Icheon travel guide

Icheon is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Together with Yeoju, Icheon is known as a center of South Korean ceramic manufacturing and is a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art.

The history of Icheon began as a small state within the Mahan confederacy. During the Three Kingdoms period, it was a strategic military point, and part of Baekje's territory before being successively occupied by Goguryeo and Silla. The name 'Icheon' was bestowed by Taejo of Goryeo; after a victory in the area on his way to conquer Later Baekje, he named it Icheon (利川), combining the Hanja characters for 'beneficial' (利) and 'stream' (川). During the Joseon Dynasty, Icheon gained fame as a center for ceramics and high-quality rice.

Getting in

There is an intercity coach service between Seoul Express Bus Terminal (Metro Line 3) and Icheon Bus Terminal. The journey is ₩2300 each way (as of May 2015), with a bus departing every 30 minutes and takes just over an hour if you can avoid the heavy traffic period. You can pick up tickets at the ticket office if needed as the ticket machines only present locations in Hangeul and there are plenty of refreshments and food available at the station for travelers who skipped breakfast that morning.

Getting around

Icheon's traveling spots are not so far from its terminal. Cycling term is not so long in the center of Icheon. So, bus can be one option. To get to Janghowon-eup, buses leave from DongSeoul Bus Terminal (Gangbyeon Station, Line 2) and Janghowon Bus Stop. The travel time is 1 hour 35 minutes. The buses usually run every 30 to 50 minutes.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.