Sunday: The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch heads to Gangneung this weekend to visit Odae Mountain, located near the Taebaek mountain range. Mount Odae is relatively unknown but is a beautiful and relatively quieter place than Korea s other national parks. The group will begin by visiting Woljong Temple, built by the monk Chajang in 1969. There are many Buddhist artworks, including drawings and statues of Korea s National Treasures. The group then moves to Sangwon Temple in the nearby valley. This is a Zen meditation temple built by the same monk as Woljong Temple. One of the features there is a bell that is the oldest of the three remaining bells from the Silla Dynasty.
After touring the Sangwon Temple, the group will head to Jeokmyol Bogung, one of the country s five shrines that has kept the historical Buddha from China.
The tour costs 45,000 won for members and 54,000 won for non-members. The bus leaves from the Post Office, near Sinyongsan Station, line 4, exit No. 1 at 8 a.m. and returns to Seoul at 8:30 p.m. For more details visit the Web site http://raskb.com