Ulsan Travel Guide, South Korea

Ulsan Travel Guide –A City of Opportunities

Ulsan is a city of around 880 000 inhabitants, part of South Kyonsang province. It is a harbor at the Sea of Japan, a gateway for trade, but it all started with fishing and agriculture. Since 1962, the city has been linked to Seoul by road and railway and thus it turned into an industrial center. The main industries are: shipbuilding, oil refining, fertilizers, synthetic textiles, mining, whale hunting (an activity much criticized by Greenpeace) and last but not least, Ulsan is the place to find the headquarters of vehicle producer Hyundai.

Besides being a generous employment spot for Koreans, to the tourists it offers good hotels and an incredible nightlife. It is an occasion also for Russian girls to earn huge wages in strip bars. The industry of entertainment includes not only strip bars, but a wide range of places to spend the night out, with unconventional or traditional offers, some having funny names such as: Chicken Head, Tombstone, Spy Bar.

Ulsan Travel Guide – The City of Harmony

Traveling to Ulsan, one will find not only the noise and unrest of industry and the temptation to spend a night in the city, but also the care for nature and for the moral, harmonious development of people. The principles of living, inherited from ancient times, are summarized in a few symbols of the city: the pear flower stands for grace, integrity, a noble mind; the gingko tree grows straight despite obstacles such as air pollution; the white heron has the features all people should have: elegant, friendly, noble; a symbolic tower which is actually a statue stands for the harmony of the inhabitants and their potential good future together.

The city even has a mascot, a nice whale with the name of Haeuri, meaning “Grand Sun”. The care for environment can be noticed from the fact that river Taehwa is a very healthy habitat, a place to live for wild pigs, water deer, wild cats and a large variety of birds.

Ulsan Travel Guide - Places to Visit, Events to Attend

No matter you are in Ulsan as an industry worker, a foreign English teacher or just a tourist, there are some things you should not miss. All week long there are tour buses showing people “12 scenic areas of Ulsan”. Although not very tall the mountains of Ulsan are spectacular: any Ulsan travel guide will recommend visiting Mt. Gajisan- the spring of Tahwa (Taehwagang) river is to be found here; Ganjeolgot- a place popular on New Year’s Day because it is said to be the earliest sunrise in northeastern Asia; Paraeso waterfall is also spectacular.

Close cities to be visited are Daegu, 41 miles away and Busan, 36 miles away.

You may also go to beaches, sandy or with pebbles such as the one at Gangdon or to legend places, such as Daewang Pine Forest and Rock where queen Mummu of the ancient people of Silla is said to be buried. If you want up to date pieces of information regarding Ulsan (currencies, means of transportation, events, environmental or business issues) you may visit the site of the municipality of Ulsan. For instance, in June there is Taehwang Water Festival, including swimming, banana boating or canoeing competitions, all kind of contests, exhibitions and concertos.