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deaejon, south korea: the city that kinda has it all

@Noelle Bishop2/6/2026blog
deaejon, south korea: the city that kinda has it all

ugh, i'm still trying to process everything i saw and did in deaejon, south korea. i mean, it's a city of 1.5-1.6 million people, so there's a lot to take in. but somehow, it all kinda works together. or at least, that's what i keep telling myself.

i just checked and it's “foggy“ right now, hope you like that kind of thing. anyway, where was i? oh yeah, deaejon. so, it's located in the west-central part of the korean peninsula, about 167-170 km south of seoul and 290-294 km north of busan. that's a pretty central spot, if you ask me.

if you get bored, chungju, asan, and daegu are just a short drive away. they're all in the chungcheong provinces, which is just a fancy way of saying they're nearby. but hey, that's not the point. the point is deaejon, and all the cool things it has to offer.

sunday morning, i woke up early and checked the weather forecast. it's supposed to be a bit of a soggy day, which is just perfect for exploring the city's many parks and gardens. or so i thought. as it turns out, the weather in deaejon is basically always a gamble. someone told me that it can be really hot and humid in the summer, but also super cold and rainy in the winter. just your average, everyday weather, right?

anyway, after a quick breakfast, i headed out to explore the city. and boy, was it a doozy. the first thing i noticed was how green everything was. i mean, the city has tons of parks and gardens, and they're all basically just one big, happy, green oasis in the middle of the city. it's like deaejon is trying to make up for its lack of coastline by being the city with the most parks in korea.


i spent the morning wandering around the hanbat arboretum, which is basically just a huge, beautiful park with tons of trees and flowers. it's like walking through a dream world, minus the part where you actually have to pay for it. (fingers crossed they raise the prices soon, am i right?)

after that, i headed over to the mount gyejok Hwangtogil trail, which is basically just a giant, scenic hike through the mountains. it's like deaejon is trying to give you a free workout while you're there, but honestly, who doesn't love a good hike?

and then, of course, there's the gyeryongsan national park. which is basically just a huge, beautiful park with tons of mountains and trails. it's like deaejon is trying to outdo itself with all the natural beauty, but honestly, i'm just here for the scenery.

but deaejon isn't just about the natural beauty. it's also got a ton of cool, modern architecture and shopping districts. i mean, who doesn't love a good shopping spree? (it's not like i have better things to spend my money on, like actual experiences or something.)

so, if you're looking for a city that's got a little bit of everything, deaejon might be the place for you. it's not perfect, but it's definitely unique. and hey, at least the food is good. (i didn't really get to try much, but i heard the locals rave about the food, so i'm sure it's fine.)

< img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1663038550207-ed3a4d05bf0b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="a large building with a bridge over it" width="100%">

< img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1700929259310-10a0ba52de68?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="a view of a city with tall buildings and mountains in the background" width="100%">

< img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1663038509267-ae2457f3df97?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80" alt="a grassy area with a body of water in the background" width="100%">

in any case, that's deaejon in a nutshell. or at least, that's my attempt at summarizing it. take it for what it's worth.

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About the author: Noelle Bishop

Finding the extraordinary in the mundane.

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