Cultural post 250119
Yeosu is one of the famous cities to visit in Korea, which I also happened to visit last summer as a family vacation. Located on the southern coast of Korea (in Jeollanam-do), Yeosu has its famous night sea. This is because there was a mega-hit song titled “여수밤바다 (Yeosu Night sea)” by Jang Beomjun, which praises how beautiful and romantic the night sea in Yeosu is. The lyrics is about a guy calling his friend and telling them he wants to walk by the night sea in Yeosu together. The lyrics are pretty simple but capture the scenery and the atmosphere of the night sea of Yeosu very well. I remember I was listening to the song with my family too when driving to get there.
Also, one of lesser-known places in Yeosu is 몽돌해변 (Mongdol Beach) which is beach with unique round pebbles (called mongdol). I went to the beach and realized that it was a type of beach that I won’t be able to see that often since the beach was actually full of big, round pebbles without any sands. I heard that it is strictly prohibited to take them away from the beach since they are naturally formed over very long periods of time.
Yeosu is also famous for its food. One of their famous food that caught my attention was gat-kimchi (갓김치), which is a variation of kimchi made from mustard greens. I don’t think I knew how gat-kimchi exactly tastes like, but I had so much of it in Yeosu. They serve gat-kimchi any restaurant in Yeosu while they rarely serve cabbage kimchi, the most common type of kimchi. I knew kimchi is a type of food that has many variations depending on regions, but this was the biggest difference I felt from what I usually have. Gat-kimchi has more bitter, peppery taste than just cabbage kimchi so it was a good combination with sea food, which is also popular in Yeosu.
Yeosu is popular not only for its tourist attractions but also for its history. The coastal city used to be an important naval base during the Joseon dynasty, which played a vital role during General Yi Sunsin’s campaigns. For the context, Yi Sunsin is a famous general who stopped Japan invading Joseon dynasty. During Imjin War, 1592, Yi Sunsin’s naval force was outnumberd by Japanese naval force, having only 12 battle ships while Japanese navy had more than ten times of it. However, he came up with very effective strategy, taking geographical advantage. His effective defense from Japanese invasion resulted in his portrait being engraved on a 100-won coin. I was also able to visit the historical sites in Yeosu, which was very interesting. I recommend this city when you want to get away from busy cities, experience another side of Korea, and learn more about the history.
Yeosu is one of the famous cities to visit in Korea, which I also happened to visit last summer as a family vacation. Located on the southern coast of Korea (in Jeollanam-do), Yeosu has its famous night sea. This is because there was a mega-hit song titled “여수밤바다 (Yeosu Night sea)” by Jang Beomjun, which praises how beautiful and romantic the night sea in Yeosu is. The lyrics is about a guy calling his friend and telling them he wants to walk by the night sea in Yeosu together. The lyrics are pretty simple but capture the scenery and the atmosphere of the night sea of Yeosu very well. I remember I was listening to the song with my family too when driving to get there.
Also, one of lesser-known places in Yeosu is 몽돌해변 (Mongdol Beach) which is beach with unique round pebbles (called mongdol). I went to the beach and realized that it was a type of beach that I won’t be able to see that often since the beach was actually full of big, round pebbles without any sands. I heard that it is strictly prohibited to take them away from the beach since they are naturally formed over very long periods of time.
Yeosu is also famous for its food. One of their famous food that caught my attention was gat-kimchi (갓김치), which is a variation of kimchi made from mustard greens. I don’t think I knew how gat-kimchi exactly tastes like, but I had so much of it in Yeosu. They serve gat-kimchi any restaurant in Yeosu while they rarely serve cabbage kimchi, the most common type of kimchi. I knew kimchi is a type of food that has many variations depending on regions, but this was the biggest difference I felt from what I usually have. Gat-kimchi has more bitter, peppery taste than just cabbage kimchi so it was a good combination with sea food, which is also popular in Yeosu.
Yeosu is popular not only for its tourist attractions but also for its history. The coastal city used to be an important naval base during the Joseon dynasty, which played a vital role during General Yi Sunsin’s campaigns. For the context, Yi Sunsin is a famous general who stopped Japan invading Joseon dynasty. During Imjin War, 1592, Yi Sunsin’s naval force was outnumberd by Japanese naval force, having only 12 battle ships while Japanese navy had more than ten times of it. However, he came up with very effective strategy, taking geographical advantage. His effective defense from Japanese invasion resulted in his portrait being engraved on a 100-won coin. I was also able to visit the historical sites in Yeosu, which was very interesting. I recommend this city when you want to get away from busy cities, experience another side of Korea, and learn more about the history.
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