeungsan in winter. Must-tries include Songjeong tteokgalbi, Damyang bamboo-tube rice and grilled ribs.

Top sights

• Asia Culture Center & 5·18 Democracy Square – A sunken cultural complex built on the former site of the Jeonnam Provincial Office. The square in front was the center of the 1980 democra…
• May 18th National Cemetery – A national cemetery for those who died in the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. It's a must-visit for understanding South Korea's demo…
• Juknokwon Bamboo Garden – Damyang's most famous bamboo park, with eight bamboo trails winding among towering Moso bamboo.
• Damyang Metasequoia Road – A shady road lined on both sides with tall metasequoias. The trees change color through the seasons, and it's ranked among Korea's most bea…
• Mudeungsan National Park – The city mountain of Gwangju. Seoseokdae and Ipseokdae, columnar-jointed rock formations, are the signature landscapes of this UNESCO Globa…
• Jeungsimsa Temple – A thousand-year-old temple at the Mudeungsan trailhead, home to an iron seated statue of Vairocana Buddha. Every hiker passes through here.
• May 18th Memorial Park – A memorial park in the Sangmu New Town district, home to the May 18th Memorial Culture Center and a sculpture group honoring the victims.
• Yangnim-dong History & Culture Village and Penguin Village – A historic neighborhood where early 20th-century missionary houses, traditional hanok and the Penguin Village, a wall of upcycled art, come…
• Gwangju Art Street – A street of galleries, framing shops, stationery, antiques and craft stores beside the Asia Culture Center. It often hosts flea markets and…
• Daein Market & Night Market – One of Gwangju's largest traditional markets. On weekend nights, the art night market offers a range of snacks and creative stalls.
• 1913 Songjeong Station Market – A retro food street in a century-old market in front of Gwangju Songjeong Station, redeveloped in 2016. Nearby is Songjeong Beef Patty Stre…
• Gwangju National Museum – Displays cultural relics of South Jeolla Province, best known for its collection of Yuan-dynasty ceramics recovered from the Sinan shipwrec…
• Gwangju Biennale Hall & Gwangju Museum of Art – The main venue of the Gwangju Biennale, one of the most influential contemporary art biennials in Asia. The Gwangju Museum of Art is also l…
• Gwangju Lake Eco Park – A wetland park on the shore of Gwangju Lake, with boardwalks winding through reeds and weeping willows. It can be combined with Soswaewon o…
• Gwanbangjerim Forest – A historic riverbank forest planted in 1648 to protect against floods. Hundreds of hackberry and zelkova trees, several centuries old, stre…
• Korea Bamboo Museum – A specialty museum showcasing the history and finest works of Damyang's bamboo craft, where you can try bamboo weaving and buy bamboo produ…
• Soswaewon Garden – A masterpiece of a mid-Joseon scholar's garden, where streams, bamboo groves and pavilions blend into one. It embodies the aesthetics of Ko…
• Sigyeongjeong & Hwanbyeokdang (Gasa Literature Area) – The birthplace of Joseon's gasa poetry. Jeong Cheol wrote the famous "Seongsan Byeolgok" here, and the pavilions overlook Gwangju Lake.
• Myeongokheon Garden – A Joseon-era pond garden. In midsummer, century-old crape myrtles bloom around square ponds, and their reflections look like a painting.
• Changpyeong Samjinae Village (Slow City) – One of Asia's first Slow Cities. Stone-walled lanes and old houses are well preserved, and you can taste traditional maltose and rice soup.
• Unjusa Temple – A mysterious ancient temple said to have "a thousand Buddhas and a thousand pagodas." Odd-shaped stone Buddhas, stone pagodas and reclining…
• Hwasun Dolmen Site – Part of the World Heritage Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites, with hundreds of Bronze Age megalithic tombs scattered through the val…

Where to eat

• Songjeong Tteokgalbi – An old-established eatery on Songjeong Tteokgalbi Street founded in 1976, selected as one of Gwangju's Top 50 Gourmet E…
• Yeongmi Oritang – A representative restaurant on the Duck Cookery Street near Gwangju Station, famous for its thick duck stew with a soyb…
• Sinsikdang – An old-established Damyang tteokgalbi restaurant founded in 1932 and run by four generations, often regarded as one of…
• Hansanggeun Daetongbap – The restaurant that pioneered bamboo-tube rice in Damyang in 1999, serving set meals accompanied by charcoal-grilled po…
• Gungjeon Bakery – An old-established local Gwangju bakery opened on Chungjang-ro in 1973, famous for its Dinosaur Egg Bread and Butterfly…

Itineraries

• Ancient Baekje, Jeonju, Gwangju & Mount Jirisan – A journey through Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, featuring Baekje ruins in Gongju and Buyeo, Jeonju Hanok Village, D…