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Taekwondo Tweety in South Korea

South Korea

Busan and Tongdosa temple

Busan is connected to Seoul in a little less than 2h30 (for 417 km / 260 miles) with the KTX which is the Korean rapid train bought to France. Near Busan, there is Tongdosa with one of the three jewel temples of South Korea.

Busan

Busan is the second largest city after Seoul and the largest port in the country.

Yongdusan park

It is a small park in the height. It includes among others a tower from where you can enjoy a panorama of the city.

Tower of Busan Statue of a dragon

In front of the tower there is a statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Sin who, with his invention : the turtle boat and his tactical sense, succeeded in 1592 to destroy the Japanese fleet though numerically superior. So after their invasion in 1592, the Japanese were thus deprived of their logistics and were forced to pull over in 1593 when China decided to intervene. Nearby, an original storefront.

Statue of admiral Yi Sun-Sin Storefront

Fish market of Jagalchi

It is the largest fish market in the country with an inner market and an outer market much larger. We can eat fresh fish in one of the many small restaurants. From aquariums, we choose the fish or squid that we wish to eat and it is served fresh after a few minutes...

Entrance to the fish market of Jagalchi Fish market of Jagalchi

Fish on a slack Octopuses on a slack

Beaches

Haeundae beach
Haeundae is the most beautiful beach of Busan. It is overcrowded in summer. There is also a big aquarium near the beach. In fact, it is the largest in Korea.

Haeundae beach by night Small sculpture on Haeundae beach

Entrance of the aquarium

Gwangalli beach

It is also a large beach but a large bridge was built just in front of it...

Gwangalli beach

Songdo beach

Songdo beach Hotel, with at its foot, an artificial waterfall

Haedong-Yonggungsa temple

Haedong Yonggungsa temple is recent and dates back only a few decades. It is quite picturesque as built on cliffs.

Haedong Yonggungsa temple

Beomeosa temple

Beomeosa temple, which dates back to the 7th century, is a very good example of a Korean Buddhist temple. It is now a center of the sect seon (better known under its Japanese name Zen).


From Beomeosa temple, one can reach the fortress geumjeongsanseong and the park geumgang where one can take a short hike.

Tongdosa temple

In Buddhism, the Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma (Law) and the Sangha (community). In Korea there is a temple associated with each of these Jewels :

- Tongdosa temple for the Buddha because relics of Siddhartha Gautama, or Shakyamuni if called by its honorific title (the historical Buddha), are kept in this temple (4 other Korean temples contain such relics).

- Haeinsa temple for the Dharma because of the tablets of the Tripitaka (the teachings of Buddha, also called the Three Baskets, because the reels were originally stored in baskets) are kept in this temple.

- Songgwangsa Temple (not visited) for the Sangha because it was both an oecumenical center and a leading Buddhist school in Korea.