Jukseoru Pavilion

Jukseoru stands on a limestone bluff above a bend of the Osipcheon in the middle of Samcheok, and it is counted among the finest of the surviving Joseon pavilions on the east coast - the group traditionally listed as the eight scenic pavilions of Gwandong. The present structure dates from a fifteenth-century rebuilding of an older one, and the detail specialists point to is the foundation: instead of levelling the rock and setting cut stone bases, the builders trimmed the pillars to different lengths so they stand directly on the uneven natural boulders, which is why the floor is level and the base is not. Inside, the ceiling and beams carry framed poems and inscriptions left by visiting officials over centuries. From the open floor the view runs along the stream and its cliffs. It is free, takes an hour, sits in the middle of town, and it is the one thing to see in Samcheok that is not a cave or a beach.

The main sights

• The rock foundation - pillars cut to fit the natural boulders.
• The inscribed ceiling - poems left by officials over centuries.
• The open floor - the pavilion looking down the stream.
• The Osipcheon bend - the cliff and water below.

When to go

April to June and October to November. Mornings are quiet; the pavilion is lit in the evening. Shoes come off to step onto the floor.

Good to know

It is one building - an hour at most. The inscriptions are in classical Chinese with limited translation. The town around it is ordinary.

Nearby

Hwanseongul cave is inland; Jangho and Chuam are along the coast.

Key facts