Located between Busan and Gyeongju, Ulsan faces the Sea of Japan and is a port city blessed with a warm climate. The city center is an industrial area and the surrounding areas are agricultural, and although it is one of Korea's seven largest cities, it still retains beautiful nature. The industrial area is home to Hyundai Motor's production lines, and the city boasts the highest automobile production volume in Korea, and other major Korean companies have set up shop in the industrial complex. Furthermore, along the coast is Korea's largest petrochemical complex, making it one of Korea's leading industrial cities.
Ulsan city is also famous as a whaling base and is home to tourist spots such as the Jangsaengpo Whale Museum, the Eonyang Amethyst Cave Land with its Natural Amethyst Museum, and Cape Ganjeol. In terms of food, Eonyang is famous for its bulgogi village and whale meat dish Gorejjigae (whale meat hotpot).
Population: 1,150,215 (2013)
Area(km1057.1): XNUMX
Food: Eonyang Kalbi / Whale Meat
Main spots:
Jangsaengpo Whale Museum / Ulsan Fortress / Seosaungpo Fortress / Ulsan Museum / Hyundai Motor / Hyundai Mipo Shipbuilding
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Ulsan Station (KTX, Tongdosa Temple)
A complete guide to KTX Ulsan (Tongdosa) Station. Just 19 minutes from Busan, this high-speed rail station serves as the gateway to Ulsan city and Tongdosa Temple. This guide provides the latest information, covering everything from station facilities (lockers, restaurants) and local product shops to limousine bus stops and routes connecting to various parts of the city. -
Jangsaengpo Whale Museum
The Jangsaengpo Whale Museum in Ulsan is Korea's only specialized whale museum, showcasing the history of Ulsan as a former whaling center and the ecology of whales. It features life-sized whale skeletons, whaling artifacts, and interactive exhibits for children, among other attractions! This article provides detailed information on the latest 2025 admission fees, opening hours, and recommended sightseeing routes that include visits to the surrounding cultural village. -
Jangsaengpo Whale Culture Village
Jangsaengpo Whale Culture Village in Ulsan is Korea's only whale-themed park, recreating the streetscape of the whaling heyday of the 1970s and 80s. It offers plenty to see and do, including trying on retro old village uniforms, viewing life-sized whale models, and attending the hydrangea festival in June! We'll also provide detailed information on access, admission fees, and sightseeing routes that include nearby museums. -
Inscriptions and rock carvings from Jeongjeong-ri, Ulju
Why not visit the national treasure "Inscriptions and Rock Carvings of Ulju Jeongjeong-ri," nestled amidst the beautiful nature of Ulsan's Daegokcheon River? The rock face, inscribed with prehistoric animal paintings and Silla-era Chinese characters, is like something out of a history textbook. The walking trail leading to the Bangudae Rock Carvings is also popular. Enjoy this World Heritage site year-round with free admission. -
Ulsan Rock Carvings
The UNESCO-registered Ulsan Rock Carvings are valuable materials that tell the story of whale hunting from approximately 7000 years ago, and are important evidence of human and maritime history. -
Seosaengpo Castle
Located on the border between Busan and Ulsan, this is the largest and best-preserved Japanese castle remaining in Korea. -
Ulsan Great Rock
It is also popular as the place where the sun rises earliest in Korea along with Ganjeolgot Cape in Ulju County, and with its beautiful rock formations facing the East Sea, it is a well-known tourist spot as one of Ulsan's main tourist destinations! -
Ulsan Bonggi Museum (Waigosan Bonggi Village)
Oegosan Onggi Village, which was also the site of the 2010 Ulsan World Ceramic Culture Expo, is the largest Onggi village in Korea, where people started firing ceramics themselves from the 1950s to the present day, and in the 60s and 70s many potters gathered to make ceramics. It produces more than 50% of the nation's ceramics. -
Ulsan Ganjeolgot
Gangjeolgot is the first place in Korea to see the sunrise and has a 5m-tall wish postbox. It was built in 1970 to resemble an old postbox used in the 2006s, and is a real postbox where mail is actually collected. Behind the postbox... -
Ulsan Castle (Hakseong Park)
Located in Ulsan, a representative industrial complex in South Korea, this castle was built by Kato Kiyomasa in the 16th century! -
Ulsan Grand Park
This is an eco-friendly urban park in Ulsan that features a large pool, a theme park, and an outdoor performance venue. -
Boksundoga Ulsan Main Branch
Ulsan's specialty, handmade makgeolli, is used as the toast at Blue House dinners and as the dinner drink at various international events. -
Ulsan Bridge Observatory
It is located at the top of Hwajeong Mountain, 63 meters high (203 meters above sea level), and from the observation deck you can see the Ulsan Bridge, Ulsan's three major industries - the petrochemical, automobile, and shipbuilding industrial complexes - and Ulsan's seven famous mountains. -
Eonyang Amethyst Cave Nara
Located roughly halfway between Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, one of the three most famous temples in Korea, and Seongnamsa Nunnery in Eonyang, Chasjeongdong Geulnara (Land of Amethyst Caves) is an amethyst mine that was once mined vigorously and has been developed into an amusement park. The caves stretch for about 3 km, with the first and second floors connected like an ant's nest...
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