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Jeonju is one of the best places in South Korea to see hanok, traditional wooden houses © Kangheewan / Getty Images
1. There are hundreds of hanok
Slate-tile roofs curling up gently to the sky, whitewashed mud walls and discreet courtyards – these are
hanok,
the traditional homes of the Korean upper class. Jeonju has one of the
country’s largest collections of them, literally hundreds arranged
around a network of cobblestone lanes known as
Jeonju Hanok Maeul,
smack in the middle of the city. Few are lived in today, but that’s
because they now house workshops, tiny museums, teahouses and boutiques.
2. It’s the birthplace of bibimbap
Bibimbap, a bowl of rice topped with vegetables, chilli
paste and an egg, is one of Korea’s star dishes. It comes in myriad
varieties, but it all started here. Not only is Jeonju the birthplace of
bibimbap, it’s also the best place to eat it: Koreans say food in
general tastes best in Jeonju, and here the dish is served with mung
bean sprout jelly (a local delicacy).
The bibimbap waffle – just one of many forms of bibimbap, which was invented in Jeonju © JeeHyun_K / Getty Images
3. …and the Joseon dynasty
Well, sort of: the founder of Korea’s longest (and last)
political dynasty, Yi Seong-gye, hailed from Jeonju. His portrait and
memorial tablet are enshrined at the palace,
Gyeonggijeon, which was built in 1410 a few years after his death (and was most recently reconstructed in 1614).
4. You can sleep like (former) royalty
Many hanok are now also guesthouses, including the one owned by
the grandson of Korea’s last king. Okay, it’s actually a pretty humble
affair, as sleeping in a hanok means sleeping on mats on the floor
(which benefits from
ondol, a unique form of underfloor heating
in traditional Korean architecture). Travellers are spoiled for choice
when it comes to accommodation: you can go for a simple room in a home
that remains largely as it was or splash out on a room in one of those
that has been fitted out with a slick new interior and modern amenities.
Jeonju's street food scene has taken off in recent years © Kangheewan / Getty Images
5. There’s a growing street food scene
Not content to rest on its bibimbap-flavoured laurels, Jeonju has
a thriving street food scene
– which is arguably as popular as the hanok village (especially among
students and budget travellers). There are classic treats on offer, like
wholewheat
hotteok (griddle cakes), typical snack shack fare
like fried squid, and an ever-evolving selection of new creations. On
Friday and Saturday nights you can indulge until late at the night
market.
6. Artists have left their mark here
A village within the city,
Jaman Village
started as a hillside shanty town that went up after the Korean War.
Rather than see it torn down, artists have given it new life by painting
the sides of the small homes with colourful murals (a trend which is
popping up around South Korea). Some artists have decided to put down roots here as well, opening galleries and boutiques.
Jeonju boasts whole strips of bars devoted to makgeolli, Korean rice wine served in kettles and drunk from bowls © Seongjoon Cho / Getty Images
7. The city is mad for makgeolli
Jeonju is a city that loves to let loose in the evening, but not
just in the beer and karaoke way: locals of all ages come together over
copper kettles of
makgeolli – Korea’s traditional unfiltered rice
wine. There are no less than seven nightlife strips devoted to
makgeolli bars here. Even better, for every kettle you order, a round of
food is brought to the table free of charge.
8. Oh, and cafes too
You can take your pick from artsy terrace cafes attached to Jaman’s galleries, hipsters digs inside the old
Nambu-sijang market, and spotlit, bookish spaces inside renovated hanok.
The Jeondong Catholic Church is one of the most beautiful churches in South Korea © Jong-Won Heo / Getty Images
9. There’s sobering religious history
Two key sights in Jeonju shed light on the precarious history of Christians in Korea:
Jeondong Catholic Church and
Martyr Mountain.
The former is a 100-year-old red-brick church, built on the spot where
Korean Catholics were executed a century earlier; the latter is their
burial site, a hillside marked with 13 crosses. Not lost to history, the
hill is popular with joggers and strollers, especially in the late
afternoon: the sunset view from the summit is known as the best in town.