Trip to Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung (Hangul: 경복궁; hanja: 景福宫), also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea. The largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon dynasty, Gyeongbokgung served as the home of Kings of the Joseon dynasty, the Kings' households, as well as the government of Joseon.

Gyeongbokgung continued to serve as the main palace of the Joseon dynasty until the premises were destroyed by fire during the Imjin War and abandoned for two centuries. However in the 19th century, all of the palace's 7,700 rooms were later restored under the leadership of Prince Regent Heungseon during the reign of King Gojong. Some 500 buildings were restored on a site of over 40 hectares.^[1] The architectural principles of ancient Korea were incorporated into the tradition and appearance of the Joseon royal court.

In the early 20th century, much of the palace was systematically destroyed by Imperial Japan. Since then, the walled palace complex is gradually being reconstructed to its original form. Today, the palace is arguably regarded as being the most beautiful and grandest of all five palaces. It also houses the National Palace Museum of Koreaand the National Folk Museum within the premises of the complex.

It is a beautiful and historical place.

Trip to Bongeunsa

Bongeunsa is a Buddhist temple located in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 794 during the reign of King Wonseong by the monk Yeon-hoe (Hangul: 연희), then the highest ranking monk of Silla, and originally named Kyongseoungsa (Hangul: 견성사; hanja: 見性寺). It is located on the slope of Sudo Mountain, across the street from the COEX Mall.

Tourism

The temple is a notable tourist destination, offering "Temple Stay Program" in which visitors can lead the life of a monk for a few hours.

The area on the main street from the Temple to Park Hyatt Hotel, has a large concentration of vegetarian and other upscale restaurants that serve Korean cuisine with a modern twist.

Trip to Garosu-gil

Garosu-gil is an area in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The name Garosu-gil is from the Korean word which means tree-lined streets, as the area is adorned with ginkgo trees. The area is known for its galleries, restaurants, bars, cafes, as well as clothing boutiques and art design bookshops; unlike neighbouringCheongdam-dong and Apgujeong-dong with their high-end luxury stores.^[1]

Along with 'Cheongdam’s Fashion Street' in Cheongdam-dong and Apgujeong Rodeo Street in Apgujeong-dong, which are connected by the main Apgujeong-ro, they are seen as fashionable and trendsetting destinations.

Attractions

Garosu-gil is notable for its range of Korean fusion restaurants, and is home to a range of other restaurants, dance clubs, and bars that sometimes feature live music. The area is also known for its many boutiques, galleries, and other shops. Also, Garosu-gil is famous for fashion street. There are many brand collective shops so many fashion people are gathering here.

Trip to Jongmyo Shine

Jongmyo is a Confucian shrine dedicated to the perpetuation of memorial services for the deceased kings and queens of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897). According to UNESCO, the shrine is the oldest royal Confucian shrine preserved and the ritual ceremonies continue a tradition established in the 14th century. Such shrines existed during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57-668), but these have not survived. The Jongmyo Shrine was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995.

Jongmyo is adjacent to Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung in the south. They used to be connected in the Joseon period, but were separated by a road built by Japanese colonialists. Nowadays there is a construction plan to recover the original structure of the shrine.

The main buildings of Jongmyo was constructed in October, 1394 when Taejo, first king of Joseon Dynasty, moved the capital to Seoul. It was destroyed by fire in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98), then rebuilt in 1608.

Trip to 63 Building

63 Building

The 63 Building (Korean: 63 빌딩 or 육삼 빌딩), officially the Hanhwa 63 City, is a skyscraper on Yeouido island, overlooking the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It was designed by the American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). At 250 meters (819 ft) high, it was the tallest building outside North America when it opened in July 1985, and remains the tallest gold-clad structure in the world. It stood as South Korea's tallest building until the Hyperion Tower surpassed it in 2003, but remained the country's tallest commercial building until the Northeast Asia Trade Tower was topped-out in 2009.

The 63 Building was built as a landmark for the 1988 Summer Olympics. 63 is something of a misnomer since only 60 floors are above ground level. Floors 61~63 are restricted areas. The skyscraper is the headquarters of Korea Life Insurance, Industrial Bank of Korea Securities, and other major financial companies.

The 60th floor houses the world's tallest art gallery and an observation deck known as the 63 Golden Tower, that allows visitors to see as far as Incheon on clear days. The 59th floor features international restaurants called Walking in the Cloud, while the 58th floor houses family restaurants called Touch the Sky. Observation elevators equipped with windows enable their passengers to view the city as they ride up to (or down from) the observation deck. In the evening some elevators are available exclusively for couples. Known as Love Elevators, these give guests a one-minute exclusive ride. The lower floors house an indoor shopping mall with approximately 90 stores, an IMAX Theater, and a large aquarium. A convention center and banquet hall are also housed within the building.

The 63 Building was featured in the computer game, SimCity 3000 Unlimited, and featured on the cover of SimCity 3000 Unlimited. In the game it can be built as a landmark entitled the 'Korea Life Building'.

Trip to Namdaemun

Namdaemun 

Namdaemun (Hangul: 남대문; hanja: 南大門), officially known as the Sungnyemun (Hangul: 숭례문; hanja: 崇禮門, Gate of Exalted Ceremonies), is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon dynasty. The gate is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul Plaza, with the historic 24-hour Namdaemun market next to the gate.

The gate, dating back to the 14th century, is a historic pagoda-style gateway, and is designated as the first National Treasure of South Korea. It was once one of the three major gateways through Seoul's city walls which had a stone circuit of 18.2 kilometres (11.3 mi) and stood up to 6.1 metres (20 ft) high. It was first built in the last year of King Taejo of Joseon's reign in 1398, and rebuilt in 1447, during the 29th year of King Sejong the Great's reign.

In 2008, the wooden pagoda atop the gate was severely damaged by arson.Restoration work on the gateway started in February 2010 and was completed in 29 April 2013.It was officially reopened on 5 May 2013, after a five-year restoration period.

Trip to War Memorial of Korea

War Memorial of Korea

War Memorial of Korea is located in Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It opened in 1994 on the former site of the army headquarters to exhibit and memorialize the military history of Korea. The memorial building has six indoor exhibition rooms and an outdoor exhibition centre displaying over 13,000 war memorabilia and military equipment.

It located   on the old site of Army Headquarters, the War Memorial of Korea accommodates four aboveground floors and two underground floors in the main building, which stands on an area of about 20,000 square meters. On the green area around the memorial, loudspeaker emissions to foster patriotic spirit can be heard.

In cloistered left and right galleries flanking the facade of the main building are rows of black marble monuments inscribed with the names of those who died during the Korean War, Vietnam War, clashes with North Korea since the Korean War and of policemen who died on duty. The plaza in the museum compound has an artificial waterfall, and around it are widespread rest areas so that visitors can picnic while enjoying the pleasant landscape. In the center of the plaza stands the Statue of Brothers, the elder a South Korean soldier and the younger a North Korean soldier, which symbolizes the situation of Korea's division.