Mundeok in Spring — Juam Lake, Cherry Blossoms, and Daewonsa Temple
The spring scene most visitors never see Korea has famous spring destinations. Jinhae, with its naval port and 360,000 cherry trees. Jeju, with its yellow canola fields. Seoul’s parks. These places are beautiful. They are also, in late March and April, extremely crowded. Mundeok-myeon (문덕면) in Boseong-gun is not famous outside the region. The Korean photographers who know it guard it, in the quiet way people guard places they love — by not talking about it too loudly. The valley fills with day-trippers from Jeonnam during peak blossom, but it has not yet appeared on international itineraries. This will change. For now, it is still possible to arrive on a Tuesday morning in early April and have Juam Lake, the cherry road, and the temple approach largely to yourself. ...