Naksansa Temple (Uisangdae and Hongryeonam)

낙산사

A seaside temple over the East Sea, famed for sunrise

Hours

About 6am–6pm; to 5pm in winter

Address

100 Naksansa-ro, Ganghyeon-myeon, Yangyang

Said to have been founded in 671 by the monk Uisang, it is one of Korea's main Avalokiteshvara pilgrimage sites, facing the East Sea. The 16 m Haesu Gwaneum statue stands looking out to sea, and Uisangdae pavilion on the cliff is the place to watch sunrise. Hongryeonam, perched on the cliff edge, has a floor gap through which you can see the waves. A 2005 wildfire destroyed about twenty buildings, so what you see today has been rebuilt.