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My Trip to Gyeong-Ju [Photo Essay Contest - Gold Prize Winner]

Published: 28 Jul. 2025, 16:48 Updated: 28 Jul. 2025, 17:25

by Lucy, Ga-On Elementary School

Last year, I went on a trip to Gyeong-Ju with my family. It used to be the capital of Silla Kingdom. There were many historical places to visit and I was truly amazed by its historical meanings behind it. I was able to learn about the cultural heritage of Gyeong-Ju.

First, I visited Bul-Guk Temple. It had beautiful buildings and famous stone pagodas, which were built during the Silla Period. Bul-Guk Temple represented the beauty of ancient Korean architecture. It looked like the ancient castles you see on Korean dramas and it was interesting how it looked so different from the modern apartments. While I was examining the temple, the surrounding atmosphere seemed peaceful. I was able to see a lot of green trees, hear the birds tweet, and even the smell was different from what I was used to. Besides the religious rituals, there were many tourists who visit the temple just to gain the refreshing experience. They get to learn about the culture, and they even get to try the temple food, which is supposed to be very healthy for you. Therefore, I really enjoyed observing Bul-Guk Temple and I have learned so much about its historical significance in Korea.

Then, I realized Gyeong-Ju has many popular traditional food that represents K-Food. For the first time, I tried eating Jjon-Deu-Gi and it was definitely confusing at first. I was waiting in a line looking over the menu and it sure did have a lot of flavors to choose from. I decided to go for the pumpkin flavor. It’s actually made of rice cake and it looked slim and long, just like French Fries. Being one of the most popular K-Food in Gyeong-Ju, I had no other choice but to try eating it. The texture caught my attention the most. It was very chewy with mixture of different flavors. It was also interesting to see how many tourists were walking around and snacking on this food. I personally thought it was convenient enough to just carry around and eat it. Therefore, it was a valuable experience for me to try the traditional K-Food and learn about its culture.

In conclusion, Gyeong-Ju is one of the most historical regions in Korea with great tradition. It was my honor to observe the historical sites and try to have a taste of the traditional K-Food. I would love to visit Gyeong-Ju again in the future.