🎧 Yul's Korea Audio Guide
Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju
Narrated in English with Korean phrases by YUL of KVIBE IDOLS.
🎵 Background music: Still in That Spring (그 봄에 머물러) — KVIBE IDOLS · Listen to the full song →
Full transcript
Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here, and we've left Seoul! Welcome to Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla kingdom for almost a thousand years. People call this city a museum without walls. And this, right here, is its masterpiece: Bulguksa Temple.
The name means temple of the Buddha's land. Construction started in 751, led by a Silla minister named Kim Dae-seong. Legend says he built Bulguksa for his parents in this life, and the nearby cave temple, Seokguram, for his parents from his past life. Talk about a devoted son!
Now look at these two stone pagodas. The fancy one is Dabotap, and here's a fun fact: it's on Korea's ten-won coin. Check your pocket! The simple, elegant one is Seokgatap. And it hid a secret for more than a thousand years. In 1966, during repairs, workers found a scroll inside: a Buddhist sutra printed with wooden blocks, one of the oldest woodblock prints in the world!
But wait, there's a sad chapter. In 1593, during the Japanese invasions, the wooden buildings burned. The stone stairs, bridges and pagodas survived, though. The temple was rebuilt over the centuries, with a big restoration in the 1970s. And in 1995, Bulguksa and Seokguram became a UNESCO World Heritage Site together.
Yul's tip! Come early in the morning, then take the bus or the trail up to Seokguram. And at night, go see the lights at Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. Gyeongju at night? Absolutely beautiful.
Next, a fortress built by a king who missed his father. Kaja!
