Jul 12, 20234 min read

When you meet SEOUL, SEOULMATE : Temple and the City [ Gangnam ]

Hello, everyone!

We are Seoul Mate,

a college student tourism volunteer club that provides free tours to foreigners.

Have you heard of the sentence that "When you meet SEOUL, SEOULMATE."?

It's a slogan expressing our club.

We are trying to let foreigners know the hidden charm of Seoul.

We offer a wide variety of tour courses.

I would like to explain one of them,

Temple and the City [Gangnam ]. :)

The estimated time of tour is about 4 hours.

The entrance fee to Seolleung is 1,000 won.

But if those under the age of 24 bring their ID cards, it's free.

You can see the cultural heritage of Korea on the Gangnam tour.

You will have an opportunity to study the history of Joseon

in the past while visiting Seolleung and Jeongneung Park.

Also, by going to Bongeunsa Temple,

you will be able to feel the comfort and quietness of the busy city.

I think it will be an opportunity to newly recognize Gangnam,

a city full of modern appearance.

The first course is Seolleung and Jeongneung. Seolleung is a tomb where the 9th King Seongjong of Joseon and his Queen Jeonghyeon Yoon clan were buried, and Jeongneung is a tomb where the 11th King Jungjong of Joseon was buried.

The historic Seolleung and Jeongneung in Seoul are proud cultural heritages registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2009, located in the middle of Gangnam, downtown Seoul, and is a tourist attraction for many domestic and foreigners and a cultural heritage loved by local residents.

Seolleung is the most familiar tomb for Seoulites. That's why Seolleung Station on the subway passes by. It is also a royal tomb, but it also serves as a park for office workers before and after lunch. Therefore, Seolleung, Historic Site No. 199, is also called Samneung Park. Seonjeongneung Royal Tomb, where you can enjoy historical experiences and picnics in one place, is crowded with not only nearby office workers but also lovers and family members who went out lightly on weekends.

It also has the advantage of being able to find it without any burden due to its good accessibility. In particular, in April, when cherry blossoms bloom, it is more crowded with people who want to enjoy the brightness of spring along the promenade.

Our guides will tell you the story of Joseon in a fun and detailed way. If you like to study Korean history, I'm sure you'll enjoy this tour.

The next course is Bongeunsa Temple.

Bongeunsa Temple,

which consists of forests in the city center, is a good place to feel nature.

In particular, Bongeunsa Temple is the only temple in the country

that can be accessed directly without hiking in the city center.

In addition, although Bongeunsa Temple is located in the center of Gangnam, Seoul, which is the most noisy in Korea,

it becomes strangely quiet when you enter Bongeunsa Temple.

Therefore, many people visit nearby business districts during lunch or work hours.

Many cultural properties remain in Bongeunsa Temple,

which served as the headquarters for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province until modern times. Maitreya Buddha, enshrined on January 7, 1996, is famous.

This Maitreya Buddha, a 10-year long-cherished project of Bongeunsa Temple, is 23m high and about 5m higher than Eunjin Mireuk of Gwanchoksa Temple located in Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do.

The bronze silver Yipsa Hyangwan (Treasure No. 321), made in the 5th year of King Chunghye of Goryeo (1344), was made

during the Goryeo Dynasty when craft technology was at its peak.

In addition, 10 Buddhist paintings, including Chusa's Panjeon signboard, Seonjundang, which was used as a place for Seunggwa notification during the Joseon Dynasty, Hwaeomgyeonggyeongpan, Sacheonwangsang, and Yeongsanjeon Sixteen Nahansang, were designated as tangible cultural properties in Seoul.

Also, it operates various temple stay programs for foreigners, so if you are interested,

I recommend you to search them.

The last course is COEX near Bongeunsa Temple.

COEX Mall is Asia's largest underground shopping space, with more than 260 stores. COEX Mall has a variety of things to enjoy and experience like a comprehensive gift box. It has Megabox, the largest movie theater in Korea, an aquarium where you can enjoy a fantastic water trip with various fish, and a large bookstore Bandi & Runis, and there are also spaces where you can see exhibitions, seminars and exhibitions.

But the fun of COEX mall is shopping. Fashion Multi-Square, which consists of young casual, unsex casual, Jin casual, easy casual, and miscellaneous goods, presents sensuous fashion items aimed at young people. It is directly connected to Hyundai Department Store, so there are various choices. You can enjoy shopping 365 days, regardless of the season or weather.

You can also see the Byeolmadang Library, a major landmark of COEX.

The concept is a comfortable study where the subtle lights of the 13-meter-high bookshelf gently surround the entire space, and it is famous for photo spots for many people.

# REVIEW

- The kindness and joy of all the girls

- Everything is perfect

- The guides were really friendly andnice.

- The tour guides are always a strongpoint of SeoulMate.

- They do a very good effort to talking to us and answering anyquestions we have it. It makes the tour much better.

- Simple explanation and very friendly tour guides.

- Interacting and communicating with all tour members.

- It was great how the tour guides circulated and chatted with all of the tour members and inquired about reasons for travel and experiences in Korea so far.

- It made the tour feel much more cozy and the tour guides more approachable.

- The tourist attractions are unexpected and interesting.