The unexpected pleasures of travel

Sometimes, the joy of travel is found in the discovery of the most unexpected gems. The moment can be both astonishing and emotional, and can provide you with enough inspiration to last until your next trip. Here, we weekend reporters will recount our visits to some of the most amazing places we have discovered in recent days.

Moon Shin Museum in Masan | Sculptor Moon Shin (1923-1995) has been described as a “person who works like slave and creates like a god.”

Moon was born in Japan, grew up in Masan and studied art in Japan at the Tokyo University of the Arts before going to Europe, where he gained widespread recognition for his work. He returned to Masan in 1980.

The museum that bears his name, located on the hill of Chusan-dong in Masan, South Gyeongsang, is the first of three museums dedicated to the sculptor’s work and was opened in 1994. The second, at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, was opened in 2004 and the third is scheduled to open in Yangju in October 2010.

Among the many works Moon created is the 12-meter (39.4-foot) sculpture “Soleillonautes” (sun + cosmonauts), made for the International Sculpture Symposium on the beach at Port Barcares, France, in 1970. It drew the world’s attention to the work of Korean sculptors. He also built “Olympic Harmony” in Seoul Olympic Park to commemorate the 1988 Olympic Games. His works were shown in Baden Baden, Germany, alongside works by Picasso and Chagall in an event celebrating the 2006 FIFA World Cup in that country.

Culture Street in Busan | A new street was formed in the streets near Kyung Sung University in Daeyeon-dong, Busan, which is also known as Busan’s college street. However, what is called Culture Street is actually not a street. It connects five two-story houses and also an entrance to the houses. The houses are a complex including a gallery, a small theater, an art shop, a restaurant, a bar and a noraebang (singing room). However, not many people seem to know what is inside.

Eighteen museums in Yeongwol County | Yeongwol County in Gangwon is the darkest area in Korea when viewed from space, and it is known as the best place to view stars. These days, however, the beautiful mountain landscape is known for the many museums that have opened in abandoned buildings there recently. There are 18 of them so far including the Nango Kim Sat-gat Culture Hall, Chosun Minhwa Museum, Dong-gang Museum of Photography, Muksam Art Gallery, International Museum of Contemporary Art, Danjung History Hall and Byulmaro Astronomical Observatory.

By Yang Sunny, Lee Ka-young, Han Eun-hwa [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]