The Sunday Times May 1, 2022 11Travel Asia
The cherry trees are
blossoming — and so is
tourism in Asia’s most
enchanting destination,
says Adrian Phillips
a makkoli meal. We take our
seats in Yong Jin Jip, a no-
nonsense restaurant where
the air is thick with the
chatter of diners at
canteen-style tables.
Ryu orders and the
food starts coming —
and coming. More than
20 dishes are laid before
us, plates piled in little
pyramids as the space
runs low. There are fillets
of fried fish, cubes of
acorn jelly, a stew of tiny
shrimps. There’s a bowlkkolimeal.Wetakeour
in Yong Jin Jip, a no-
enserestaurant where
r is thick with the
er ofdiners at
en-style tables.
rders and the
starts coming —
oming. More than
shes are laid before
ates piled in little
mids as the space
ow. There are fillets
d fish, cubes of
jelly, a stew of tiny
ps. There’s a bowlContinued on page 12→of spicy soup, a dish of chilli
crabs that you crunch up
whole, marinated tofu, fish
eggs, pumpkin chunks and
a variety of green vegetables.
The local speciality is
samhap, which means “three
altogether”. “No feast is
complete without samhap,”
Ryu says as he puts pieces
of pork belly, kimchi and
fermented rayfish on top of
each other, manoeuvring the
tower into his mouth with
chopsticks. “It takes gettingpopular. As Ryu and I explore
the surrounding streets we
pass others in similarly
traditional clothes, ranging
from toddlers right up to
octogenarians. It’s a quirky
expression of the hold that
tradition still has on Korea,
and — as each moment is
captured with a selfie stick
— a very contemporary
manifestation of the nation’s
record-keeping spirit.
The meeting of ancient
and modern forms a
seam that runs
conspicuously
through Jeonju.
Its old town
(known as the
Hanok Village)
is a pocket of
700 traditional
houses — or
hanoks — at the
heart of an
otherwise modern city.
Hanoks have distinctive dark-
tiled roofs that slope in
graceful lines like the sails of
old-fashioned ships. Only the
houses of noble families had
tiled roofs — commoners used
thatch — and their number
bears witness to what a centre
of power Jeonju once was.
Today many house
21st-century businesses —
photo studios and hanbok
rental stores; caricaturists
and fortune tellers. Some
have become guesthouses.
I’m staying in the plushestB
eing a Korean king
doubtless had its
perks, but you
didn’t get much
time to yourself.
Seven historiographers
accompanied the king 24
hours a day to document
everything he did, says my
guide, Ryu Yang-soo. “And
I mean everything — right
down to the timings of his
bowel movements.. .” So
much for the dignity of high
office. “Once a king fell off
his horse while hunting
and pleaded with the
historiographers not to
record it. How do we know?
Because the historiographers
recorded that he pleaded
with them not to record it.”
Spring has arrived in South
Korea, and hopes are high
that tourism will blossom as
brightly as the cherry trees at
the roadsides. “You’re the first
tourist I’ve guided in three
years,” Ryu says ruefully. “My
English has got very rusty. But
now things will get better.”
South Korea’s cherry
blossom can rival the best in
Japan, and it has fascinating
cultural sites and scenic trails
too. There isn’t exactly a
“golden route”, but visitors
might typically combine the
excitement of Seoul with a
traditional stay in ancient
Jeonju and more laid-back
beach time in Busan. A new
bullet train route from Seoul
to Andong launched last year,
bringing destinations such as
historic Hahoe Village within
two hours’ reach of the capital.
Yet for British tourists at least,
the country has languished in
the shadow of its neighbour.
This year might change all
that. After Covid’s hard winter,
the government has finally
lifted most restrictions so that
now — unlike Japan or China —
this is a destination fully open
to visitors.
So here I am, where you
might say it all started for
Korea: the city of Jeonju,
a 90-minute train ride south of
Seoul. This was the homeland
of Yi Seong-gye, who founded
the Joseon dynasty in 1392
and in doing so established
the sweet spot in Korean
history — a 500-year period
that permanently shaped the
country’s culture, from
Confucian ideals to the use of
a Korean (rather than Chinese)
alphabet. And, of course, a
focus on record keeping that
bordered on the obsessive.
Ryu has brought me to a
reconstruction of the pavilion
where the annals of the Joseon
dynasty were once stored, an
archive comprising 2,000
volumes, all devoted to the
comings and goings of the
dynasty’s 27 monarchs.
When a king died, the
historiographers would retire
to compile their account of
his life. Four copies were
made and, to ensure the
scribes felt able to write with
warts-and-all freedom, kings
were forbidden to read the
books. “Each ruler knew the
eye of history was on him —
it guided everything he did.”
Next to the archive is
a shrine to Yi Seong-
gye. In his portrait
he cuts a dashing
figure, a golden
dragon
emblazoned
across his blue
robes. Equally
splendid are the
two sightseers
posing on the steps
in front; teenagers, but
not as you’d usually recognise
them. The girl wears a full-
skirted, pink silk embroidered
dress, while her partner has
a matching pink jacket over
a shirt with floaty sleeves.
I watch as they take selfies
and shots of each other gazing
wistfully into the distance.
“This is hanbok,” the girl
says when I ask. “Traditional
Korean dress. We hire it for the
day — it makes good photos.”
“If you’re dressed in hanbok
you get into these places free,”
adds the boy. Hanbok is clearlyMore than 20
dishes are laid
before us, plates
piled in little
pyramidshanok of the lot, a beautiful
mansion called Hagindang,
with a fragrant garden and
cabinets inlaid with mother-
of-pearl phoenixes. My bed is
a thick mat on the polished
wood floor, and the owner —
the great-great-grandson of the
government official who built
the house in 1908 — maintains
family traditions by serving me
brunch at a low table while I sit
on a ruby-red cushion.
That evening Ryu
introduces me to a custom as
longstanding as any in Korea:Hagindang,
one of the
grandest
hanoks in
Jeonju;
below, Korean
pancakes;
below right,
Seoul; below
far right, a
bronze statue
of King Sejong
of the Joseon
dynasty in
the capitalKOREA BREAK
SOUTH
INSIDE TRAVEL; KYOKO UCHIDA, HEMIS/ALAMY; GORANQ/GETTY IMAGES