Windows on Korean Spirit

Hundreds of miles off the Korean coast in the East Sea lies Dokdo, a small group of tiny volcanic islets sheltering a rich but fragile ecosystem. This rugged, lonely outpost, which constitutes the country's easternmost territory, is administered by Gyeongsangbuk-do, located in the southeastern corner of the Korean peninsula. In this sense, Gyeongsangbuk-do is the place where, every day, Korea greets its morning. In a spiritual sense too, the province has throughout history played a crucial role in Korea's periodic recovery and renewal. From its position at the center of the Silla Kingdom, which governed the region for the better part of the first millennium AD and unified much of the Korean peninsula, to its contributions to Korea's rapid modernization and economic growth in the second half of the twentieth century, Gyeongsangbuk-do has served as a “land of dreams," where revered traditions and the cutting edge go hand in hand, leading the nation into the future.

Window on Korean Spirit: Gyeongsangbuk-do is a journey through the province from the temples and Buddhist shrines of the Silla, to the workshops of artisans who keep the traditional arts of pottery, bow making, and quilting alive, to the cutting-edge innovations of the Gumi Industrial Complex. Sumptuous illustrations and a fascinating history make Window on Korean Spirit a feast not only for the sense, but also for the imagination.