By John Redmond
The Royal Asiatic Society Korea (RASK) will offer a tour of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on March 16.
Lead by tour leader Jennifer Flinn, the group will visit Jeonju, the bustling city of over 700,000 that is the capital of North Jeolla Province and the hometown of the Lee family that founded the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).
The last living descendant of the royal family, Lee Seok, still lives there.
The city has been designated by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy and is considered the culinary capital of Korea, famed for its delicious local food.
On arrival in Jeonju, guests will enjoy one of the city’s signature dishes, Jeonju bibimbap, rice mixed with assorted vegetables and chili pepper paste. Although bibimbap is common throughout Korea, the local variety is distinguished by the quality and quantity of ingredients.
Following a short bus ride along the banks of the Jeonju River, the group will begin a walking tour of the old city stopping to explore Joseon Kingdom sights, each of which is rich in history and local lore.
One of the most picturesque is the Hanbyeokdang, a riverside pavilion built by Choe Dam in 1400. A few hundred meters away is the Jeonju Confucian School, founded in the late 1300s, reconstructed in 1410, and finally moved and rebuilt at its present location in 1603.
Still active, it is one of the largest and best preserved Confucian schools in Korea. On the hillside above is Omokdae, memorializing a victory over Japanese pirates by Lee Seong-gye during the late Goryeo Kingdom.
A short walk through an area of traditional houses passes a number of stately homes which are now restaurants serving traditional cuisine and tea houses offering a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
At the center of the old city is the Gyeonggijeon (1410) where the portrait of the first king of the Joseon Kingdom, Lee Seong Kye, is enshrined. The extensive grounds of this shrine complex include Chogyeong-myo where the memorial tablets of Lee Han, the progenitor of the Jeonju Lee family, and the memorial tablets of the Gyeongju Kim family are housed. Also of interest is the Taesil Pagoda of King Yejong.
Pungnammun (the South Gate), originally built in 1388 and rebuilt following a fire in 1794, is the only gate of the city which remains. A five-minute walk from the gate is the Jeondong Cathedral built in 1908 on the site where many Catholics were executed for their refusal to venerate the ancestral tablets. There are a number of memorials to these early martyrs on the cathedral grounds.
Following this introduction to old Joseon, the group will take a stroll through Jeonju’s Hanok Maeul, a mixture of genuine old buildings and newly constructed buildings in the traditional style.
Among the places of historical and cultural interest are the Korean Traditional Wine Museum, the Jeonju Oriental Medicine Culture Center, the Choi Myeong-hee Literary Museum, the Jeonju Traditional Hanji Center, and the Donghak Revolution Memorial.
Dongnakwon, the traditional home of the early Presbyterian missionary William Junkin who lived in Jeonju from 1892 to 1908, is also of interest.
For those who would like to take home some souvenirs, the Hanok Maeul has numerous shops where traditional arts and crafts are available. And for those who would like to rest a bit, there are numerous teahouses in the area.
The last stop will be Jeonju Gaeksa built in 1471 as a royal guesthouse and as a venue for royal ceremonies. It has been fully restored and lends a bit of tradition and elegance to one of the city’s busiest streets. Finally, the group will enjoy a brief dinner before heading back to Seoul.
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