Hapcheon County

Understand

Hapcheon is a city located in the northwest of Gyeongsangnam-do and is widely known as Gayasan National Park and Haeinsa Temple. In particular, Haeinsa Temple is considered one of the centers of Buddhist culture as it stores the Palman Daejanggyeong, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, tourists visit all four seasons thanks to its beautiful natural scenery such as Hwangmaesan Azalea and Hapcheonho Lake. It is popular as a day trip destination because it is close to Daegu, and it is a place where you can enjoy Korean traditional culture and nature at the same time.

History The Hapcheon area belonged to the Gaya culture before the Three Kingdoms period, and was later incorporated into Silla. Due to the geographical characteristics of many mountainous areas, it was formed as an area centered on temples and rural areas rather than developing into large-scale cities. During the Goryeo Dynasty, Haeinsa Temple, located at the foot of Gayasan Mountain, became the center of Buddhist culture. The Palman Daejanggyeong, made against Mongol invasions in the 13th century, was kept here, To this day, it is regarded as the most complete Buddhist woodblock print in the world. Hapcheon remained a relatively quiet inland area until the Joseon Dynasty and modern times, Temple culture and traditional rural life continued steadily. In the late 20th century, Haeinsa Janggyeong Panjeon and Palman Daejanggyeong were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Hapcheon became widely known as a travel destination representing Korean Buddhist culture and tradition.

Climate Hapcheon is located in the inland of Gyeongsangnam-do, so it is generally dry and has a large daily temperature difference. In winter (December-February), the average minimum temperature drops to -5°C, and it is very cold in the morning and evening. In summer (June-August), the average maximum temperature is around 30°C, and the humidity is high. In particular, it rains frequently during the ra

Getting there

By bus From Seoul: Intercity buses depart from Nambu Bus Terminal, approximately 4 hours. From Daegu: It takes about an hour from Daegu West Station. From Busan: It takes about two hours from Busan Western Terminal.

By train There is no train station in Hapcheon. The nearest KTX stops are Daegu and Jinju, with bus connections to Hapcheon.

By air Closest airports: Daegu International Airport (~1 hr drive) and Gimhae International Airport (~2 hr drive). From airports, you can take a bus or rent a car to reach Hapcheon.

Getting around

1 Hapcheon Bus Station (합천버스정류장), 883, Daeya-ro, Hapcheon-eup. There is a local bus that connects the villages, but the frequency of operation is low. (updated Dec 2025) Taxis are available in Hapcheon town. There are no rental systems such as bicycles or kickboards. I recommend you to walk around or ride your own bike if you have one. Renting a car is the most convenient way to reach Haeinsa, Gayasan, Hwangmaesan, and other attractions.

See

1 Haeinsa (해인사), (50200) Haeinsa-gil 122, Gaya-myeon, ☏ +82 055-934-3000. A UNESCO World Heritage temple housing the Tripitaka Koreana, located in Gayasan National Park. Also, you can enjoy Haeinsa's Temple Stay free admission. (updated Sep 2025) 2 Gayasan National Park (가야산국립공원), Gilsangam 1645-8 Gayasan-ro, Gaya-myeon. Offers scenic hiking trails and stunning views, especially in autumn and spring. (updated Sep 2025)

3 Hapcheon Video Theme Park (합천영상테마파크), 256-5 Gahori, Yongju-myeon, ☏ +82 055-930-8633. 09:00-18:00. An outdoor film set recreating Korea from the 1920s to 1980s; popular for photography and filming locations. In the summer, it is operated as a ghost theme park, and many people dress up as ghosts and enjoy horror-themed events. Adult ₩5,000, student ₩3,000. (updated Sep 2025) 4 Hwangmaesan (황매산), Mountain 219, Dunnae-ri, Gahoe-myeon, ☏ +82 055-930-4769. It is a beautiful place to be called Geumgangsan Mountain because it is formed of rocky cliffs in the southeast, including Hwangmaebong Peak, which is located nearby. When you climb to the top, the surrounding scenery resembles the shape of plum petals, giving you a mysterious feeling as if floating alone in plum blossoms. In particular, the beautiful bright red azalea flowers on a plateau of hundreds of thousands of pyeong in May are famous. It is also one of the places where people living in Hapcheon go to see the sunrise. free admission. (updated Sep 2025) 5 Hapcheon Shin Soyang Sports Park (합천신소양체육공원), 898 Yeongchang-ri, Hapcheon-eup. As a popular photo spot on SNS that many tourists visit every year, it is attracting attention as a representative tourist attraction in autumn. It is also a popular photo zone for many lovers as it is a place where you can take emotional photos as it is colored in deep pink every fall. You can see various autumn flowers such as yellow flower cosmos, Gujeolcho, and chrysanthemums, and run a pink market event in early October to experience making pink flower garlands

Do

1 Jeongyang Leports Park (정양레포츠 공원), 613 Jeongyang-ri, Daeyang-myeon. In summer, there is a place where you can play in the water while enjoying the Hapcheon Vacation Festival at Hapcheon Jeongyang Leports Park. There are many cases where families come with children, and there is a water play where adults can also enjoy it lightly. In addition, there is a camping site, so it is good to play in the water during the day and have a barbecue party in the evening. free admission. (updated Oct 2025) 2 Full Heaven Water World (풀헤븐워터월드), 700-16 Hooyang-ri, Daebyung-myeon, ☏ +82 055-931-0124. Flyboat, hurricane, bandwagon, disco pang pang, peanut boat, pang pang, sightseeing boat, Marvel, banana boat, water skiing, and more. You can also use various and wide auxiliary facilities such as storage, dressing room, shower room, cafeteria, sunbed zone, and food court. Admission Fees ₩9,900. (updated Oct 2025) 3 Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon (합천 벚꽃 마라톤 대회). In March, the Hapcheon Marathon is held. There are usually about 3,000 participants and it is good to run while looking at the cherry blossoms. In the middle of the road, there are people who cheer and people who play traditional musical instruments. (updated Oct 2025)

Eat

1 Big Korean Famous House Main Store (대식한우명가본점), 539-2 Bonggi-ri, Yongju-myeon, ☏ +82 0507-1420-0914. 11:00-21:00. It is the healthiest and freshest Korean beef in Hapcheon, with ribs, sirloin, beef brisket, and juicy beef from special parts The assorted grilled Korean beef cuts (180g) is ₩32,000. (updated Sep 2025) 2 Sun grandmother's hand-cooked noodles (순할머니손칼국수), ☏ +82 0507-1399-7004. 10:30-19:30. This kalguksu restaurant specializes in kalguksu, which only sells hand-pressed kalguksu. You can eat traditional kalguksu, noodle soup with perilla seeds, and Umnamu chicken kalguksu. traditional noodle soup ₩8,000. (updated Sep 2025) 3 BBanggu (고기굽는빵구네), 935 Daeya-ro, Hapcheon-eup, ☏ +82 055-933-0906. 11:30-21:00. It is a famous pork restaurant. During lunch time, you can eat kimchi stew wi