Introduction to Andong

1. Gyeongsangbuk-do (Korean: 경북, Gyeongbuk) covers an area of 19,031 square kilometers and has a population of over 2.6 million. Its capital is Andong. Gyeongsangbuk-do was originally the land of Jinhan and the center of Silla. During the Goryeo period, it began to be called "Gyeongsang-do" along with Gyeongsangnam-do. 2. During the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongsang-do was divided into two provinces: Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do. The capital of Gyeongsangbuk-do was located in Daegu for a long time. After Daegu became a directly-controlled municipality in 1981, it separated from Gyeongsangbuk-do. In February 2016, the provincial office of Gyeongsangbuk-do was officially relocated from Daegu to Andong. Gyeongsangbuk-do is one of Korea's representative cultural regions and the birthplace of Silla Buddhist culture, Gaya culture, and Joseon Confucian culture. 20% of Korea's cultural heritage is located in Gyeongsangbuk-do. 3. Gyeongsangbuk-do is also the birthplace of Korea's Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) and nature conservation movement. Gyeongsangbuk-do has successfully hosted the "Gyeongju World Culture Expo," the "World Confucian Culture Festival," and the 3rd World Congress of the International Organization of Folk Art (IOV). 4. Gyeongju was the capital of Silla for 992 years and is known as the "museum without a roof." Andong is the hometown of Korean traditional culture and a member city of the League of Historical Cities. It preserves rich cultural heritage, such as the Dosan Seowon, built by Yi Hwang (Toegye), a Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty, the World Heritage Site Hahoe Folk Village, and Korean traditional masked dance drama. Andong is also the founding place of the World Mask Culture and Arts Alliance and holds the Andong International Mask Dance Festival every year. 5. Overall, these past two days have been quite interesting, but the weather is way too hot!! It feels like 50°C... I'm not exaggerating. I was also bold enough not to use any sunscreen, and I came back two shades darker, haha.