Region guide
Gyeongju
Silla Dynasty capital, an open-air museum
20° / 7°· Apr4 reel routes1 guides3 places
About Gyeongju
Silla Dynasty capital, an open-air museum
The 992-year capital of the Silla kingdom. Royal tumuli sit between cafes, Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto anchor the UNESCO-inscribed historic area.
- ·Bulguksa Temple, UNESCO World Heritage, completed 774
- ·Seokguram Grotto, UNESCO World Heritage stone Buddha sanctuary
- ·Daereungwon Tumuli Park, 23 Silla royal burial mounds
- ·Cheomseongdae, East Asia's oldest surviving astronomical observatory, 7th century
- ·Donggung and Wolji (Anapji), Silla royal garden pond, illuminated at night
- ·Gyeongju National Museum, Silla gold crowns and the Emille Bell of 771
From Seoul: About 2h KTX to Singyeongju
On screen
Gyeongju on film
K-drama, K-pop MV, and KTO campaigns filmed here.
GRAY x Woo Won-jae
Feel the Rhythm of Korea: Gyeongju & Andong
Released in September 2021, this episode pairs two of Korea's deepest heritage cities. Rapper Woo Won-jae and producer GRAY reinterpret the folk song Ganggangsullae over scenes of Silla-era tombs, UNESCO temples, and Confucian villages. In Gyeongju the camera sweeps past Cheomseongdae, the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in East Asia, and the lantern-lit Wolji Pond at dusk. In Andong the lens shifts to Hahoe Village's 600-year-old thatched roofs and the masked dancers of the Hahoe Byeolsin-gut tradition, blending ancient ritual with hip-hop beats.
Traditional Sword Dance
Echoes of Korea: Gyeongsang
Part of the 'Echoes of Korea' series by the Korea Tourism Organization, this video features the geommu (sword dance), a Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage that originated in the Silla dynasty. Dancers in flowing hanbok wield twin swords across Gyeongsang Province's ancient capital of Gyeongju, performing amidst UNESCO World Heritage temples, royal pleasure gardens, and the rolling burial mounds of Silla kings. The choreography mirrors the precision of the 1,300-year-old art form, while the cinematography highlights Gyeongju's reputation as 'the museum without walls.'
AI x 11 World-Famous Painters
What If World-Famous Artists Visited Korea?
Released in October 2023 as part of KTO's global tourism campaign, this video reimagines 11 Korean landmarks through the eyes of history's greatest painters, rendered entirely by generative AI. Each scene pairs a destination with an artist whose visual signature mirrors the location's character: Van Gogh's swirling energy for Seoul's neon skyline, Monet's dissolving light for Bulguksa's forest canopy, Klimt's gilded geometry for Cheomseongdae's ancient stones. Trained on over 1,100 original artworks (80,000 iterations each) blended with 1,600+ Korean photographs, the video reached 59 million views within its first month, making it the most-watched of the five-part campaign that collectively surpassed 220 million views in 30 days.
IU x Byeon Woo-seok
Perfect Crown (21세기 대군부인): Filming Locations Across Korea
Perfect Crown (Korean: 21세기 대군부인) reunites IU (Hotel Del Luna, My Mister) and Byeon Woo-seok (Lovely Runner) for the first time since Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo a decade ago. Set in an alternate-reality 21st-century Korea where the monarchy still exists.
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Guides mentioning Gyeongju
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3 places in Gyeongju
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