Korea Trip 2022: Foraying into Gangwon-do and Pocheon

I’ve been staying with my 이모 (aunt) and 이모부 (aunt’s husband) for a couple days, and after my first night at their place, they invited me to join them on a day trip up north to 강원도 (Gangwon-do) and 포천시 (Pocheon). My aunt’s husband wasn’t able to visit his mother’s grave site during Chuseok, and he had taken the day off so that he, my aunt, and his older sister could visit and pay their respects. I decided to join because I haven’t gone that far up north before, and I was curious about what we could see.

The drive up to 강원도 (Gangwon Province) took over two hours. Traffic was very heavy for about the first hour, as we had to pass through Incheon as well as Seoul. In time, we stopped seeing high-rise buildings and apartments and started seeing more mountains and farmland. As we hit 포천시 (Pocheon), my aunt’s husband stopped at a local street vendor selling steamed 옥수수 (corn) and 건빵 (hardtacks). He ordered three corn for ₩5,000 (estimated $3.58). I generally don’t enjoy Korean corn; its lack of sweetness doesn’t fit my palate, and this occasion was no different. At the very least, the corn was hot, and my companions for the day loved them. On our way up to the cemetery, we passed by a couple facilities that had flags adorned with a skull and crossbones - these indicate military facilities.

목련공원 (Mokryun Park) | Naver link

I had visited the grave site where my 외할아버지 (maternal grandfather), 큰이모 (older aunt), and 큰이모부 (her husband) were buried last week as part of Chuseok, so the sight greeting me here was very familiar. Brightly colored flowers speckled the hills where the grave sites were located. Save for the cawing of crows and some nearby construction workers, it was very quiet. I did love breathing in the rich mountain air, and when looking about, I was treated to a pretty spectacular view. I helped my family set up a picnic blanket and an array of fruit in front of the grave site - a traditional spread for those paying respect to the dead. We stood, and my aunt’s husband and his older sister addressed their mother and said a few words, mainly how they and their families were doing. Then the two of them got on their knees and bowed deeply. Having brought some orange juice, my aunt’s husband poured some on the grave - another tradition (I did the same for my grandfather the last time I had visited Korea). Afterward, we settled down on the blanket and helped ourselves to the fruit spread. My family, hearing the crows cawing, commented that they were a bad sign and wondered why there were so many. I had seen the crows harassing a nearby magpie, so I told them I figured it was because of that. I was then told that magpies were a good sign.

원조이동산장갈비 (Wonjo Idong Sanjang Galbi) | Naver link

After making several trips up here, my aunt’s family had discovered the town of 이동 (Idong) and its specialty, 이동갈비 (Idong galbi) - beef ribs from 한우 (Hanwoo), a breed of small cattle native to Korea. Our group went to 원조이동산장갈비, which is one of many restaurants serving this dish. In fact, in order to get here, we had driven down a road that was just full of these restaurants. Here, one serving of Idong galbi costs ₩40,000 ($28.65), and for that, you get a nice spread of banchan - one of which was the absolutely delicious 양념게장 (spicy marinated raw crab) - as well as components for 쌈 (ssam), a Korean dish in which leafy vegetables are used to wrap around a piece of meat. I stacked my ssam with galbi, marinated onions, raw garlic, ssamjang, and cold napa cabbage before eating it. Idong galbi stands apart from L.A. galbi, which is the type of galbi typically served at Korean BBQ places and sold in Korean markets in the U.S., in that the taste isn’t as sweet and the flavor of the beef comes through first and foremost. While we were eating, we heard nearly a dozen helicopters - including AH-64 Apaches - fly overhead; as it turns out, there was an air base about a mile or two away, and they were taking off for training exercises. It wasn’t long before we heard gunfire and distinct booms in the distance, and these sounds occurred for about a half hour. After we were done eating, we went out to a patio that was meant to accommodate work parties. There was even a building with a karaoke machine! We each got some coffee to wash down our meal.

산정호수 (Sanjeonghosu Lake) | Naver link

My aunt and her husband really wanted for me to visit some tourist-friendly spots while we were in Pocheon, and our first stop was Sanjeonghosu, a large lake within the nearby mountains. There are plenty of pensions in the road leading up to here, and my guess was that this place was popular for couples wanting a weekend getaway. Luckily for us, we only saw a handful of people here. There are paddle boats you can rent offshore, and you can choose to walk around the lake. While I was inclined to do the latter, it was already past 4:00pm, and my aunt said that walking around the lake’s perimeter would take about an hour and a half. She also said there was a much more touristy spot I should go to, so my group decided to leave after spending only about 20 minutes here.

포천아트벨리 (Pocheon Art Valley) | Naver link

The much more touristy spot my aunt had in mind was Pocheon Art Valley. In the early 2000s, the City of Pocheon turned what was an old abandoned rock quarry into an art space and park. Because we arrived near 5:00pm, after paying an admission fee of ₩5,000 (estimated $3.58) for each adult, my aunt’s husband and I (my aunt and her sister-in-law wanted to rest) decided to pay an additional fee to use the monorail to get to the quarry instead of walking up a hill. The monorail takes visitors up and down every 15 minutes, and while it’s slow, it beats climbing for those who are incline-averse. When we arrived, we first checked out the park’s astronomical observatory, which is probably best enjoyed by children. The park is full of fascinating sculptures, and I got a real kick out of several. The real attraction, however, is the quarry-turned-lake. The lake’s waters are a beautiful emerald green, and equally impressive are the quarry’s sharp cliffs with their dark slashes. There are several viewpoints for visitors to look observe the lake and quarry, and we went to them all, being careful to watch our steps. After enjoying a few more sculptures, we took the monorail back down so our group can start heading home.

Note: For those interested in visiting this part of Korea, I do want to warn you that in terms of getting about and such, it’s not very English-friendly in that there are very few English translations on menus, signs, and descriptions. Unless you comfortably read or fluently speak Korean, it’s probably best to come here with Korean speakers who don’t mind translating for you.