[Joyongjun's Travel Journey] Sparkling Travels This Year-End

6 Must-Visit Places in December Filled with Hope and Romance Alongside Brilliant Lights

'Goni Photo Zone,' considered the best spot at the Taean Light Festival

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Yong-jun, Travel Specialist] The time to look back on the year is approaching. It is the year-end when everyone is gently praised for running well, overcoming challenges, and working hard. Therefore, we introduce romantic travel destinations that sing of hope and love along with colorful and dazzling lights for December trips. Coincidentally, the Korea Tourism Organization has recommended dazzling travel spots where you can create special memories with friends, lovers, or family as the year ends. These include a fantasy world designed with lights and illumination in Icheon Starlight Garden Universe, the awakened Gwangmyeong Cave with its long mining history, the magical world that awakens at night, and the Busan Gwangalli M Drone Light Show.

Gyeonggi Icheon ? A Fantasy World Designed with Lights and Illumination, Icheon Starlight Garden Universe

'Romantic Garden' Resembling Austria's Belvedere Palace

Located at the Deokpyeong Nature Rest Area on the Yeongdong Expressway, Starlight Garden Universe offers a joyful and fantastic experience. This is because a remaining site of about 46,000 square meters (approximately 14,000 pyeong), including a closed section of the Yeongdong Expressway, has been developed into an illumination theme park. Everywhere you step, various sculptures, installations, and artworks made with lights welcome you.

When darkness falls, the Violet Fantasy, where purple stars seem to pour down, the Romantic Garden, a magnificent European palace made of bulbs, and Tunnel Galaxy 101, the longest light tunnel in Korea, present a feast of lights.

The winter operating hours of Starlight Garden Universe are from 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM during the day and from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM at night (open year-round). Admission is free during the day with the purchase of one drink per person at the Jinri Cafe inside the main building, and at night, it costs 12,000 KRW for adults (14 years and older) and 6,000 KRW for children.

Icheon is known as the city of ceramics. Yes Park is a place where ceramic artisans gather to create and sell their works. Seolbong Park, located at the foot of Seolbong Mountain, offers a tranquil atmosphere with a walking trail around a large lake.

Gyeonggi Gwangmyeong ? Gwangmyeong Cave Awakened Alongside the Long History of Mining

Media Facade Show Enjoyed at the Seoul Arts Center inside Gwangmyeong Cave

Situated on Gahak Mountain, Gwangmyeong Cave is a landmark of Gwangmyeong City and was selected as one of Korea’s Top 100 Tourist Attractions in 2021-2022. It holds countless stories from over 100 years of mining history and also serves as a cultural and artistic space perfect for families to enjoy.

Inside the cave, visitors can experience the dazzling Wormhole Plaza, the light space embroidered with colorful LED lights, the Cave Art Hall featuring media facades, the Cave Aqua World where various fish are raised using first-class bedrock water from Gwangmyeong Cave, and then descend to the underground level 1 to explore the cave’s underground world, ending the cave exploration at the Gwangmyeong Wine Cave.

The Mineral Exhibition Experience Center outside offers various hands-on activities that children will enjoy. Climbing the stairs to the right of the cave entrance leads to the cave observatory 'Sky View,' where you can also witness a beautiful sunset to the west.

Next to Gwangmyeong Cave, the Gwangmyeong Upcycle Art Center is hosting a special exhibition titled Endemic, Upcycle, which utilizes waste resources left from the COVID-19 pandemic, running until the 31st.

The Dodeoksan Suspension Bridge is the second Y-shaped suspension bridge opened in Korea after Udu Mountain in Geochang, Gyeongnam. It is not far from the entrance of Dodeoksan Mountain and has gentle terrain, making it suitable for a leisurely walk.

Busan Suyeong ? A Light Fantasy Decorating the Beach Night, Gwangalli M Drone Light Show

Gwangalli's Top Attraction, a Drone Show Full of Detail

Now, the night in Busan is taken care of by the Gwangalli M Drone Light Show. This is a permanent performance organized by Suyeong District, held twice every Saturday until 2023 (from October to February at 7 PM and 9 PM / from March to September at 8 PM and 10 PM), each lasting about 10 minutes. Between 500 and 1,500 drones present content suitable for the season and special occasions.

The 'M' in the name stands for Marvelous, meaning amazing and unbelievable in English. The drone performance offers fantasy and mystery just as its name suggests. There is no admission fee, and the show can be viewed from anywhere on Gwangalli Beach.

Gwangalli Beach is a lovers’ sanctuary and one of Korea’s representative beaches. As the sun gradually sets and streetlights turn on one by one, the area becomes bustling with couples, friends, and families who have come to watch the Gwangalli M Drone Light Show, which started last April. The drones usually rise above Gwangandaegyo Bridge, and the show becomes even more spectacular when combined with the night view of the bridge.

F1963 is a complex cultural space newly created from the former Korea Steel Wire Factory. It combines exhibition halls, performance venues, art galleries, libraries, walking trails, and commercial spaces. Minrak Alley Market is a traditional market equipped with convenience facilities such as parking lots and arcades, offering charming fun.

Daejeon ? A Magical World Awakening at Night, Daejeon O-World Night Universe

The magical world that awakens at night, Daejeon O-World Night Universe

Daejeon O-World Night Universe offers a romantic winter night perfect for friends, lovers, or family. Officially opened last August, it is a night-specialized exhibition hall that maximizes the use of the former Flower Land facilities, allowing visitors to enjoy beautiful flowers during the day and dazzling media art at night.

When darkness falls on O-World, a dimensional gate to a new world opens, and following the traces of the fairy Symbi, twelve magical spots unfold. The light tunnel Magic Nature, which creates a fantastic atmosphere, is a popular photo zone in Night Universe. Dreaming Oasis, which uses a water screen, captivates visitors’ eyes and ears.

O-World also offers plenty of daytime attractions such as Zoo Land, where you can meet Korean tigers and Korean wolves, and Bird Land, where you can observe rare birds up close. The winter operating hours of Night Universe are from 6 PM to 9 PM, closed on Mondays. Tickets valid for these hours are sold, but since there is a 2,000 to 4,000 KRW difference from the O-World admission ticket, it is recommended to explore from daytime.

Chungnam Taean ? The Night of December Travel Shines Brighter Than Flowers, Taean Nature World

The view from the west side of the central pond at Nature World

Taean has a long western coastline, making it ideal for watching sunsets. After the sun sets, you can continue your sparkling night journey at Nature World, making it a perfect December travel destination.

The Taean Light Festival held at Nature World is decorated with a whopping 6 million LED bulbs. Although man-made lights, they resemble flowers blooming in winter.

The vertically long pond in the middle of the festival site beautifully reflects the island with multicolored lights and the swan sculptures. The northern observatory of the pond draws attention with the Main LED Hill, the largest single exhibit in Nature World, and the Milky Way Carpet.

The flowers and butterflies in the forest LED garden on the west side of the pond are new works introduced this year. The tallest sculpture, the Trojan Horse, and the profiles of a man and woman in front of the suspension bridge are also highlights here.

Nature World’s winter operating hours are from 5:30 PM to 10 PM (last admission at 9 PM, open year-round). Admission fees are 9,000 KRW for adults and 7,000 KRW for infants and youth (36 months to 19 years old). The lights are not turned on on rainy days, so visitors should check before visiting.

Taean Deureuni Port has the Haesang Indogyo Daeharang Flower Crab Bridge, making it perfect for enjoying sunsets.

Gwangju ? A Night Where Art Shines, Gwangju National Asia Culture Center Media Facade

The protagonist of the short animation, 'Punk Look'

When stars appear in the winter sky, artworks scattered throughout the outdoor exhibition space light up. The 2022 ACC Media Facade, Bandi Walk: Steps to Reconcile with the Earth, is an annual exhibition introducing media art and contemporary art works in the outdoor spaces of the Gwangju National Asia Culture Center.

Visitors can enjoy 27 works by 16 teams from Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, and Germany, including video works screened on the ACC Media Wall and Sky Yard Media Cube, sculptures with installed lighting inside, and illuminated installations outside until the 25th. Even after the exhibition ends, lights remain on at the ACC Media Wall, Sky Yard Media Cube, and Butterfly Garden Music Fountain, continuing the sparkling night scenery.

The outdoor facilities of the National Asia Culture Center operate from 7 AM to 10 PM during winter (closed on Mondays and January 1st), and admission is free.

Next to the National Asia Culture Center, Jeonil Building 245 bears traces of helicopter gunfire from the May 18 Democratic Uprising. It currently operates as a May 18 Memorial Space. One block away from Jeonil Building 245 is Gwangju Art Street, which, like Insadong in Seoul, gathers galleries, antique shops, and craft stores, making it worth a visit. Jisan Amusement Park, famous for its lift and monorail to climb Mudeungsan Mountain, is a 15-minute drive from here.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.