Uljin from the Hills

My school’s graduation was this previous Friday, so I have had the last few days off and decided to take a few pictures around Uljin. Here is a brief photo essay of my travels in the town I work within.





Anyone who travels through Korea is likely to notice the incredible number of mountains that divides the nation. You can imagine how much of an ordeal it would have been to travel between towns before the advent of the highway system (and even with it it's a bit tough), and Korea’s separatism from other parts of Asia makes a lot of sense when you travel throughout the country. The Hermit Kingdom was created both by Korean skepticism and distrust of the outside, but also by its natural fortress that it has been gifted with. Here are a few pictures of the mountains just above my home.





With great mountains comes great hiking, and there are more than enough trails to satisfy those tired of city life. Along the many paths, you will find traditional family tombs that dot the Korean countryside. Korean tombs are generally buried and covered in large mounds. The larger the mound, the more important the individual beneath it, as you can see by the tombs of the Kings in Gyeongju (this picture is taken from Wikipedia).



The family tombs on the trails near my home are not nearly as magnificent, but are still an interesting part of the surrounding local.







The view from the mountains is impressive. Here is the city of Uljin that resides south of the river. This is the part I live in, and is generally less well-to-do than the northern end of the town.





Photos from the city itself tomorrow.