Tongyeong is a small town (population 134,082 according to Wikipedia) about as far south as you can go in mainland South Korea. This town is the gateway to another destination, Geojedo, but we’ll get to that destination in another post. My Korean friend Hun Ji and I spent a day in Tongyeong exploring the sights. Warning: I took LOTS of pictures, so this post may load slowly if you’re on a slower internet connection.

After taking a bus from Seoul to Tongyeong and a local bus to the downtown area, we began meandering. Our first stop: a local market which caught our eye while on the local bus – always interesting to see what’s for sale. Within 20 meters, you have fresh veggies, clothing, lingerie, and pots & pans for sale.

Since most markets look the same after awhile (long overcrowded aisles with lots of the same things for sale), we moved on to find the water: (click on the picture for a much larger view)

Lots of fishing going on, and a fish market around the corner would be explored in due time. For now, there’s a curious thing on the water.

Dubbed the ‘Turtle Ship’, this impressive battle ship was used during the Japanese invasion of 1592-1598. It’s hull was anywhere from two inches to a foot thick, was roofed with iron plates and spikes to make boarding a bad idea, and it’s design made it impossible to look in from the outside.

Each side had six gun-holes, including a gun-hole in the dragon’s mouth (look back up a couple pictures).

A few posters of the battles fought and men that served (in Korean, of course, but you can get the idea).

Hun Ji said this was a poster indicating battle strategies, communicated by flags. Hoist up one flag and move into an attack position, or hoist another flag to surround the enemy, and so on.

Some of the uniforms worn during the era.

A large Korean drum, probably used to time the strokes of the oars.

With some history learned, we moved on to the local live fish market – where all fish were fresh whether they were still moving or not.

Unlike Jagalchi Fish Market (in Busan), there didn’t seem to be any restaurants around to prepare your catch – I’m guessing most of the customers took their meals home and cooked them there. Maybe I missed them.

A very crowded Saturday at the market – navigating the overcrowded alleys requires a certain amount of aggression balanced with patience. Naturally, the ajumma working in the area magically moved around the shoppers and tourists, whether by a subtle push or people making way for the busy women.

Some fish were there for the eating….

But a few were just pretty to look at (a nearby pet store).

As we continued to meander, we looked up the hill and noticed some colorful walls:

Naturally, we had to investigate. It’s my guess that the locals wanted to upgrade the gray concrete walls and spruce up the area, so they either took the paint themselves or hired some artists to beautify the area. Their efforts were wonderful either way – I only wish I knew who to credit. These are just a few:

 

The last one is my personal favorite. Soju is a local – and cheap – alcoholic beverage that can be had at virtually any Korean restaurant or convenience store.

Gotta love the view of the city on a hill.

Our next stop was the Tongyeong Open Air Sculpture Park – 15 sculptures made by “the most capable 15 sculptors from all of the world” in 1997.

Titled “Motion Pictures of Four Landscapes” by Ito Takamichi (Japan). Imagine four pieces of reflective stainless steel in the rough shape of surfboards that rotate. According to the artist statement, they “represent the meeting point of the sky, sea, land, and man”, and “reflect the changes of the four season [sic], climate, and culture”.

My personal favorite – titled “A Barrel and a Quasi-cubic Shape” by Jesus Rafael Soto (Venezeula). Pass through the vinyl strings and “pass through the physical realm of the artwork itself.” Lots of fun!

Titled “The Overturned Tomb” by Huang Yong Ping (China), it is “reminiscent of an overturned Chinese tomb”, and “represents the traditional Chinese point of view about the world that refuses death.

At this point, we perused the map for our next stop. We found the Hallyeosudo View Ropeway / Cable Car a bus ride away, and set out to find it. Understanding the bus map, however, was a different story. The complete schedule is only helpful if you read Korean well and know where each of these destinations go. After asking some directions from a local, we found our way.

Climbing the hill to the cable car – why can’t we walk downhill to a tourist attraction just once?

The cable car runs 1,975 meters, takes 10 minutes to get from point A (bottom) to point B (top). Their claim is that they can move 1,000 passengers an hour, and with each cable car holding eight people, I suspect they’re right – the line moved pretty fast.

Once we reached the top, there was some great views of the area:

Lots of islands off the southern coast of Korea.

A nearby lookout point – even further up the hill from the cable car?

Ugh… stairs… the cable car was closing soon, so we had to pass.

At the top station – no tourist attraction would be complete without a souvenir shop.

Look through the binoculars on a clear day to see Tsushima, the nearest Japanese island.

The cable car down…

Tongyeong is definitely worth the trip to southernmost South Korea, and offers more than its share of sites for such a small town. If you find yourself near Busan, it’s worth the bus ride over to Tongyeong and take a look around.