Jeonju



Jeonju (전주, 全州) is the capital of North Jeolla province, South Korea. It is an administrative, educational, and cultural center in the central part of Jeollabuk-do. The area is 206.2 ㎢, accounting for 2.6% of the total area of Jeonbuk. As of 2020, the population was 666,177, accounting for 36.3% of the total population of Jeonbuk.

Understand
Jeonju has been a central city in the Jeolla region for centuries. It was regarded as the birthplace of the Joseon dynasty, as the royal family clan was from Jeonju.

Jeonju has many traditional architectures and heritages, and even the expressway tollgate is in shape of hanok.

By train
KTX trains to Jeonju Station from Seoul depart from Yongsan Station, with some departing from Seoul Station. This is the fastest but most expensive option, taking about 2 hours from Seoul. Basic KTX fare from Seoul to Jeonju is ₩29,400 (2023).

Reaching Jeonju by train from the Gyeongsang region (Busan, Gyeongju, Changwon) require a detour and a transfer usually at Osong Station.

By bus
The Express Bus Terminal (고속버스터미널) and Intercity Bus Terminal (시외버스터미널) are right next to each other.

From Seoul, express buses departing from Central City Terminal are available for as little as ₩6,900 (child) ₩13,800 (adult) and take 2 hours and 40 minutes. From Incheon Airport, there are limousine buses that run every half hour that will take you near city hall in Jeonju. It takes 3 hours and 30 minutes. From Busan, express buses leave approximately every hour and cost ₩24,900. The trip takes around 3 hours.

Every bus trip makes at least one rest stop during the journey for about 15 minutes at a rest area where you can grab a bite or use the restroom.

By bus
There's an excellent public bus system that costs ₩1,300. All buses have free wifi. Line 1000, with a trolleybus livery, is designed for tourists and connects the train station and bus terminals to the hotel district and hanok village.

By taxi
Meter drop for taxis is ₩2,800. From the station to Hanok Maeul (Hanok Village) it's about ₩5,500.

By foot
Due to its relatively small size the main tourist spots can be fairly well seen by foot; sights like Deokjin Park, Wolseon Park and the city centre are not that far from each other.

By bike
Kakao T Bike, a shared electric bike service, is available in most of the city. There are no designated stations so the bikes can be left wherever as long as they are locked and accessible. ₩1,130 for the first 15 minutes and ₩500 for each 5 minutes after.

Do
Watch the local football team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC at the. They are one of the most successful in Korea (8-time K League Winner) and have won the AFC Champions League twice.

Eat
Jeonju is famous for its cuisine. Bibimbap is one of the most famous Korean dishes native to this region. "Bibim" means mixed and "bap" means rice. Served in the traditional brassware, it consists of rice with seasonal stir fried vegetables (carrot, bean sprout, radish, spinach, zucchini, bracken), seaweed (gim), and hot pepper paste (gochujang). It is also available in a hot stone bowl (dol sot), which slowly cooks the egg as you stir the ingredients together. The characteristic thing about Jeonju bibimbap is that it comes with Korean beef tartar (Yukhoe), Hwang Po Mook (a yellow jelly made from mung beans) and raw egg yolk (most of other regions in Korea serve with fried egg). The price for a serving of bibimbap is about ₩10,000. Along with bibimbap, kongnamul gukbap (bean sprout soup with rice) is one of the most popular food in Jeonju. Also give mountain vegetable (san chae) bibimbap a taste, if you're at any of the local mountains.

Some famous Bibimbap restaurants include:



Jeonju-style Bean Sprout and Rice Soup Jeonju is known for its delicious food. Bean sprout and rice soup is called 'kong na mul kuk bap'. Various ingredients make delicious kongnamulkukbap. Bean sprouts are a basic ingredient for this. Jeonju-style bean sprout and rice soup is used a specially-made seasoning in food.

Watery black-bean-sauce noodles (Muljjajang-myeon) Jeonju has had special jjajang-myeon. Original jjajang-myeon is dry and savoury, on the other hand muljjajang-myeon is something spicy and watery. It had transparent soup in the old days, but now it has become reddish and spicy soup as per Jeonju people's taste.

Homemade chocolate pie This chocolate pie is different to other chocolate pies. It is much bigger and sweeter than others. Also there is no marshmallow. It is popular all over the country including Jeonju.

Drink
Jeonju contains some areas for going out for drinks. The area by Jeonbuk National university, referred to by students as the Old Gate, is full of bars, restaurants, and Korean-style pochas catering to those in their 20s.

Another popular zone is Sinsigaji located in front of the provincial government building. This area is relatively new and has more variety of restaurants, bars, and clubs than the Old Gate. This area caters to university students and older audiences as well.

Foreign bars in Jeonju include J.R.'s Saloon, Deepin, Art & Travel, Tombstone and Mad Hungry.

Crude liquor (Moju) Crude liquor is an alcohol used as a hangover-chaser. It is made from makgeolli which mixed 8 medicinal herbs. Medicinal herbs are ginger, jujube, cinnamon, pear, etc.

Sleep




Hanok village stays
Traditional Korean traditional house accommodation.



Connect
Just like in the rest of Korea, internet cafes, known as PC Bang (look for signs showing PC방) are plentiful in Jeonju, these provide high speed internet access and modern desktop usage for around ₩1,000 an hour.

Go next
Buses regularly leave for Busan and other cities. The intercity and express bus terminal are very close to each other on the river.