School will be held in Daejeon, Korea
The city is geographically located between 127°33'21"and 127°14'54" in the east
longitude, and 36°10'50" through 36°29'47" in the north latitude. It is in the
same latitude as Athens, Lisbon, and San Francisco. The city is located
in the center of South Korea: 167.3 km from Seoul, 294 km from Busan, and 169 km
from Gwangju. It is also the gateway between Yeongnam province and Honam
province. It is an important place where traffic diverges into two major
expressways, the Gyungbu Expressway going to the east and the Honam Expressway
to the west. It becomes the hub of national traffic both in name and reality,
after the rapid transit railway (KTX) started operation in April, 2004. Daejeon is the fifth largest city among South Korea's top six cities, including
Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Gwangju. Its population is 1,390,510 and it
covers an area of 539.83 km² at the end of 2000. Comparing areas of the
boroughs, Yuseong-gu is the largest borough of the city; the second is Dong-gu; the third is Seo-gu; the fourth is Daedeok-gu; and Jung-gu is the smallest.
(See to learn more about the Daejeon City in the following websites
- 1. Daejeon Metropolitan city Official Website
- 2. Travel Service to Daejeon (Visitors information)
- 3. Daejeon tourism website (here).
Excursion
- Group tour (free of charge) to Gyeryongsan National Park is scheduled on Wed. Aug. 20, 2008. We will visit one of the oldest temples in Korea, Donghaksa(temple) and Gapsa(temple) in the national park.
- Below are some scenaries taking from the Gyeryongsan National Park.
- Below are some historical stories about the Donghaksa temple. (more information here)
The college of the Buddhist priesthood for Buddhist nuns is situated in the east of Donghaksa(Temple). Since it is 1km from the entrance of Yuseong of Daejeon to Donghaksa many people come and go. Donghaksa was named as 'Sangwonsa' originated by priest Sangwonjosa. It has been a place for Buddhist nuns since the time of Silla, the 23rd year of King Seongdeok(724). In the period of Goryeo a patriot Doseon, remodeled it and King Taejo prayed for safety of his people. The college was later remodeled extensively by King Sunjo and Gojong (1864). The name of Donghaksa orginated from the rock like a crane near the temple. Another theory is that this was the place to perform rituals to commemorate Jeong mongju, the famous scholar of the end of Goryeo. Inside the temple area there are Daeung-jeon, Sukmojeon, Sameungak, Budo, and a graceful three-storied stone pagoda. Munsuam, Gilsangam, and Mitaam are three temples that are attached to Donghaksa.
There are three shrines which are rare to see in other places before going up to the Daeungjeon. The Sameun shrine enshrines the spirits of three men (Jeong mongju - pen name Poeun, Lee saek - pen name Mogeun, and Giljae - pen name Yaeun). Donggyesa enshrines the patriot Park Jesang of Silla. And Sukmojeon enshrines the spirits of Danjong and Sayuksin, who suffered undue treatment and died while Sejo contended for the throne. Sambulbong can be seen from Daeungjeon and is surrounded by mountains, creating a cozy atmosphere. Donghaksa valley, 4 km long, is very beautiful. We can appreciate it walking along the streams from Donghaksa to Gwaneumbong by way of Euseon falls. A small waterfall and a swarm welcome people and the forest is so dense that sunlight cannot penetrate through the treetops. There is an old saying, "Donghaksa for Spring, Gapsa for autumn", illustrating the beauty of the temple.