Jeonju (전주시, 全州市) is is the provincial capital and largest city in Jeollabuk-do (전라북도 - 全羅北道). Jeonju is a pleasant city surrounded by mountains and farmland, yet is quite a rapidly growing city of 624,260 in 2004, including 622,472 Koreans and 1,788 non-Koreans.. It is renowned throughout Korea for its fine cuisine, especially its Bibimbap - 비빔밥.
[edit] Restaurants and Bars
[edit] Restaurants
- Chaesik. (A) Vegetarian buffet run by followers of Sant Thakur Singh. Only 8,000 wŏn for a lunch of incredible variety, plenty of vegie “meats” and lots else. Dinner is a bit more. It’s in a hard-to-reach location just beyond the edge of town – take a taxi there.
- A great place is Chungmuoo Kimbab (أو¹« ±è¹ن), directly across the basketball stadium near the old gate of Jeonbuk University. Cheap, lots of selection, delicious, and lots of great side dishes.
- Darakbang (´ظ¶ô¹و): A famous Gamjatang restaurant near the Deokjindong bus station. For 6,000 won you get a large serving of Gamjatang (pork-bone-soup) and lots of side dishes. Casual decor and private seating available. In front of Oh-Lay-Oh-Lay bar and next to Jukebox and Tu-Pac nightclubs.
- Han Sung Dolsot Bap (C) 6,000 wŏn for dolsot bap - that’s all they serve there. But it was quite a tasty meal. This neighborhood also features the Plus-Minus discount department store, and a Potato Avenue sweet potato stand. This is “Youth Street,” the hip district, at least as hip as they get in Cholla-bukdo،¦..
- Mushim. Serves vegetarian food (sanchae jangshik) but the meal is a set course served for four people at a total of 60,000 wŏn. I didn’t eat there ‘cause there’s not four of me, but the food folks were eating looked very good. Tel (063) 278-6509. Fax: (063) 272-9309. For you quartets, it’s a block west of the Express bus terminal
- Nambu shijang restaurant stalls A specialty here is Pi sundae, a sausage made primarily from coagulated blood but without the usual yam noodles. \
- Pamun. A restaurant with hanjeonshik for 10,000 wŏn – includes rice, beansprout soup, twentjang cchigae, BBQ port, plain boiled port, a fish, acorn jelly, tofu, various greens, various kimchi, pancakes, squash, sprouts; the grain tea was outstanding. It’s in a traditional Korean house in the old town district down a little alley.
- Sŏdo Buffet. In the Seodo Plaza on the restaurant floor. An inexpensive buffet with uneven quality. But select carefully and you’ll find tasty things to eat. (063) 222-6452; (063) 243-0931. Closed Mondays as is the whole department store.
As the average Korean, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants are in abundance throughout Korea and are easy for foreigners to find, the following restaurants reflect a sampling of restaurants considered to be either popular or are western-friendly choices and other ethnic foods.
[edit] Shopping
Lotte Department Store (롯데 백화점) is located across from Jeonju Stream and has all the usual department store fare, as well as a top-notch movie theater and food court. Quite fashionable.
Gaeksa-gil shopping district, downtown Jeonju
E-Mart (이마트) is in Seoshin-dong (서신동) near Lotte. The ground floor is a well stocked grocery store, while the second floor stocks everything from clothes to electronics for a reasonable price.
Feel House is directly across E-Mart and sells various western goods at reasonable prices.
Most fashionable stores can be found downtown (시내) near Gaeksa (객사), the old foreign dignitaries residence. All types of fashionable clothing stores can be found here, as well as a variety of restaurants, bars, and 5 movie theaters.
Other fashionable clothing stores, restaurants and bars can be found in Deokjin-dong (덕진동), near Jeonbuk University's Old Gate (전북대학교 구정문, or 구정문 for short).
[edit] Sports and Recreation
The city is also home to K-League soccer side Cheonbuk Hyundai Motors, and Korean Basketball League team Jeonju KCC Egis.
[edit] Transportation
The main bus terminal is in Dokjin Dong Gosok Bus Terminal(덕진동 고속 버스 터미날) not too far from Jeonbuk Bank (전북은행) and Lotte Department Store (롯데 백화점). It serves most Korean cities outside of Jeollabuk-do.
Deokjindong Bus Terminal (덕진동 버스 터미날) is in Deokjin Square and serves major cities within Jeollabuk-do (전라북도), Gunsan (군산) and Iksan (익산). During the daytime the adjoining square is a parking lot; at night it become a soju-tent emporium.
Jeonju Station (전주역) is in Eojeongnie (어중리) and provides service to most cities within the country. It is a nice station with a traditional look.
Jeonju is on the west, central side of South Korea. A city famous for it's festivals and food. This city is located 2 to 3 hours south of Seoul. If you want to experience a city that still has a lot of Korean tradition then Jeonju would be it. It has nice shopping areas, with a fairly big downtown area. It has two major universities and has many churches and temples to choose from. Jeonju is in a nice location if you like the outdoors. Forty-five (45) minutes from Muju Ski Mountain (South Korea's largest ski resort), 1 to 1.5 hours away from Mt Chirisan (South Korea's best hiking destination), 1 hour away from the ocean and between 30 and 45 minutes away from some local mountains with waterfalls, lakes and rivers (nice for swimming in the hot summer).
[edit] Tourism
The city also contains many cultural and historical sites, as it was the birthplace of the Yi (이) - or Joseon (조선) - dynasty which ruled Korea for over 500 years from 1392 to 1910. The two most impressive historical sites are Gyeonggijeon (경기전), the historic palace grounds; and Pungnammun (풍남문), the remaining gate of the historical wall once encircling Jeonju.
Other nearby attractions are:
- Moaksan (모악산) mountain, which overlooks Jeonju; and Geumsansa (금산사 - 金山寺) Buddhist temple.
- There is a traditional Korean wine museum (전통술 박물관) located here.
- Gaeksa building (객사) - used from 1471 to accomodate important visitors.
- Hansol Paper Museum - shows the history of paper making in all parts of the world.
[edit] External Links
