[One Day Walk] The 'Beautiful Pilgrimage Route' Course 1 Preserving Thousands of Years of History

There is a trekking course where you can encounter religious sites of Korea along a single path. It is a beautiful pilgrimage route designated in October 2009 to revitalize the pilgrimage trails and promote religious harmony in Jeonbuk Special Autonomous Province. It consists of a total of 9 courses spanning 240km.

Course 1, which starts from Pungnammun Gate in Jeonju, Jeonbuk and continues to Songgwangsa Temple in Wanju County, Jeonbuk, is 26.1km long and takes about 7 hours. It is a course where you can experience historical sites and natural scenery as well as the representative tourist attraction, Hanok Village.

The starting point, Pungnammun Gate, is the south gate of Jeonju Fortress and is Treasure No. 308. Pungnammun has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over hundreds of years. It was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of 1597 and was rebuilt along with the fortress walls in 1734, then called Myeonggyeonru. Later, after being burned down by fire in 1767, it was rebuilt in 1768 by Governor Hong Nak-in and named Pungnammun.

Leaving Pungnammun, you will encounter Jeonju Hanok Village. Here, you can appreciate the elegance of traditional Korean houses and experience various aspects of history. Notably, you can visit the Won Buddhism Gyodong Temple and Jeonju Hyanggyo, a Confucian school from the Joseon Dynasty, to feel the religious significance and a facet of Korea’s spiritual culture.

Walking along the course, you can see Seungamsa Temple and Chimyeongja Sacred Site located at the foot of Seungamsan Mountain. Seungamsa Temple was founded by the monk Doseon of the Unified Silla period during the Later Three Kingdoms era. The Chimyeongja Sacred Site is a representative holy place visited by many pilgrims, as it enshrines the remains of seven Catholic martyrs.

The course then reaches its final destination, Songgwangsa Temple. This temple is known to have been built by the monk Do-ui in the 7th year of King Gyeongmun’s reign during the Unified Silla period (867 AD), boasting a history of over 1,000 years. At some point after its construction, it was abandoned and left in ruins but was rebuilt in the 14th year of King Gwanghaegun’s reign during the Joseon Dynasty (1622). Songgwangsa houses five cultural treasures from the Joseon Dynasty, offering a variety of sights to see.