[Gyeongsangnam-do top 5 Spring attractions]

1. Geoje Oe-do Botania

Oedo is an island of Geoje city known for its marine western-style botanical garden in Hallyeohaesang National Park. Built by fisherman Lee Chang-ho and his wife when they first settled on the island in 1969, the island remained private until 1995 when it was first opened for the public and since then was titled as a “True Hidden Paradise” of Korea. The island is 4km (20mins by ferry) away from Geoje-do island and shares spectacular views of the crystal-blue south sea and the surrounding landscapes. Especially in April, the spring flowers all bloom and the island is covered with a plethora of flowers. The well-manicured landscapes of Oedo have been the backdrop for many of Korea’s famous television commercials and miniseries.
  

 “Panorama Lounge” is a café where one can enjoy a light drink over the sunshine and the sea-view. Other highlights of the island include the Venus Garden, Cactus Garden and the Private House where the widely-loved drama series “Winter Sonata” was filmed. Buses go from Seoul Nambu Terminal to Geoje via Jangseungpo. It is recommended to get off at Janseungpo terminal and take a taxi to the nearest ferry terminal. There are no lodging facilities on the island so be sure schedule your time well.

For more information on transport
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264203

2. Jinhae (Spring Gunhangjae Festival)

Held annually since 1952 for the commemoration of admiral of Yi Sun-Shin, the Jinhae Gunhangjae (Cherry-Blossom Festival) is a must-go event which attracts close to 2 million visitors each year. This festival offers a number of performances and hands-on events and attracts visitors from all over the world. The atmosphere turns magical when the flower petals of the fully bloomed Cherry-Blossom trees fall and dance along the spring breeze. As mentioned in the last post, Yeojwacheon Stream and Gyeonghwa Station are the most preferred areas to go but if you prefer more of a panoramic view of Jinhae downtown, located in the center of Jewhangsan mountain, Jewhangsan park would be the place to go.

For more information of transport and schedules,
http://english.visitkoreayear.com/english/infor/infor_01_16_01.asp 

3. Hadong (Hwagae Market)

Hwagae Market in the town of Hadong once was one of the five biggest markets in Korea. Located where Mt. Jirisan stream joins the Seomjin River, it is said to have been a convenient site for distribution and trade to the surrounding cities because of its easy access. Better known as “Hwagae Jang-to” by the locals it is a great place to purchase ceramic ware, bags of medicinal roots or local specialties such as soup made from marsh clams. The market opens all year round as opposed to when its traditional “5^th-day market” opening on only the 5^th of each month).

The market was made famous again through singer Jo Yeong-nam’s song named “Hwagae Market” and after the hit the traditional market setting was restored with an investment of 1.6 billion KRW. Still operating today, the area opened with Hwagae Market’s 9^th Cherry Blossom festival.


For more information,

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1795645

4. Jangsado Seapark, Tongyeong (Filming Location: You who came from the Stars)

Jangsado Seapark is a small island in Majuk-ri Hansanmyeon, Tongyeong-si measuring just 400m in width and 1.9km in length. Made famous by the SBS drama series “You who came from the Stars”, the island, decorated with Camellia flowers has stunning sceneries and is a perfect place to go on a short hike. The island officially launched in January 2012 has very new architecture and there was quite a big publicity done on the island which attracted a number of television stations to film there. There is an admission fee of 8,500 won and the ferry ride fare of 22,000 won.

For more tips and information,

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g294197-i8161-k7309202-Seoul_to_Tongyeong_to_Jinhae_to_Seoul-Seoul.html

5. Hapcheon (Image Theme Park)

This theme park is a major tourist attraction and the largest drama and movie set in Korea
where famous drama and movies such as “Into the fire”, “East of Eden”, “Sunny” and “Gaksital” was filmed. The two main sets are divided and each owned by the major broadcasting companies KBS and MBC and is used as settings for the 1920s to 1980s period. A walk around the set will take you back to what Seoul was like in the 1970s and 1980s, a Seoul vastly different from the one people know of today.

There are 5 buses daily from the Seoul Nambu bus Terminal to Hapcheon Bus terminal and county buses are available to the theme park from the terminal.