Jeonju in South Korea may be just a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride from Seoul, but the city feels a world apart from the country’s capital. A third of the size of Seoul, Jeonju is the capital and largest city in North Jeolla province – or Jeollabuk-do in Korean – but has a population of only around 650,000. The city has been an internationally certified “slow city” since 2011, meaning its urban planning and infrastructure are designed to encourage residents to live a slower pace of life.
But the main draw to visitors is its long and rich history. For many centuries, Jeonju has been the administrative centre of the Korean peninsula’s “breadbasket” region (an area that produces large quantities of wheat or other grains). It is also the hometown of Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo), who founded Korea’s last dynastic kingdom, the Joseon dynasty, in 1392.
One of the main attractions and points of interest in the city is the Jeonju Hanok Village. A hanok is a traditional Korean house originating in the Joseon dynasty that is characterised by beautifully curved roofs and architecture that emphasises harmony with its surrounding natural environment. The Jeonju Hanok Village is the largest of its kind in South Korea, with more than 900 hanoks , and has been a popular tourist destination for decades.
Many famous historical Korean dramas have been filmed there, including The King’s Affection (the first Korean drama to ever receive a US Emmy award), The Red Sleeve , Sungkyunkwan Scandal , Mr. Sunshine and The King: Eternal Monarch . Nowadays, tourists from around the world visit the village in rented hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) – braving summer heat and winter frosts – to take the perfect selfies for social media.
The village is particularly famous for its autumn foliage but has a distinctive charm all year around. During the spring and summer, lush green leaves add layers of vitality to the traditional houses, while hanoks covered in powdery winter snow are a sight not to be missed. What is special about Jeonju is that many of its picturesque spots are real historical locations, with some dating as far back as the 14th century.
Built in 1354, Jeonju Hyanggyo is one such example. Hyanggyo means “provincial school”, the first of which were established by the central government during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), which preceded the Joseon dynasty. The importance of hyanggyo was elevated during the Joseon dynasty because the kingdom was heavily rooted in Confucianism, an ideology that puts humanism at the forefront.
There was a rule to build one hyanggyo per town that would teach Confucianism, so that the whole country could develop in balance. There are around 200 hyanggyo left in South Korea and the Jeonju Hyanggyo is one of the more well maintained. Embodying the importance of ancestor worship in Confucianism, the Jeonju Hyanggyo has a shrine for Confucian saints, including many Chinese sages.
Enshrined at the hyanggyo are Confucius, his 10 disciples, the six sages of Song Confucianism, as well as the 18 most respected Korean Confucian scholars throughout history. Those who might not be interested in looking at ancestral tablets can instead admire the huge ginkgo trees – some of which are more than 400 years old – that create giant umbrellas of golden yellow leaves during autumn. Historically, ginkgo trees were planted in hyanggyo in the wish that Confucianism students would grow unruffled by the vices in the world, just like how ginkgo trees are rarely affected by pests.
Only a few minutes’ walk away is the Gyeonggijeon Shrine, which was built in 1410 for King Taejo. The shrine is surrounded by a spacious and peaceful garden area filled with bamboo that is lovely to walk around. The shrine itself is small and rather worn down, but still significant in many ways.
It is one of six shrines that were built for King Taejo during the Joseon dynasty, with the other five spread across the peninsula: in Seoul and Gyeongju in South Korea, and Pyongyang, Gaeseong and Yonghung, in what is now North Korea. The portrait of Taejo painted on silk was sent here from the capital Hanyang (now Seoul) in 1872. Displayed in the Royal Portrait Museum located inside the shrine – along with royal portraits of ensuing kings – it is the only original version remaining.
Similar to hyanggyo , such a shrine is representative of the deep commitment to Confucianism during the Joseon dynasty, and carries particular weight because it is where jesa – the Confucian ritual that commemorates ancestors through food and drink offerings – for the founding king was held. It is rather ironic, then, that right across from the Gyeonggijeon Shrine is Jeondong Cathedral, the most important site for Roman Catholics in the country, which was built where the country’s first recorded Catholic martyrs were executed, in 1791, for refusing to carry out jesa rituals. It is said that 33-year-old Yun Ji-chung and 41-year-old Kwon Sang-yeon (whose baptismal names were Paul and James) cried out “Jesus, Maria!” up to the very moment that they were beheaded.
Throughout the rest of the Joseon dynasty, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Korean Catholics were killed by the unforgiving Confucian government. The beautiful Romanesque-style Catholic church – the first Western architecture in Jeolla province – is recognised as a holy site and shrine by the Catholic order. The land was bought in 1891 by a French priest, François-Xavier Baudounet, with the church built between 1908 and 1914.
It was designed by another French priest, Victor Poisnel, who had previously designed the Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. The cathedral’s floor plan is shaped in the image of the Virgin Mary lying down, and according to the church there is none like it around the world. There is an interesting connection to China here as well, as it is said that the building’s signature red bricks were baked by around 100 Chinese technicians hired for the job.
You can go inside the church, though taking photos is not allowed. Inside you will find a small yet serene and intimate space, with muted red bricks and understated, simple stained glass windows and arches. There are statues of the two martyrs outside the church, with both dressed in hanbok and wearing the traditional Korean men’s high bun hairstyle, called sangtu .
One of them is carrying a cross, while looking up at the sky pleadingly. It may be a relief to today’s visitors to Jeonju that the ideological dogmatism that sought to resolve dissent through beheadings is a thing of the past. It will be an even bigger relief that now they have finished absorbing the rich history of Jeonju, it is finally time for a lighter experience: indulging in all the Korean delicacies that the city is so famous for, such as bibimbap, tteokgalbi (minced beef short ribs) and kongnamul gukbap (bean sprout soup with rice).
.
