Taejongdae Park

This place is where Shilla King Taejong Muyeol, who ruled from 604 to 661 and who united the three Korean kingdoms into one dynasty, loved to practice his archery. There are over 200 pine trees and camellias that line the coast at this gorgeous park. The park overlooks the craggy cliffs and fun-shaped rocks that cascade down into the sea below. Nearby is a 19th-century lighthouse from which you can see Oryuk-do and Japan's Daema-do when the weather is nice. You'll see a statue of a mother with her children called Mangbuseok (Rock of the Faithful Woman), after the legend of a woman who waited so long for the return of her husband, who had been captured by the Japanese and taken to Japan, that she turned to stone. The statue is located at what used to be called Jasal Bawi (Suicide Rock), where people used to throw themselves into the water. A temple, Geumyeongsa, was built here to prevent people from committing suicide and to console the ghosts of the dead. This is also the place where Taejong would come to pray for rain during a drought; rain on the 10th day of the fifth lunar month is called "Taejong Rain."