Gurye (''Gurye-gun'') is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Jeollanam-do South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam region, South Korea, and the southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of North Jeolla to the nor ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Gurye is a small, picturesque farming town situated between

Jirisan Jirisan () is a mountain located in the southern region of South Korea. It is the second-tallest mountain in South Korea after Jeju Island's Hallasan, and is the tallest mountain in mainland South Korea. The 1915m-high mountain is located in ...

and the

Seomjin River The Seomjin River () is a river in South Korea. It flows through southeastern North Jeolla Province, eastern South Jeolla Province, and western South Gyeongsang Province province. It flows into the Korea Strait. The Seomjin River originates from ...

. In the northeastern part of unwavering efforts at the Mt. Jiri. Gurye is the sole designated special tourism and leisure zone in all of Jeollanam-do. The total size of Gurye County is 443.02 square km, with a modest population of approximately 30,000. Gurye County is a hiking destination during the spring and autumn seasons. The county hosts a number of yearly festivals such as Sansuyu Flower Festival, the Royal Azalea Festival and the Piagol Valley Maple Festival. Gurye is also home to Korea's first national state park, which houses some of Korea's most important temples such as

Hwaeomsa Hwaeomsa () is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is located on the slopes of Jirisan, in Masan-myeon, Gurye County, in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. History Hwaeomsa was established in 544 by Ven. Yeongi Josa. It w ...

, Cheoneunsa, and Yeongoksa.

Location

Gurye is located in the southwest portion of the Korean peninsula, and is easily accessible from Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, as well as other major cities.

History

During the

Samhan Samhan, or Three Han (), is the collective name of the Byeonhan, Jinhan, and Mahan confederacies that emerged in the first century BC during the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea, or Samhan, period. Located in the central and southern regions o ...

period, Gurye was part of Gorap, one of the 54 statelets of the

Mahan confederacy Mahan () was a tribal grouping in southwestern Korea described in Chinese sources from the 3rd century. It was the largest of the 'three Hans' (the Samhan), along with Byeonhan and Jinhan. During the 4th century, the kingdom of Baekje rose in ...

. As the domain of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

Kingdom expanded during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period, Gurye was absorbed as one of the kingdom's counties, where it was known as ''Gucharye'' (or ''Guchaji''). During the reign of King Gyeongdeok (r. 742–65) of

Unified Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla, is the name often applied to the historical period of the Korean kingdom of Silla after its conquest of Goguryeo in 668 AD, which marked the end of the Three Kingdoms period. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alli ...

, the region was part of

Gokseong County Gokseong County () is a county in Jeollanam-do, South Korea and the least densely populated subdivision of the province. Attractions * Taeansa Temple * Neungpa Tower * Seomjin River * Dongli mountain valley * Gok-song Haneulnari Village (a farmi ...

, when it also attained its current name.

Symbols

* Flower : Royal Azaleas * Tree : Sansuyu tree * Bird : Pigeon

Transportation

Bus

Although Gurye is a small county, it is a tourist designated zone and often visited by Koreans year round. The Gurye Bus Terminal located in the center of Gurye-Eup, offers 7 daily bus routes to and from

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

Nambu Bus Terminal. Each bus departs every 2 hours, with the earliest bus departing at 7:00 a.m. and the latest at 7:00 p.m. The duration of the trip is 3 hours and 35 minutes, which includes a short concession stop midway. There are numerous buses that depart to

Suncheon Suncheon (; ) is the largest city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, with a population of 280,719 as of 2022. It is located in the southeast of the province and is a scenic agricultural and industrial city, known for tourist attractions, suc ...

, the closest city with theaters and large department stores (approx 30 mins away) and to

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

, the closest metropolitan city which is 1.5 hours away.

Train

There is a train station at the opposite end of the Bus Terminal operated by

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation () is the national railway operator in South Korea. It is branded as KORAIL () and changed its official Korean name () in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, ...

. The Guryegu Station is part of the

Jeolla line The Jeolla Line () is a railway line in North and South Jeolla Provinces in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul (via the Gyeongbu and Honam Lines) to Yeosu. History The first railway along a section of ...

and is located near Sinwol-ri, approximately 10 minutes by car from the Gurye Bus Terminal. Please refer to the Korail website for specific bus routes, times, and fares.

Car

is the nearest city, and it takes about 20 minutes by car. Gwangju is the closest metropolitan city, which is approximately 1 hour by car.

Festival

Gurye is known for the ''Sansuyu (Cornus Fruit) Flower Festival''. Sansuyu is the fruit of the

Cornus officinalis ''Cornus officinalis'', the Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae. Despite its name, it is native to China and Korea as well as Japan. It is not to be confused with '' C. mas ...

(산수유) which has yellow flowers in early spring. The Sansuyu Flower Festival is held every mid-March and takes place at the hot springs tourist site at the foot of Mount Jiri. The festival features a wide variety of programs including an exhibition of local products made from sansuyu (cornus fruit), performances, hands-on events and fireworks. Sansuyu blossoms produce a uniquely favored tea and fine liquor. In 2007, more than 500,000 tourists visited during the four-day festival. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of South Korea chose Gurye's festival as an excellent culture-tour event for the first time.

Products

Sansuyu is a well-known medicinal item from ancient Korean history. The ''

Dongui Bogam The ''Dongui Bogam'' (; translated as "Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine") is a Korean book compiled by the royal physician, Heo Jun and was first published in 1613 during the Joseon period of Korea. The book is regarded as important in ...

'', a Joseon Dynasty medical book, said it has several effects such as protecting liver and skin. The flowers are effective in curing inflammations of the liver, diabetes, high blood pressure, cold hands and feet, and can help enhance the immune system.

Education

Several elementary, middle schools, and high schools are located in Gurye county.
Gurye Girls' Middle School (구례여자중학교)Gurye Boys' Middle School (구례중학교)Gurye East Middle School (구례동중학교)Gurye North Middle School (구례북중학교)Gurye Sandong Middle School (구례산동중학교)

Sister cities

Geoje Geoje (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city located in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is located near Busan. Hanwha Ocean in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in Gohyeon are both located on Geoje Island. The cit ...

Since Dec 10, 1998 * Suyeong-gu,

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

Since Feb 9th of 1999. * Guro,

Chizhou Chizhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Anhui province, China. It borders Anqing to the northwest, Tongling and Wuhu to the northeast, Xuancheng to the east, Huangshan to the southeast, and the province of Jiangxi to the southwest ...

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Unzen, Nagasaki file:Fugendake 02 Pyroplastic flow area.JPG, 270px, Fugendake Pyroplastic flow area file:Unzen obama town1.JPG, 270px, Obama Onsen is a Cities of Japan, city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 40,831 i ...

Citations

References

External links

Gurye County home page
{{coord, 35.2094444544, N, 127.464444454, E, source:ruwiki_region:KR_type:city(33588), format=dms, display=title Counties of South Jeolla Province