Soaking in Namdo elegance at Jindo Uisin Sacheon village Welchon | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Jindo Bridge is the only twin cable-stayed bridge located between Nokjin in Junnae-myeon, Jindo-gun, and Hakdong in Munnae-myeon, Haenam-gun. Completed on October 18, 1984, it has become a popular tourist attraction. On December 15, 2005, the second Jindo Bridge was opened. The bridge is especially renowned for its beautiful sunset and night views, and the swirling waters of Uldolmok Strait beneath the bridge present a spectacular sight. Uldolmok is a well-known strait of the West Sea, famous as the site of the Battle of Myeongnyang, one of Admiral Yi Sun-sin's three great naval battles, forming a narrow channel between Haenam and Jindo with a width similar to the Han River. Since the opening of Jindo Bridge in 1984, Jindo, now the southernmost region of the Korean Peninsula, has become a tourist destination attracting about 2.6 million visitors annually, including foreigners.

Manggeumsan is a low mountain with an elevation of 115m overlooking Uldolmok, the site of the Battle of Myeongnyang where 13 Korean ships defeated over 300 Japanese vessels. During the battle, General Yi Sun-sin built earthen fortifications on this mountain and gathered local women, disguising them as men to repeatedly circle the mountain peak in a way that made the enemy think there were many soldiers. This folk game, performed mainly on Chuseok night to pray for a good harvest, was used as a military tactic. The peak still has a signal site (Mangteo), and below it, the Ganggangsullae site remains clearly visible. Many legends related to the Ganggangsullae dance that honor Admiral Yi Sun-sin's tactics have been passed down. Manggeumsan Ganggangsullae Site is located on West Sea Road Trail Course 6, a 2-minute drive and 1.7 km from Useuyeong National Tourist Site, and can be visited together with the Uldolmok Skywalk.

Jindo's Yongjang Fortress is a representative anti-Mongol facility established by the Sambyeolcho in Jindo. The mountain fortress is located on a ridge along the northern coast of Jindo, where Byeokpajin, the gateway to Jindo, lies. This area also serves as a checkpoint on the sea route linking to Uldolmok. Led by Bae Jungson, the Sambyeolcho supported royal family member Seunghwahu Wang-on as the new king, formed a government, and appointed officials in opposition to the pro-Mongol Goryeo court. They arrived at Byeokpajin with about 1,000 ships carrying goods and people, settled in Yongjang Fortress, rebuilt the fortress, made Yongjangsa Temple inside the fortress their palace, constructed various buildings, and proclaimed their king as emperor. A comprehensive site survey conducted from 2009 to 2010 revealed over 20 buildings arranged in a sophisticated layout reminiscent of Gaegyeong's Manwoldae, suggesting the palace was planned. Most of the original fortress has disappeared; however, the site remains partially preserved, including Yongjangsa Temple ruins and the palace site. Nearby are the Yongjang Fortress Exhibition Hall, the Goryeo Anti-Mongol Memorial Tower, and Jeongchungsa Shrine dedicated to Bae Jungson, making it possible to visit them together.

Jindo has developed a rich sound culture influenced by the historical exile culture, including poetry, calligraphy, painting, Jindo Arirang, Namdo workers' songs, Dashiraegi, and Jindo Bukchum (drum dance). In Sacheon Village, visitors can directly learn intangible cultural heritage traditions such as Dashiraegi (a funeral play performed by mourners and relatives to alleviate grief after a parent's death) and drum playing from certified intangible cultural heritage practitioners. Around the village, there are many cultural and historical resources such as Unlim Sanbang under Cheomchal Mountain, the highest peak in Jindo, Ssanggyesa (the finest wooden structure in Jindo), and the Jindo History Museum, making it a must-visit spot on a Jindo trip.

Amongrepresentative seohwa (calligraphy and painting) artists in Jindo, where seohwa arts developed, Sochi Heo Ryeon (小痴 許鍊) is known as a master of late Joseon period Southern painting. He is also known as Heoyu, named after Wang Yu, a pioneer of Tang and Southern Song ink wash landscape painting. Unlimsanbang was the studio name where Heo Ryeon spent his later years after leaving Seoul and returning to his hometown to live and paint. It is located south of Jindo-eup, near Cheomchalsan West and Ssanggyesa. The site includes a 'ㄷ'-shaped tiled house called Unlimsanbang, a thatched-roof living quarters behind it, and newly built memorial halls. A white lotus blooms in the pentagonal pond in front of Unlimsanbang, and a crape myrtle tree grows on a 6-meter diameter circular island in the pond. Sochi Heo Ryeon was born in 1809 in Ssangjeong-ri, Jindo-eup, showing talent in painting from a young age. From age 28, he was taught by the monk Cho-ui at Daedunsa Iljiam in Haenam and, in his early 30s, went to Seoul through an introduction to study calligraphy and painting under Chusa Kim Jeonghui, becoming a master of Southern painting. Although he painted for the royal family and held several official posts, he left Seoul after Kim Jeonghui's death, returned to his hometown Jindo, established Unlimsanbang, and devoted himself to painting. Unlimsanbang was neglected for a long time until it was restored in 1982 by Heo Geon. Inside the studio, reproductions of paintings by three generations of the Heo family are displayed, and the newly built Sochi Memorial Hall exhibits works of three generations of Unlimsanbang artists, as well as stones and ceramics. It is a Jeollanam-do monument. The name Unlimsanbang derives from the deep mountain valley surrounded by numerous peaks around Cheomchalsan, where morning and evening mists form a cloud forest.

The scenery of the archipelago viewed from the 'Sebang Sunset Observatory,' said to be the most beautiful on the Jindo coastal road, is stunning. The sunset seen here is fantastic. At dusk, the spectacular sunset sinking between the islands dyes the surrounding blue sky a redder color than autumn leaves. The Central Meteorological Observatory even selected this as the 'best sunset viewing spot' in the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula. This coastal road is the best archipelago drive course in Korea, offering panoramic views of the beautiful islands of the archipelago. You can enjoy driving while breathing the fresh air exhaled from many forests and clean seas.