"The City of Lights!!!" Gwangju-gwangyoksi by lobsterman

This is the city that has served as my home for the past year. It is the fourth largest in Korea with about 1.5 million inhabitants and famous both for its fashion and its cusine.

Gwangju is a modern city composed of mostly concrete and glass. It is seldom visited by tourists as it is in the southern most province and approx. 4 hours from Seoul.

For those that do make it here for a visit, you'll find that there is plenty to do. Gwangju is host to many parks, shopping malls, temples and pro sports venues. Depending on the time of year in which someone visits you could take in a world class art exhibition or the kimchi festival.

Gwanju has a history of being the center of Korean labor and student protest. On May 18, 1980 peaceful pro democracy supporters were gunned down by troops, in what was one of Gwangju's darkest days. Each year, there is a ceremony to remember those who were killed, and there is also a cemetary outside the city with the remains of those who lost their lives fighting for democracy.

With a rich history, and some of the finest restauraunts, and temples in the country, Gwangju and Jellonamdo are worth a visit by any traveller.

• Pros:Food, People and Culture
• Cons:High rise Apartments everywhere!!!!
• In a nutshell:It's out of the way but worth a visit!!!