Gangneung National Road 7 overlooking the East Sea | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Gangwon-do is the only divided province of the world, the waist of the division. The coastal central city of Gangneung, Aninjinn and Jeongdongjin, are sites of national division and carry the sorrow of war. It is where the North Korean army first invaded on June 25, 1950, and where a North Korean submarine infiltrated on September 18, 1996, shocking the whole nation. Bearing the pain of the Korean War, the September 18 North Korean submarine, and armed guerrilla infiltrations, Gangneung Unification Park was established as a large-scale exhibition park displaying military equipment in one place to emphasize the importance of national security and promote security awareness while hoping for peaceful unification. However, in October 2021, the decommissioned ship 'Jeonbuk-ham' exhibited at the naval exhibition hall was dismantled due to aging facilities and safety concerns, disappearing into history. Also, from around March 2024, the North Korean submarine is scheduled to be moved to the Navy 1st Fleet Command.

Deungmyeong Nakgasa, located on the mid-slope of Gwaebangsan in Hwabiryeong Dongnok, Jeongdongjin-ri, Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, was renamed Deungmyeongsa when it was rebuilt in the early Goryeo period but fell into disrepair during the Joseon era's Confucian suppression of Buddhism. The name 'Deungmyeong,' interpreted as 'illuminating the Buddhist law,' and its location, which was thought to steal the energy of the East Sea sunrise from Jeongdong, Hanyang, were displeasing to the Confucian scholars of Joseon who opposed Buddhist revival. Currently, the temple grounds include the recently built Geungnakjeon, Yeongsanjeon, Beomjonggak, Samseonggak, and temple quarters. At the center of Yeongsanjeon, the main worship hall, are enshrined Shakyamuni Buddha, Jihwagal Bosal, and Maitreya Bosal, surrounded by bronze statues of Seokgamoni Buddha in a seated position, Gwanseum Bosal standing, and Jijang Bosal standing. On both sides of the central altar are five hundred celadon Arhat statues with distinct appearances. The oldest structure in this temple is the Deungmyeong Temple Site Five-story Stone Pagoda, designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. Based on the composition of the pedestal, carving techniques, number of roof supports, and the depiction of the deteriorated chamber, it is estimated to have been constructed during the Goryeo Dynasty.

하슬라아트월드는 자연과 사람, 예술이 조화롭게 공존하는 종합예술공간이다. 3만 3천여 평의 조각공원은 ‘성성활엽길’, ‘소나무 정원’, ‘시간의 광장’, '바다정원‘, ’하늘전망대‘, ’돌갤러리와 소똥미술관‘의 테마로 자연훼손을 최소화하기 위하여 비탈면과 산의 높이를 그대로 이용하여 손으로 직접 만들었으며 자연을 가장 아름답게 볼 수 있는 각도로 길을 내고 예술정원으로 꾸몄다.

There are three places where you can swim at Jeongdongjin: the sea in front of Jeongdongjin Station, the sea in front of the Hourglass Park, and the sea with the Jeongdongjin breakwater. The wide and easy-to-use places are the beach in front of Jeongdongjin Station and the sea in front of Hourglass Park. The Hourglass Park lights up day and night and is a tourist attraction with Sculpture (Sunrise) Park and Heonhwa Road to the south. Especially, in front of Jeongdongjin Station, there are many rocks where people can pick clams, mussels, seaweed, and sea urchins, attracting many visitors. It is also the world's closest simple station to the sea, attracting many tourists who greet the majestic sun rising from the blue Donghae sea. Since the operation of the Jeongdongjin Sunrise Tourist Train in 1997, the area has rapidly risen in popularity and remains crowded with tourists all year round.

Hourglass Park is quaintly arranged against the backdrop of the East Sea, mountains, and Jeongdongjin 2-ri village. In the center is an hourglass, surrounded by pine trees. There are benches facing the sea. Directly in front of Hourglass Park is Jeongdongjin Beach. Jeongdongjin Hourglass Park was created in 1999 by Gangneung City and Samsung Electronics to commemorate the new millennium, with a total project cost of 1.28 billion won. The hourglass in the park is the largest in the world by size and weight, and the sand inside takes exactly one year to fall completely to the bottom. Then, at midnight on January 1 of the next year, it is rotated half a turn to start anew. Unlike a slender gourdlike glass vessel, Jeongdongjin's hourglass has a round shape to symbolize the infinity of time. The round shape also represents the sun rising over the East Sea, and the parallel train rails symbolize the eternal flow of time. Jeongdongjin, the place where the hourglass was erected, is an area east of the road milestone in front of Gwanghwamun in Seoul. Thus, at the summer solstice, it is the area where the sun rises first in the easternmost part of the Korean Peninsula.

Sun Cruise Resort is a cruise ship built on a cliff 60m above sea level by the seaside. The exterior of the resort resembles the modern Bongraeho and has newly established itself as a sunrise attraction in Jeongdongjin. Tropical palm trees were successfully transplanted to create an artificial lake covering about 1,500 pyeong around it. Currently, the resort has a sculpture park with about 30 various sculptures and a Jangseung park made with about 250 jangseung brought from Andong Hahoe Village. There is also a train cafe originally used as the first cafe and a sailing ship cafe currently operating as a coffee shop, offering both attractions and rest areas.