Yeosu and Suncheon Travel Guide

Introduction

Located on the southern coast of the peninsula, Yeosu is a pretty little port city. The town, whose means "beautiful water," is located on the western end of the Hallyeo Marine National Park. The city includes 317 tiny islands off the coast, most of them uninhabited. A couple of those islands, Odong-do and Dolsan-do, are now connected by bridges to the mainland. Yeosu was the naval command center for Admiral Yi Sun-shin, who invented the turtle ship. There is still a full-size replica of one of the iron-clad ships that helped defeat the Japanese navy. The city is busy getting ready to host the 2012 World Expo.

Sitting pretty on the upper end of the Yeosu peninsula, just 40 minutes from Yeosu, is Suncheon. Sometimes called the "City of Beautiful People," it is the second-largest metropolis in Jeollanam-do. Nearby is Jogyesan Provincial Park, which surrounds Mt. Jogye. At its base are two Seon (Zen) Buddhist temples which have been instrumental in introducing and spreading...