Seongju, a small city in the North Gyeongsang Province, near Daegu, is a great destination for those who want to experience authentic Korean country life – called Sigol. It is quite difficult to reach by train or express buses, but it’s absolutely worth to pay a visit. With its stunning nature, a traditional market, and rich cultural heritage, Seongju offers visitors a glimpse of rural life in Korea. In this blog post, I’ll introduce you to the best things to experience in Seongju – So, pack your bags and immerse yourself in the charm of Korean country life.
1) Placenta Chambers of King Sejeong´s Sons
We started our trip with a short stop at the placenta chambers of King Sejong’s sons. Yes you read that right… The placenta chambers.
At the time of the Jeoseon Dynasty, the placenta was brought all the way from Seoul to Seongju at great expense and stored there. This may seem strange in many other cultures and it is not a common custom in Korea nowadays, but if you put that thought aside, you can enjoy a really nice view there and learn a little about the history of Korea in the small museum next to it.
2) Café Yellong
The city of Seongju is famous for the Korean melon – Chamhoi. When you come to Korea, you might still overlook this particularly delicious melon variety…. But when you come to Seongju, you have no chance to escape from it 😀
The city’s mascot “Chambyeol” is a super cute melon and I must honestly say that I lost my heart to it. Especially at Café Yellong you can buy merchandise and many other melon products, try melon coffee latte and book very special experiences like baking your own melon cookies or making delicious melon syrup.
3) Hangae Village
One of the most beautiful places we visited in Seongju was the historic Hangae Village, which some of you may know from K-dramas like “A King´s Affection”.
There, for only 10,000 KRW, you can also rent one of the traditional Korean garments – a hanbok – and take wonderful photos with it. I felt like I was traveling back in time to ancient Korea!
4) Cafe Tree Palet
Even in the countryside, you can find aesthetic cafés in Korea that are busy even on weekdays and offer exceptional signature drinks.
The café Tree Palet is one of them that I can highly recommend for a delicious cup of coffee and a dessert or lunch to take a break from the stress of travel.
5) Seongbak Forest
With giant trees over 300 to 500 years old, Seongbak Forest is one of the nature-related attractions in Seongju. It is much smaller than one might expect from the word “forest”, but it is still worth taking a short walk there.
6) Historical Theme Park
The Historical Theme park in Seongju has only been completed in 2020 and is a wonderful place for recreation for young and old. With several historical sites such as Seongjimun Gate or Seongjueupseong Fortress, a fountain inspired by old Joseon Dynasty water play parks and an idyllic park path, you can spend many hours there.
7) Traditional Market
On each of my trips to the different regions of Korea, I always try to stop by a traditional market. Korean markets are the best way to immerse myself in the culinary culture of the country and also to get to know the regional differences better and to get into conversation with residents of the cities. Since you stand out as a foreigner, the friendly market stall owners often give you a little taste test and explain excitedly how they make their products and what makes them special.
8) Seongju Lake
Just before returning to Seoul, we stopped at Seongju Lake.
The breathtaking mountain scenery in the background, the bright blue sky and the sparkling water of the lake made this last stop of our trip once again an unforgettable experience.
If you want to travel to Seongju, I recommend taking the KTX or bus to Daegu or Gimcheon Gumi station and then continue with a private tour guide or rental car. Have a great time and let me know how you liked it!
