Prepare for your trip to Gangneung
Gangneung Unification Park, which opened on September 26, 2001, is a unifications and national security education center, where an army tank, field guns and other military equipment were additionally set up at the outdoor exhibition area after its establishment. It is the first place in Korea to exhibit equipment from the three branches of the military, and helps stimulate the local economy in connection with the Jeongdongjin Sunrise tourist site.
Dongmyeongnakgasa Temple is situated on the coast with a view of the sea. It is said that there was a Buddhist temple founded in the Silla period at the very same spot, but it was closed in the Joseon Dynasty and it disappeared without leaving a trace. Dongmyeongnakgasa Temple that stands here today was built in the 1950s.
Haslla, called the “Sea on a Mountain,” is the old name of Gangneung. It is an art and culture park complex, containing a sculpture park covering 11ha in area.
Jeongdongjin Rail Bike offers a special experience for you to become one with nature as you travel on an old rail track. It is a 5.1km round trip between Jeongdongjin Station and Sandglass Park, alongside the beautiful Jeongdongjin Beach.
Sandglass Park contains the world’s largest sandglass. The sand in the top part and the flowing sand symbolize the future and the present, respectively, while the golden shape represents the sun that rises over the East Sea, and the parallel rail tracks signifies the infiniteness of time.
Sun Cruise Resort, the world’s first on-land luxury cruise ship, is situated in Jeongdongjin where you can enjoy the exquisite and splendid scenery of the coastline.
This is the one and only coastal terrace in Korea, where you can observe the traces of the crustal movements that occurred 23 million years ago and gave birth to the East Sea. It has been designated as Natural Monument No. 437.
Heonhwa Road is a charming road that is associated with a number of legendary tales including the story of Gangneungtaesu Sunjeonggong and his wife Suro in the Silla period and the god of water who engulfed her because he was captivated by her beauty, and the story of an elderly man who picked royal azaleas from a cliff to be offered to the god of water for her to return. These tales are described in Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) under the titles Haega and Heonhwaga.
