Browsing the archives for the King Munmu tag
Unfortunately, this is another story that’s coming just a bit late for summer vacation, but then again I’m one of those odd folks who actually prefer going to the beach in autumn. Perhaps the subtle melancholy in the air suites my temperament more, or maybe I just don’t like crowded beaches in summer. Either way, [...]
As part of another project I’ve got in the works at the moment, I put together a brief timeline of the history of Gyeongju which I’m posting it here with some photos. I hope that clearly and concisely portrays the dramatic thousand year rise and fall of the Shilla Dynasty and is subsequent rediscovery and [...]
If you’re visiting the Gyeongju National Museum and happen to look east over the highway you might notice the outline of a hill on the far side of the train tracks. From the looks of it you wouldn’t guess this low ridge (often describe as looking like a silkworm) was in fact considered one of [...]
Continued from Part 1….. 6. King Munmu the Great (문무왕r. 661 – 681 C.E.): King Munmu wasn’t dubbed “the Great” for nothing. A nephew of the famed general Kim Yu-shin, Munmu was the Shilla Emperor responsible for finally defeating both the Beakjae and Gogoruyeo kingdoms (with some assistance from Tang China) and uniting the Korean [...]
Probably my top pick of things to do when visiting Gyeongju is to go for a walk around Anapji Pond (안압지) at night. Sure, Anapji’s worth checking out during the day, but when the sun goes down it really blings. The city’s done a great job with lighting, though some might say its a bit [...]
With friends visiting for the New Year, we decided to make use of our new set of wheels and go exploring a bit. On New Year’s day we made the 45 min. trek over the mountains to Bonggil Beach (봉길해수욕장) on the East Sea, though were a bit too late to catch the sunrise, as [...]
