[A NIGHT AWAY] From hot springs resorts to old folk villages, Asan has you covered

Food & Travel

Published: 02 Sep. 2023, 11:05 Updated: 05 Sep. 2023, 16:11

[A NIGHT AWAY] From hot springs resorts to old folk villages, Asan has you covered

Asan City's Oeam Folk Village, which is still occupied by 60 households, is known for well-preserving Korea’s old houses. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

ASAN, South Chungcheong — A historic heat wave is beginning to abate and it’s great weather to resume traveling that involves a lot of outdoor activities. If you can manage a night away from home, how about rejuvenating yourself and washing away the sweltering heat at Asan, known for its therapeutic hot springs? History buffs will also enjoy the city’s Hyeonchungsa, a shrine to Korea’s revered Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545-1598), or the Oeam Folk Village, a traditional Korean village regarded as a living museum. Here, visitors can experience hands-on what life was like in Korea 500 years ago.

Thursday
10 a.m.
A walk in the woods and zip-line down

A zip-line experience at Mount Yeongin in Asan, south Chungcheong [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

The city of Asan is easy to access by public transportation from Seoul. You can hop on the KTX highspeed train from either Seoul Station or Yongsan Station in central Seoul and get off at Cheonan-Asan Station in South Chungcheong, which only takes about 40 minutes.

It’s best to rent a vehicle on Socar, an app-based car sharing service, from the station, for a more convenient journey around the city. You must have a driver’s license and be 21 or over to use the service.

Your first stop after leaving the station will be Mount Yeongin to get some fresh air. It takes about 30 minutes to drive to the mountain's lower parking lot, but unless you are planning on making it a full day’s hike, it’s better to drive up until you reach a restroom area with more parking areas. Starting the hike from here will take about 40 minutes to the top. Just before reaching the top is the notorious spot with 956 stairs. After making it up the stairs, you can enjoy Yeonginsanseong, a fortress built during the Baekje (18 B.C. to A.D. 660) period, up close. You can then go back down the way you came, or take the short cut: You can zip-line down for 10,000 won ($7.50). It will take less than five minutes and will provide a spectacular view.

1:30 p.m.
Learn about who Yi Sun-shin really was

Visitors walk up Hyeonchungsa Shrine in Asan, south Chungcheong [JOONGANG PHOTO]

It’s best to grab a quick lunch before heading to Hyeonchungsa as touring around this shrine can take hours depending on your interest in the admiral and his life story. Asan is the hometown of Yi’s mother, and Yi himself had spent his childhood in the area. It was also the hometown of his wife, and after getting married, they resided at the home of his in-laws, located near where the shrine is now.

The old house where admiral Yi Sun-shin used to reside with his in-laws [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

The shrine was first built in 1706 by Confucian scholars under King Sukjong’s consent. The old hanok (traditional Korean house) located inside the shrine is where Yi had lived even before passing the state examination in 1576. His descendants occupied the house for about 400 more years, until the 1960s. The house used to be located near the shrine but was transferred inside the shrine in 1969 when former President Park Chung Hee re-established the shrine at its current location. National Treasures like Nanjung Ilgi, or War Diary, written by Yi, is enshrined here, along with other treasures like an official portrait of Yi and his long sword.

The shrine is surrounded by enough mountains and greenery that taking a slow stroll inside can easily give you the tranquility you need for the day. Weekdays are not too crowded, and it is open from 9 a.m. everyday except Mondays.

2:30 p.m.
The gingko walk

Asan city is famous for its gingko tree road [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Soon, Asan's Gingko Tree Road will turn golden yellow and offer a stunning landscape. It’s the epitome of a great fall scenery, and hordes of people will no doubt be there. If you want to take photos with less people, visit the canopy tunnel not at this hour, but early in the morning the next day. Do note that there will still be people then, just less than in the day time. Though the golden leaves are not there yet, it’s still a great place to visit and relax by the stream.

4 p.m.
Time to take a dip

Paradise Spa Dogo is a sulfur hot spring that is equipped with not only open-air hot springs but also swimming pools, waterslides and wave pools. [PARADISE SPA DOGO]

Asan is known locally as the mecca of hot springs. The city is home to Onyang Hot Springs, the oldest hot springs in Korea. It was discovered about 1,300 years ago and has been commercially operating as a hot springs for the past 600 years. It is known as the hot springs that the kings used during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), and records say that King Sejong often visited to rest or recover from illnesses and skin problems.

Onyang may be more historic, but Paradise Spa Dogo offers a more modern, lavish bathing experience. It’s the only sulfur hot spring in Asan, owned by Korea’s luxury resort operator Paradise Group. It first opened in 2008 but recently had a major facelift and reopened as a grand luxury hot spring in April. Visitors can enjoy the hot springs outdoors, complete with swimming, waterslides and wave pools. There are indoor swimming pools as well as a bathhouse.

After the remodeling, Paradise asked its chef from Paradise City Hotel in Busan to revamp the menu at Paradise Spa Dogo’s cafeteria.

Paradise Spa Dogo's caravans where visitors can stay overnight [PARADISE SPA DOGO]

Those who wish to stay a night here can book a caravan at its campsite. There are two types: a standard caravan for four people, which ranges from 120,000 won to 300,000 won; and a deluxe for six people, with prices ranging from 140,000 won to 310,000 won. A barbeque grill can be rented for 30,000 won. Beef or pork meat can also be added for an additional charge. Anyone staying the night at the caravan can access the spa for free upon check-in.

Friday
10 a.m.
Back in time

Asan's Oeam Folk Village is designated as Korea's Important Folklore Cultural Heritage [JOONGANG PHOTO]

If you step foot into Oeam Folk Village, you’ll realize the city offers more than just a nice, hot bath. The area looks as if it just popped out of a history book. At first glance, it may seem similar to other folk museums in other parts of the country, but the key difference is that this village, formed some 500 years ago as a clan settlement, is still occupied by 60 households.

According to legend, people with the last names Mok and Kang settled in the area 500 years ago. Later, during King Seonjo’s reign in the Joseon Dynasty, the Yis of Yean, an academic and noble family, settled in the area, helping it gain nationwide recognition as a scholarly region.

Due to the diverse cultural assets located in the village that is still called home to some, it is often referred as a “living museum.” The clan village was included in the Unesco world heritage tentative list in 2011 and is listed as Korea’s Important Folklore Cultural Heritage.

The village is nestled in nature, surrounded by mountains including Mount Seolhwa, Mount Meonjeok and Mount Bongsu. It is also bordered by a broad field and a stream, Geundaegolnae. The original appearance of the wealthy families' houses like Yeongamdaek House, Champandaek House and Songhwadaek House as well as some 50 small and large old thatched-roof houses have been well preserved, allowing visitors to get a close look at what old houses really looked like back in the day. There’s also a school called Oeam Hakdang that was established during the time, which is currently being used as a museum to exhibit folk goods that have been handed down from generation after generation.

The village recently launched a package program that includes various experiences at the village. For 40,000 won per person, visitors can try on hanbok (traditional Korean dress), learn how to make traditional Korean lanterns using hanji (traditional Korean paper), try making yeot (traditional Korean taffy), and get a sample taste of the village’s traditional drink made using lotus leaf. The program operates only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Oct. 29. Reservations can be made here.

Traditional performances will also be staged starting from Saturday to Oct. 15 only on weekends from 1 p.m. for an hour.

1 p.m.
Sacred journey

Gongseri Catholic Church in Asan city is the first catholic church in south Chungcheong. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Gongseri Catholic Church, founded in 1890, is another tourist hot spot. Catholics, of course, will be familiar with the church, but even non-believers may recognize this gothic masonry, as it was featured in famous drama series and films like “Sandglass” (1995), “Pheonix” (2004), “Iris 2” (2018), “TaeGukGi: Brotherhood Of War” (2004) and many others.

The ground where the church stands used to have a granary called Gongsechang, which stored grains collected as tax for over 300 years starting with the reign of King Yeongjo and ending with King Sunjong. The church is also a martyr’s shrine for the 32 martyrs of the Asan region who sacrificed their lives during the Catholic persecution of 1801 and 1873.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]