Taebaek (태백)

Taebaek is located in the far South East of Gangwon-do, nestled in the Taebaek mountain range. It is a fairly large town/small city, with lots of shops, restaurants, bars, markets and outdoor activities. Once a successful coal mining town, the mines are no longer in operation, but you can still see some evidence left behind, in the abandoned mines that litter the outskirts of town. Taebaek is a busy and popular destination, with good transport links, and despite it’s bustling nature, is still an extremely welcoming place with a good community feel to it. It consists of 4 main districts – Hwangji-dong, Jangseon-dong, Ceolam-dong and Tong-ri.

Hwangji-dong (황지동) is the main downtown district. Here you can find the bus terminal and train station, as well as mo st of the shops and amenities. Jangseon-dong (장성동) is a poorer, coal-mining area 15 minutes south of downtown. Cheolam-dong (철암동) is 25 minutes from downtown Taebaek, and there you can find Taebaek Highland Park. Hiking is open all year, but camping is only allowed in the summer during July and August. Another smaller district is Tongi-ni (동리), which has the train station for trains traveling North-South from Gangneung to Busan, as well as the very pretty Mi-in waterfall (미인복포) and the fantastic 5-day market which brings the area to life every day of the month with a 5 in it! (the 5th, 15th and 25th). Hiking is very popular around here, and you will find many shops catering for people interested in this pursuit.