Daejeon′s central location enabled the Yuseong area to prosper as a visitor destination. With the launch of railroad service,
people from all over the country began arriving on trains. The hot springs area is surrounded by a number of lodging facilities,
restaurants, drinking establishments, and karaoke businesses, concentrated within a compact district that can be
easily navigated on foot, in just one hour.

Don′t be sad, I′m leaving now
Without saying good-bye
The first train from Daejeon leaves at dawn, at 0:50
On this quiet night when everyone is sleeping
Who knew I would be crying out loud
Ah…the one-way train to Mokpo just keeps on going
These are the opening lyrics of a song entitled "Daejeon Blues," a true Korean classic. Since its release in 1959, it has been performed and played countless times. For even someone like me, who can hardly carry a simple tune and thus remains in the background when I might be dragged along to a karaoke room (noraebang), the lyrics to this song are familiar. So it would be unthinkable for a Daejeon native not to know it by heart. This song, which is always played at home games of the Daejeon-based Hanwha Eagles baseball team, remains an enduring and poignant symbol of Daejeon.

Mountains and Streams
Daejeon is a city of trains. It stands at the center of transportation networks that connect all corners of the country. The two longest train lines in Korea, the Gyeongbu and the Honam, pass through the city. In "Daejeon Blues," it tells of someone who slinks away, headed for Mokpo, the southern terminus of the Honam line. The Gyeongbu line, between Seoul and Busan, was completed in 1904, while the Honam line, which connects Daejeon with Mokpo, began operation in 1914. Along with the railway lines, most of the country′s major expressways, from north to south and east to west, also pass through Daejeon, making the city a vital hub of Korea′s ground transportation
system.
Koreans will often refer to Chungcheong-do Province, where Daejeon is located, as a "land of the slow." Indeed, it is home to mild-mannered people who tend to speak and act in a leisurely way, along with rarely showing flashes of anger or excitement. On the other hand, the people of Gyeongsang-do Province, to the south, are known to be so impulsive that they are said to reveal their life-story in the first ten minutes after meeting someone. They are often contrasted with Chungcheong-do people to highlight the stark differences. The character of the Chungcheong people is aptly portrayed in "Daejeon Blues." First, the song′s deliberate tempo moves along limply. Then, one person departs, unable to say "goodbye," while the other is left behind, crying in the dark.
In Daejeon, even its nature seems to embrace you. The fields are broad, surrounded by rather low-lying mountains topped with graceful ridges. Winding their way through the wide expanse of land that the city occupies are three streams: Daejeoncheon, Yudeungcheon, and Gapcheon, which flow from south to north and eventually merge into the Geumgang River. I took a walk along the banks of Gapcheon Stream. It was almost sunset, but I walked until darkness surrounded me. I walked along the pathway′s cushioned surface and across grassy open spaces. I also made my way over a path of stepping stones to reach the opposite bank. A number of people were also out and about, including joggers, walkers, and bicycle riders. The wide banks easily accommodated this traffic, coming and going. A young man with a rod and reel strode toward the water and cast his line into the stream, even as the darkness took hold.
The next day, I ventured out to Yudeungcheon Stream for a peaceful, leisurely walk. It is wonderful indeed for the city to have such pleasant waterside areas right alongside the downtown area. In the past, I had visited Daejeon on occasion, but always for work, without a real chance to get out of the city center. I was thus determined to fully enjoy the natural environment. So, after walking along the streams, I gazed toward the mountains. I had never realized how this wide, flat transportation center of Korea was surrounded by 11 mountains. They were hardly imposing, reaching heights of 400 to 500 meters. In fact, Mt. Jangtaesan, in the city′s western area, stands no more than 374 meters high. It seems that these mountains take after the local residents, who are inclined to not create a difficulty or obstacle for others.
I made a visit to Mt. Gyejoksan, in the east, which is 429 meters in height. Its name means "chicken′s foot mountain," because its ridges extend outward in various directions, like the toes of a chicken′s
foot. According to legend, the rain that falls after a dry spell are tears from the mountain. Atop the mountain, you can find an ancient fortress. It is said to have been built by the Silla Kingdom in the sixth century (though others believe it is Baekje in origin), and was used as a military base by the succeeding Goryeo and Joseon dynasties through the 19th century. From the mid-slope level, a 20-minute walk up a steep path takes you to the fortress, a structure of piled-up stones circling the peak. While looking out from the fortress, it is evident that while the mountain might be of a low height, it stretches out in all directions like "chicken toes."
My plan was to climb up to the mountain top and then back down again. But the zigzag ridges stretching out into the distance beckoned me. And the glistening blue waters of Daecheongho Lake, viewed from the east gate of the fortress, attracted my interest as well. The path through the forest was pleasant. When a mountain path is wide enough for two or three people to walk abreast, I sometimes worry about bumping into someone coming from the opposite direction. But the paths, though wide enough for one person, are too narrow for two people to pass, so everyone walks in single file. One problem that I did encounter was a lack of directions where a fork created two separate paths. Moreover, the few signs that I did come across only provided confusing directions which were not helpful enough for a visitor. I was afraid that a foreign visitor in this area would have to somehow fend for himself as those signs do not carry translations.
From the mountain, I walked eastward to Daecheongho, arriving at an open area in front of the lake. By this time I was hungry. It was well past lunchtime, but there was no sign of any food in the area. My hunger would have to wait. A picturesque view does not always require a full stomach for its appreciation. But I was disappointed to come across barbed wire strung along the lake′s edge, which made it impossible to reach the water. Earlier in the morning, before heading to Mt. Gyejoksan, I took a quick tour of the dam built upstream from the lake, but had failed to reach the water′s edge as well. The closest that you can get to the water is from the observatory, situated well above the lake. As I descended the mountain, I hoped to reach the lake′s shore, where its waters could lap gently at my feet. But I had to be satisfied with observing groups of winter birds frolicking along the water′s
edge, while peering through the barbed wire. Of course, since the lake serves as a main source of drinking water for area residents, it seems that barbed wire is needed for security purposes.
Aside from Mt. Gyejoksan, I have yet to visit the other mountains of Daejeon. Internet sites and guidebooks, however, indicate that each of the 11 mountains around Daejeon is attractive in its own way, while suggesting that Bomunsan, Sikjangsan, Jangtaesan, and Maninsan are well worth a visit and can be easily reached from the downtown area. Judging from my day at the "chicken′s foot" mountain, I agree with them.

Hot Springs Experience
I spent a night at Yuseong. Located about 11 kilometers west of Daejeon, Yuseong is a popular hot springs resort area. During the Archaezoic era, it is said that alkali-radium waters broke through the granite layers here, supposedly the oldest-known stratum on the Korean Peninsula, to form a natural reserve of heated water, with a temperature of about 40°C. Known to cure all manner of skin ailments and an effective treatment for neuralgia and related maladies, written accounts of the Yuseong hot springs first appeared more than 1,000 years ago. But it was only after the Gyeongbu and Honam railway lines began passenger service in the early 20th century that Yuseong began to attract the public′s interest. After the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office was relocated from Gongju to Daejeon in 1932, the Yuseong area came to be developed into a tourist resort.
The name of Daejeon, which means "big field," gained recognition in 1904 when the Gyeongbu railway line opened, with the Daejeon Station being a midway stop. Thereafter, this sleepy agricultural area, which outsiders took little notice of, began to develop into a major city. Previously, Gongju had been the largest city in the province, and was thus the leading candidate for a middle stop of the Gyeongbu railway line. But Gongju′s conservative-minded yangban (aristocratic class of the past), who resisted the introduction of new cultural influences, opposed the construction of a Gyeongbu-line railway station, which was instead built in nearby Daejeon.
The dawn of railway transportation, which helped to spawn the industrial age, brought a gust of wide-ranging change to the "big field." As a transportation center that facilitated the exchange of people and goods, the city flourished. Indeed, Daejeon soon assumed Gongju′s former function as the commercial center of the Chungcheong region, and later its administrative function as well. Daejeon′s rapid development brought prosperity to the Yuseong area as well, which became one of the earliest areas in Korea to be developed into a hot springs resort. With the launch of railroad service, people from all over the country began arriving on trains. The hot springs area in Yuseong is surrounded by a number of lodging facilities, restaurants, drinking establishments, and karaoke businesses, concentrated within a compact district that can be easily navigated on foot, in just one hour.
Records indicate that there are some 145 lodging facilities in Yuseong, including hotels and numerous motels. The city is like a "motel expo" at night, with individual establishments hoping to attract guests with their distinctive exterior and flashing neon signs. Based on my travel experience, I have found a large majority of the motels in this area to be reliable and with adequate accommodations. Moreover, with rates about a quarter of hotels, the motels are every bit as clean and comfortable as four-star hotels in New York or London. Here there are no creaky floors as in some of the old hotels in London. Oftentimes, visitors will have good things to say about their lodging in Yuseong. Not all hotels have a refrigerator in a regular room, but the motels here provide a refrigerator as well as toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, aftershave, and towels, free of charge. Foreign visitors should thus have no reservations about stay at a motel in Yuseong.
Yuseong motels often advertise that guests can watch movies in their rooms. Having some time, I wandered about while looking over the varied motels, and finally decided on a 24-hour jjimjilbang, a kind of sauna-spa-bathhouse complex. Indeed, this can make for a definitive Korean experience. Northern Europe and Germany are known for their sauna facilities, but only Korean saunas are open and have customers around the clock. The jjimjilbang culture is unique-not only can you enjoy the sauna and spa, you can also have a snack or meal, and nap or slumber in a large rest area for both genders. Of course, outfits are supplied and must be worn in public areas and you must show consideration for other guests. Foreign visitors, who are willing to put up with the sound of someone snoring away nearby, should have a memorable experience. Many foreign residents in Seoul have come to enjoy the varied attractions of a jjimjilbang. Paying an admission fee about one-fifth the cost of a motel room, I spent the night at a jjimjilbang, where the radium-infused water was nice and hot, leaving me with a comfortable sense of smoothness.

Learning from Past Experience
Nearby Yuseong is Daedeok Innopolis. Encompassing an area of 27.6 square kilometers, its facilities include the National Science Museum, EXPO Park, Daedeok Center for Science and Culture, and a medical center, along with some 60 research institutes and apartment buildings for the area employees and their families. In the early 1990s, when I first visited this area, I recall thinking: "It′s so huge!" The research institutes were scattered across a vast area, with wide roadways. Although the cars are few and far between, you need to drive defensively because the open roads encourage speeding. Today, some 20 years later, the science town′s
appearance is little changed, except for heavier traffic.
Daedeok Innopolis is home to 19 educational institutes, including the notable KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), which boast an enrollment of almost 170,000 students. Accordingly, Daejeon has come to be known as a city of education and R&D. Above all, this has resulted from Daejeon′s central location, convenient transportation access, and the availability of vast areas of undeveloped land. In addition, the character of Daejeon has been shaped by its rich history as well.
In 2004, Korea′s oldest mummified remains were discovered at the foot of Mt. Bomunsan, in Mokdal-dong, Daejeon. It was recovered from the family gravesite of the Song clan, descendants of Song Hyo-sang, a scholar of the Joseon Dynasty, along with a collection of ancient clothing items. Forty items of clothing were restored and displayed at a recent exhibition held at the Daejeon Prehistoric Museum. The exhibition attracted the keen interest of folklorists as the clothing articles shed new light on the everyday lives of Hoseo Sarim, a group of Confucian scholars based in the Chungcheong region. Hoseo Sarim belonged to the Giho School of scholars who carried on the teachings of Yi I, a foremost Neo-Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. The group′s leading members included Song Si-yeol and Song Jun-gil, who have long been revered by the people of Daejeon for their spiritual guidance, integrity and exemplary life style.
East of Daejeon, in a forested area of Gayang-dong, is Uam Historical Park, on the site where scholar Song Si-yeol (pen name: Uam) lived and studied. He was born in 1607 and lived to an age of 82. He was a typical Korean scholar, known for his stubborn ways. The exhibits include buildings in which he studied, along with examples of his writings and various artifacts. The relics of Song Jun-gil can be seen at a park area developed around Dongchundang, the house where Song Jun-gil once resided, whose name means "always like spring." The name board of the house was written by his friend and associate, Song Si-yeol, who lived much longer.
In front of Daejeon Railway Station is the local subway station, which includes an underground shopping center. Whereas the traditional markets, which have offered everyday goods for sale to local residents for years on end, are slowly dying off, the underground shopping center is crowded till late at night, with young people shopping for the latest fashions and new electronic devices. This contrast demonstrates the potent energy that has turned this once quiet country town into a bustling urban city. In Daejeon, a city where the people have long embraced a slow-paced life, change seems to have come more quickly and widely than expected. Still, many simply take all of this in stride. Taking one last glance at a monument inscribed with the lyrics of "Daejeon Blues," standing in a corner of the station plaza, I went to catch my train with my mind at ease.