MFC: Jeonju, South Korea
Part of my series, My Favorite Cities, in which I highlight the best place in each of the countries I visit.
It’s only right I do one for Korea, isn’t it? I love so many cities in this country—cosmopolitan Seoul, gritty Busan, artsy Yeosu. I could go on.
But for MFC, I had to pick Jeonju.
My coteacher once asked me, “Besides Seoul, where would you recommend people to visit in Korea?” My answers were Busan and Jeonju. This is the place I took my best friend when she visited Korea (back when, you know, you could just pop over here for a week).
Jeonju is a popular travel destinations for Koreans, but many foreigners don’t know about it. Jeonju is a smaller town in Jeollabuk, part of the southern region of Korea. This region is a lot like the south of the US—it’s a little more rural, the people are considered more “country,” but it’s also got some of the best Korean food and so much traditional culture.
I know Andong is rivalling it for the position as the “most Korean city” but I think there’s a couple of things that win it over in my mind for MFC.
getting to jeonju
Jeonju is about a 2 hour drive from Seoul. You can take a KTX from Iksan, but that will be about 3 hours and is more of a headache. The best way to go, in my opinion, is by bus which takes 2.5 hours. You can buy a ticket at the Seoul Express Terminal or through the app (see my article about traveling in Korea). '
There’s also an airport shuttle from ICN, about 3.5 hours. (Or was—in pre-COVID times. Maybe it’ll run again soon?)
From Daejeon, it’s about a 45 minute bus ride, making it the perfect day trip. They’ll drop you off at the Jeonju Express Bus Terminal.
After arriving, you can take the excellent bus system to the Hanok Village. Or you can taxi, which will be around 5,500W. You can just tell them Hanok Maeul (Han-ohk mah-eul) and the cab driver will know.
The Hanok Village 전주한옥마을
Okay so let’s get to why this place is so cool. I’ve been to Jeonju twice, both times for this: the Hanok Village. This is a neighborhood of Joseon-era (1392-1910) traditional buildings. Unlike Seoul’s or Andong’s hanok villages, you don’t have to stress about your noise disturbing residents; most of these buildings are now museums, hanbok rentals or cafes.
And so, so many cafes there are.
This one is my favorite hanok village in all of Korea (yes, even more than Andong’s!). Andong’s hanok village is more rural and countryside—if you want to see what a traditional Korean village looked like, complete with thatched roofs and greenery, go there. If you want to see what a Korean traditional town looked like, more densely-packed and full of shops, then Jeonju is best.
My first visit, we rented hanboks (traditional Korean clothes) for pretty cheap—for us, it was 10,000 for an hour, but I think you could shop around and find better prices.
Theses aren’t strictly traditional. Many are modernized hanboks and they’ll often do your hair for you. They’re usually free-sized, which is to say only one size offered.
If you’re not Korean and you feel weird about wearing a hanbok, then that’s understandable and totally valid. I know I felt a little weird the first time I wore one. Am I treating it like a costume? Is it disrespectful?
In my honest opinion, you’re giving money to a Korean business in Korea. No one’s gonna bat an eye at you wearing them. Here, it’s seen as an act of appreciation, not exploitation or appropriation. But it’s up to you.
If you’re not so into wearing hanbok, it’s also common for people to rent 1920s-1940s and even earlier (19th century) retro clothing. You’ll see lots of people walking around in vintage wear, popularized by the period drama, Mr. Sunshine. These are a little bit more expensive than renting a normal hanbok.
Each time I go, we have to eat some Jeonju bimbimbap. The mixed rice dish is famous here, and you can even get it with raw beef tartar (육회). In Jeonju they top it with a raw egg unlike the typical fried egg in the rest of Korea.
Another popular spot is Veteran 베테랑 신시가지점, a kalguksu shop. Kalguksu is the name for hand-pulled noodles, served in a yummy sesame-y, seaweed-y broth. I looooove this place. There used to be one in the Seoul Gyeongbu Bus Station and I would go before every trip. I also recommend their mandu (dumplings).
Both times I went to Jeonju, it was muggier than the devil’s armpit. Getting an affogato or bingsu (shaved ice dessert) is a good idea—any place here will do.
As we walked around the village, we saw little streams built into the walkways, full of clean water that toddlers will wade in. It’s very green, full of places to sit and take photos. There’s also a couple of beer gardens around, full of tired hanbok-wearers resting in the shade.
Jeonju is full of vendors selling traditional fans, paper, wooden crafts, soju, makgeolli and more. And of course, street food!
Some good things to try are:
Tteokbeokki (spicy rice cakes)
Skewers 꼬치 — octopus, chicken, meatball, cheese; any!
Ddeok (rice cakes—think mochi) — red bean paste is traditional but they come all sorts of flavors
Hotteok - fried pancake stuffed with honey and cinnamon
Odaeng — fish cake skewers. They’re really good!
Twigim — this just means fried. Think fried veggies, cheeseballs, and my fave, gimmari (fried seaweed noodle rolls)
Because of how big and beautiful Jeonju’s hanok village is, I think it’s the best day trip spot to experience traditional Korean culture. There’s also some amazing cafes.
It’s not near the hanok village but there’s also a Makgeolli Alley where you can drink lots of the traditional Korean rice wine. To be honest, it seemed like mostly local ahjossis go there. Makgeolli isn’t a super hot young-person thing. But hey, it’s there!
There’s one last really cool thing about Jeonju— it has a proud queer scene. They have their own pride festival and you can check out here. This is pretty unusual for such a small town. I think I heard there was a lesbian bar as well, although none of my Daejeon friends can remember the name. Worth looking into if you’re in town!
Wow, hard to believe I chose a MFC for Korea—so many good options—but between its food, hanoks, fashion and more, Jeonju deserves it.