If Korean "manhwa," or comic books, and cartoons are your thing, Bucheon, about 25 kilometers west of Seoul, should be considered a must-visit city in South Korea that has a museum on the art.

Located in the city's Giljuro road, the Korea Manhwa Museum is a multicultural venue dedicated to manhwa art and culture favored by people of all ages.

On the second floor of the museum stands the larger-than-life cover of the first issue of the monthly comics magazine "Bomulseom (Treasure Island)" that came out in 1981 and won a great deal of popularity with Korean comics fans. Older people who are now in their 40s and 50s can remember the manhwa magazine with ease.

This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows the figure of a comic book character at the Korea Manhwa Museum in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)


This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows the figure of a comic book character at the Korea Manhwa Museum in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows the figure of a comic book character at the Korea Manhwa Museum in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Also housed on the floor is a recreated comics shop in a style that is no longer seen nowadays. It reminds one of ordinary Korean people's lives in the 1960s through 1970s, when black-and-white TVs were still used and manhwa had center stage in people's choice of pastimes.

A peek through a window of the comics shop into a small room enables a visitor to get a glimpse into the lives of the past, where members of a family watch a drama on a black-and-white TV.

The museum's manhwa collection ranges from the comics strip "Kobau yonggam (Old Kobau)," by Kim Song-hwan, who is known as a pioneer in Korean newspaper cartooning, to the latest comic books.

Also available in the collection are other comic books "Kkeobeongi (The Mischievous Boy)" by Kil Chang-duk, a pioneer of Korean comics and one of the top cartoonists in the 1970s and 1980s, and "Robot Jjiba" by another manhwa guru Shin Moon-soo.

This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows the enactment of a comics shop at the Korea Manhwa Museum in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)


This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows the enactment of a comics shop at the Korea Manhwa Museum in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows the enactment of a comics shop at the Korea Manhwa Museum in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)

The comics museum is not limited to the art. On the first floor, visitors can see an area of booths for artists who can draw sketches of them as caricatures. Visitors can feel like they have become a child again when they visit the museum.

Located at Hanok Maeul Village in the city's Gongbang-geori Street, the Kimchi Theme Park is another attraction offered by the city. The park was set up by kimchi expert Kim Soon-ja, whom the government named the first Kimchi Grand Master in 2007, and recognized as a Korea Master Hand in 2012.

A girl mixes salted cabbage with red pepper powder and other seasonings during a program at the Kimchi Theme Park in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2017, to learn about how to make kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish. (Yonhap)


A girl mixes salted cabbage with red pepper powder and other seasonings during a program at the Kimchi Theme Park in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2017, to learn about how to make kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish. (Yonhap)A girl mixes salted cabbage with red pepper powder and other seasonings during a program at the Kimchi Theme Park in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2017, to learn about how to make kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish. (Yonhap)

The facility for the promotion of kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable dish, offers Korean and foreign visitors an opportunity to experience making it.

In the hands-on program on kimchi-making, in which visitors mix salted cabbage with red pepper powder and other seasonings as taught by Kim or her apprentice, a simple meal that includes rice balls, Korea "makgeolli," or rice wine, and the master’s kimchi is served.

In addition to the hands-on experience, the program helps visitors learn about kimchi's history and health benefits. The program is held every day except Mondays.

Nearby the kimchi park are Gongbang-geori, or arts craft streets packed with shops of craft masters, and Hanok Maeul Village, where one can get to know better about what a traditional Korean house and traditional Korean culture are like.

A thick curtain is drawn at the door of a room inside the Hanok Maeul Village, a measure to fend off the condensation that can take place in a traditional Korean house.

The Korean house at the village, however, is equipped with modern kitchen equipment and restroom facilities so as to give visitors a comfortable and pleasant stay.

If one finishes visiting the manhwa museum and the Hanok Maeul Village, another option could be a visit to Aiins World Park, which features more than 100 miniatures of iconic buildings and monuments from 25 different countries.

This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows a miniature of France's Chambord Castle at Aiins World Park in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)


This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows a miniature of France's Chambord Castle at Aiins World Park in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows a miniature of France's Chambord Castle at Aiins World Park in the city of Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)

The models of famous monuments and buildings offered by the theme park include the Eiffel Tower, Red Square, Colosseum, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, the Sphinx, and Mount Kilimanjaro. One of the recommendations for people touring the theme park is that they take pictures with the backdrop of a night view of such buildings.

In Gwangmyeong, located in the vicinity of Bucheon, sits Geumgangjeong Temple, where visitors can experience a temple stay, which involves an overnight stay and participation in such Buddhist rituals as a ceremonial service, Zen meditation and monastic meals.

The experience away from the din and hustle of the city offers visitors the opportunity to look back on their life and prepare themselves for the future. The cost for the temple stay program amounts to a reasonable 50,000 won (around US$45). Participants should follow the rules of communal life set under the program. (Yonhap)

This photo, taken on Dec. 4, 2017, shows Geumgangjeong Temple, where visitors can experience a temple stay, in the city of Gwangmyeong near Bucheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
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