Cultural & Historical Spots in Muju — A Guide for History and Culture Lovers

A journey to experience Muju’s local culture through literature, art, and performance, find new inspiration, and travel back in time to uncover the fascinating history and heritage woven into the region.

Words Pitch by Pitch
Photos Kim Yoonkyung

Library Next to the Museum

Muju Sangsang Bandi Forest
This complex cultural facility, combining the Hyeongseoljigong Library, a family center, and a community cultural center, opened in late May 2024. Built with one basement level and three basement levels, the building’s roof takes on gentle curves inspired by the eaves of the nearby Hanpungnu Pavilion, allowing it to blend naturally with the surrounding mountain scenery. From a joint childcare facility to a multipurpose hall for residents’ cultural activities, study rooms, and performance and lounge spaces, the building brings together a wide range of amenities under one roof, quickly becoming a beloved cultural and community space for Muju locals since its opening. The library on the 2nd and 3rd floors is especially notable — the view of Muju’s scenery through the floor-to-ceiling windows blends seamlessly with the interior, and reading nooks and seating are tucked into every corner, creating an ideal atmosphere for lingering and taking one’s time. The library holds roughly 43,000 books and is composed of a general collection room, a children’s and infants’ reading room, and a reading room.

7 Choebuk-ro, Muju-eup, Muju-gun

Kim Hwantae Literature Museum & Choe Buk Art Museum
Facing the entrance of Muju Sangsang Bandi Forest stands a building housing the Kim Hwantae Literature Museum and the Choe Buk Art Museum. Kim Hwantae was a literary critic from Muju who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. During the Japanese colonial period, he formed the Guinhoe, a group of nine writers including poets Yi Sang and Jeong Jiyong along with novelists and critics, and exchanged ideas with the literary figures of his time, advocating for the purity and independence of critical literature. The Kim Hwantae Literature Museum offers a glimpse into his life and major achievements, from his childhood in Muju to his untimely death at the age of 35. Directly across the hall, a permanent exhibition is dedicated to Choe Buk, a painter from Muju active in the late Joseon period. Visitors can see his representative works held by the museum, including ‘Landscape’ and ‘Strange Rock’.

15 Choebuk-ro, Muju-eup, Muju-gun

Taekwondowon
Set at the foot of Baegunsan Mountain in Muju, Taekwondowon is a sacred site for taekwondo practitioners worldwide and a specialized complex combining nature and hands-on experience. Spanning a total area of 2,314,000 square meters — ten times the size of Seoul World Cup Stadium — it is truly massive in scale. The grounds are broadly divided into experience zones, training zones, and symbolic zones, and include the world’s largest dedicated taekwondo stadium, along with a performance hall, museum, experience center, Play One, and Hall of Masters. Visitors can enjoy regular taekwondo performances and hands-on programs, ride the monorail, or hike a trekking course up to the observatory at the highest point on the grounds. Outdoor facilities such as a lawn field and traditional martial arts training ground, along with taekwondo-themed landscaping like a traditional garden and the Five Elements Waterfall, are also worth seeing. A free shuttle bus runs between the experience center and the monorail station.

1482 Museol-ro, Seolcheon-myeon, Muju-gun

For History Explorers

Jeoksangsan Historical Archive Site
An archive site that once housed the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty is located on Jeoksangsan Mountain. In the early Joseon period, the annals were kept at archives established at Chunchugwan and in Jeonju, Chungju, and elsewhere, but most were destroyed during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), leading to the establishment of new archives at Taebaeksan, Jeongjoksan, Odaesan, Manisan, and Myohyangsan. When the annals kept at the Myohyangsan archive came under threat from an invasion by the Later Jin, the Sillokgak (Annals Hall) and Seonwongak were built on Jeoksangsan during the reign of King Gwanghaegun to relocate them there. The rugged terrain, surrounded by rock cliffs, and the mountain fortress made it an ideal place to fend off outside incursions. In the early 20th century, when the annals were moved to Gyujanggak, the Jeoksangsan archive lost its function and most of its buildings were lost. In 1992, the site was submerged due to the construction of Jeoksang Dam and was relocated to its current location, where the Sillokgak and Seonwongak were later restored. Today, visitors can view reproductions of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and the royal genealogy, along with materials on display detailing the history of the Jeoksangsan archive. Each year, Muju reenacts the procession that once moved the Myohyangsan archive’s annals to Jeoksangsan, as well as the poswae ritual of airing and sun-drying the documents to preserve them over the long term.

960 Sanseong-ro, Jeoksang-myeon, Muju-gun

Anguksa Temple
An old temple located within the Jeoksangsanseong Fortress. Its exact founding date is unknown, but it is said to have been built in the late Goryeo period. The temple holds the Yeongsanhoe Gwaebultaeng (Hanging Painting of the Buddhist Assembly on Vulture Peak), a large-scale Buddhist painting from the late Joseon period measuring roughly 11 meters in height and 7 meters in width. It was designated a Korean Treasure in 1997. Anguksa is also the only place where the Seonwongak, the sole surviving building from the Jeoksangsan archive, can still be seen — after the archive was decommissioned, the Seonwongak building was relocated and repurposed as the Cheonbuljeon Hall. The temple’s original site, like that of the Jeoksangsan archive, was submerged by the construction of the Muju Pumped-Storage Power Plant, and it was moved to its current location, the former site of Hoguksa Temple. The Jeoksangsanseong Fortress, which surrounds both Anguksa and the Jeoksangsan archive, is a defensive fortress built in the late Goryeo period. It is designated Historic Site No. 146, and portions of it remain standing today.

1050 Sanseong-ro, Jeoksang-myeon, Muju-gun

Hanpungnu Pavilion
A pavilion built during the Joseon Dynasty, featuring a simple palgak (hip-and-gable) roof with three bays in front and two on the sides. The pavilion’s signboard is said to have been written by the renowned calligrapher Han Seokbong. It burned down entirely during the Japanese invasions of Korea and was later restored, undergoing several repairs since. During the Japanese colonial period, it was relocated to Yeongdong-gun and renamed ‘Geumhoru,’ but in the 1960s, thanks to the voluntary efforts of Muju residents to restore Hanpungnu, it was moved back to its current location. Standing before the pavilion, one can look past it to see the town of Muju spread out beyond, and the surrounding lawn makes it a pleasant spot to rest. Today, the old Jinam Park where Hanpungnu stands has long served as a place of rest and leisure for local residents, and nearby are cultural and sports facilities including the Wisteria Stadium, Sangsang Bandi Forest, and the Choe Buk Art Museum.

326-5 Hanpungnu-ro, Muju-eup, Muju-gun