In the coming spring, if you need healing, let’s look at five domestic travel destinations that give comfort recommended by the Korea Tourism Organization.
Among the “100 Top 100 Korean Tourism in 2025-2026, travel destinations where war and peace, heroes and traditions, nature and healing coexist were carefully selected.
dream of an era of peace beyond division, Paju Imjingak and DMZ Saengbunnuri
Imjingak (Peace Nuri Park) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the DMZ border, is consistently listed on the “100 Best Korean Tourism” as a tourist destination that reminds people of the pain of war and the importance of peace.
Imjingak and Mangbaedan, which displaced people looked at their hometowns, the war-torn Imjingang River Dog Bridge, and Jangdan Station steam locomotives with clear bullet marks remain here, and colorful pinwheel hills and ecological trails along the Imjingang River were created.
Imjingak Peace Gondola, which runs over the fence, is a special means of transportation across the civilian control line. If you get off the gondola and visit Camp Greaves, which used to be a U.S. military presence facility, you can see ammunition depots, accommodations, and exhibition halls through a guided tour (70 minutes).
At the DMZ Saengdongnuri, which was selected as the “2025-2026 Korean Tourism 100,” you can experience the history and ecological environment of the DMZ implemented with digital technology.
You can experience VR drone riders, DMZ Secret Forest, and media art exhibitions, and discount the experience fee for gondola users.
The DMZ Peace Tour starts from the Korean Peninsula Ecological Peace Comprehensive Tourism Center and takes a shuttle bus to tour the third tunnel, Dora Observatory, and Tongilchon.
Nearby attractions include Heyri Art Village and Paju Publishing City. Let’s take a look at the Kim Jung-ki Museum, a live drawing master, and the Mimesis Art Museum, designed by Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza.
You can enjoy reading freely in a huge book store in the Forest of Wisdom, and spend the rest of your time by experiencing the ability to select and print your own type at the publishing city typography museum.
a harmless trip to Daegwallyeong
The Daegwallyeong area, which is 832m above sea level at the border of Pyeongchang-gun and Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, has a different landscape and climate. A large plateau, which is rare in Korea, is spread out, the temperature is lower and the snow falls more than in other regions, and the wind is strong.
Based on topographical and climatic conditions, Daegwallyeong Bay’s exotic scenery was completed, where ranches, ski resorts, and wind farms were combined.
Daegwallyeong is an excellent tourist destination selected for the fifth time in a row in the “100 Best Korean Tourism,” which marks its seventh anniversary this year. There are several large and small ranches in Daegwallyeong, of which Samyang Roundhill, Haneul Ranch, and Daegwallyeong Lamb Ranch are considered the three major ranches.
Samyang Round Hill is overwhelming in size and cool view, which is about seven times the area of Yeouido, Seoul, and Haneul Ranch seeks to differentiate itself from tractor wagons operated throughout the year and Valais Blacknose, a rare sheep.
Daegwallyeong Lambs Ranch has a popular photo zone, a wooden hut. Mona Yongpyeong and Alpensia Resort, which are Korea’s representative ski resorts and used as venues for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, are also located in Daegwallyeong.
Daegwallyeong is also full of experience spaces on various topics. There are Pyeongchang Olympic Memorial Hall (2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games Memorial Hall), which remembers the Winter Olympics and experiences winter sports, the Wind Village Cheese Experience Center, which makes cheese with fresh milk from Daegwallyeong, and the Vienna Doll Museum, which displays various dolls from around the world.
Meet the Human Yi Sun-shin, Asan Memorial Temple
Yi Sun-shin is always ranked first and second when choosing a person that Koreans respect. Hyeonchungsa Temple in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, is a shrine honoring Admiral Yi Sun-shin.
With the shrine at the top, old houses, archery sites, old Hyeonchungsa Temple buildings, Jeongryeo, and memorial halls are gathered below it. When you enter the compound, you will learn an interesting fact along with Yi Sun-shin’s achievements at the Chungmu Gong Yi Sun-shin Memorial Hall, which will be the first to appear.
You can see all the human aspects of Yi Sun-shin, such as a bad boy who ruined the melon field for not giving melon, a young man who failed the martial arts test and was frustrated, and a filial son who cried over his mother’s death while serving white medicine.
There are also several exhibits designated as national treasures, including the signboard of Hyeonchungsa Temple, the portrait of Yi Sun-shin, the Nanjung Ilgi, the long sword, the letter and the textbook. For the first time this year, Hyeonchungsa Temple was selected as the “100 Best Korean Tourism”.
It feels empty except for hot springs on the trip to Asan. After King Sejong’s visit, Onyang Hot Spring, which was loved by kings including Hyeonjong, Sukjong, Yeongjo, and Jeongjo, is enough to be called “Royal Hot Spring.”
The Onyang Folk Museum has been a hot travel destination for a few years with sensational exhibitions and events.
The World Flower Botanic Garden welcomes travelers with fresh greenery and bright flowers throughout the four seasons. The last destination is Asan Gongse-ri Cathedral. Simple lighting and little lights add to the stillness of the night.
Immunity is recharged at the Dongui Bogam Village in Sancheong, a sacred place for oriental medicine
These days, when the body and mind that had shrunk throughout the winter are in desperate need of charging, let’s go to the Donguibogam Village in Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do. Sancheong, with Cheonwangbong Peak of Jirisan Mountain as its roof, is, as its name implies, a place with good mountains and clear water.
As soon as you step on the Sancheong land, you feel the Dadidan air, and the stress of the city disappears at once. Healthy food made of more than 1,000 kinds of herbs growing at the foot of Jirisan Mountain increases immunity.
At the center of it is Sancheong Dongui Bogam Village with the theme of Heo Jun’s Dongui Bogam. For the first time this year, it was selected as the “100 Best Korean Tourism”. Named after Heo Jun’s “Dongui Bogam”, Sancheong Dongui Bogam Village is a place where you can feel the spirit and excellence of Sancheong herbs.
In addition to the Expo theme hall, several facilities such as the Oriental Medicine Museum, Oriental Medicine Experience Center, Oriental Medicine Theme Park, Sancheong Yakcho Hall, Heojun Soonrye-gil, Oriental Medicine Recreation Forest, and Mureunggyo Bridge were brought together and decorated as a huge park.
In addition, there are many things to enjoy including various experiences and herbal tables on the theme of oriental medicine. After enjoying it carefully, I feel energized as if I will live easily until I am 100 years old.
The Oriental Medicine Natural Recreation Forest is located at the top of the Donguibogam Village in Sancheong. It is a famous hall where Baekdudaegan’s spirit gathers, so it guarantees a good night’s sleep and a refreshing morning. You will also be given the privilege of enjoying the whole morning of the tranquil Sancheong Dongui Bogam Village.
Sancheong, which has been built up over the years with unspoiled clean nature, is a destination to strengthen immunity everywhere.
Every trip is full of spring, including Namsa Yedamchon, which has a beautiful overpass and stone wall paths, a famous cafe-like temple among the younger generation, and Mokmyeon Shibaeji, which Moon Ik-jeom brought cotton seeds to our land and grew them for the first time.
Namwon Spring Travel with Tradition and Art
I feel like turning over a new bookcase. Namwon, Jeollabuk-do, contains stories of Chunhyangjeon and is a place where you can enjoy analog sensibility and the beauty of cherry blossom roads.
Gwanghanruwon is located in the west of Yocheon Stream, which flows through the center of Namwon, and Namwon Tourism Complex is located in the east. From March to April, cherry blossoms form a tunnel on the Yocheon Cherry Blossom Road, and at night, Cheongsachorong creates a quiet atmosphere.
Both Gwanghanruwon and Namwon Tourism Complex were selected as the “100 Best Korean Tourism in 2025-2026.” Gwanghanruwon is the spatial background of Chunhyangjeon, and the pond where Samsin Island is located and Ojakgyo Bridge create oriental natural beauty.
Chunhyangjeon-related attractions, such as Chunhyang Sadang and Wolmaejip, are located everywhere, and at night, the night view of Wanwoljeong with lights creates an ecstatic atmosphere. It is free after 6 p.m., so it is good to stop by for a while.
When you cross Yocheon Stream and enter Namwon Tourist Complex, you will first meet the Sim Sugwan Pottery Exhibition Hall. This place, which preserves the history of Joseon potters who were taken to Japan at the time of the Jeongyujae Rebellion, shows the origin of Sim Sugwan’s ceramic works and Satsuma ceramics.
Chunhyang Theme Park in the tourist complex is a space with the theme of Chunhyangjeon, where you can experience the love story of Chunhyang and Mongryong through various exhibits.
If you want a different experience in Namwon, the city of Chunhyangjeon, I recommend Namwon Aerospace Astronomical Observatory. There are various programs such as drone flight experience, VR experience center, and celestial projection room, and the sun and celestial observation are available in the main observation room.
Namwon Daumgwan is a space that records Namwon’s past and present, and it is interesting to see exhibitions reproducing tea rooms and comic book rooms in the 1970s and 1980s. The rickshaw experience, where you can tour Namwon’s major attractions in a virtual space, is also impressive.
Myeonggak Sarangchae is a cafe of Myeonggak 1956 at the Hanok Hotel, creating a unique atmosphere. The Kim Byeong-jong Museum of Art in Namwon exhibits the works of Kim Byeong-jong, a painter from Namwon, and the museum itself is an artwork. The exhibition changes from season to season, providing a new appreciation even if you visit it several times.
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