Gurye County
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Gurye 구례군 |
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|---|---|---|
| County | ||
| Korean transcription(s) | ||
| • Hangul | ||
| • Hanja | ||
| • Revised Romanization | Gurye-gun | |
| • McCune-Reischauer | Kurye-gun | |
|
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 Location in South Korea |
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| Country |
 South Korea
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| Region | Honam | |
| Administrative divisions | =1 eup, 7 myeon | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 443.02 km2 (171.05 sq mi) | |
| Population (2014) | ||
| • Total | 27,115 | |
| • Density | 61.2/km2 (159/sq mi) | |
| • Dialect | Jeolla | |
Gurye (Gurye-gun) is a county in the province of Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Gurye is a small, picturesque farming town situated between Jirisan and the Seomjin River. Gurye is the sole designated special tourism and leisure zone in all of Jeollanam-do. The total size of Gurye County is 443.02 square km, with a modest population of approximately 30,000.
Gurye County is a popular hiking destination during the spring and autumn seasons. The county's beautiful landscapes are showcased during its yearly festivals such as Sansuyu Flower Festival, the Royal Azalea Festival and the Piagol Valley Maple Festival. Gurye is also home to Korea's first national state park, which houses some of Korea’s most important temples such as Hwaeomsa, Cheoneunsa, and Yeongoksa.
Gurye is located in the southwest portion of Korea, and is easily accessible from Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, as well as other major cities.
During the Samhan period, Gurye was part of Gorap, one of the 54 statelets of the Mahan confederacy. As the domain of Baekje Kingdom expanded during the Three Kingdoms period, Gurye was absorbed as one of the kingdom's counties, where it was known as Gucharye (or Guchaji). During the reign of King Gyeongdeok (r. 742–65), the region was part of Gokseong County, when it also attained its current name.
Although Gurye is a small county, it is a tourist designated zone and often visited by Koreans year round. The Gurye Bus Terminal located in the center of Gurye-Eup, offers 7 daily bus routes to and from Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal. Each bus departs every 2 hours, with the earliest bus departing at 7:00 a.m. and the latest at 7:00 p.m. The duration of the trip is 3 hours and 35 minutes, which includes a short concession stop midway.
There are numerous buses that depart to Suncheon, the closest city with theaters and large department stores (approx 30 mins away) and to Gwangju, the closest metropolitan city which is 1.5 hours away.
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Wikipedia