Beopjusa Temple and the Mireukdaeseok Buddha

Songnisan National Park draws hikers, but the real reason to come is Beopjusa, a temple complex founded in 553 CE with a gravity that most mountain temples don't quite manage. The centerpiece is a 33-meter gold-bronze standing Maitreya Buddha — one of the largest in Asia — that was cast in 1990 but sits in its surroundings with surprising naturalness. The five-story Palsangjeon wooden pagoda is the only surviving wooden pagoda from the Joseon period. Arrive early enough to walk the forest approach road before tour buses arrive; the canopy of old trees leading to the temple gates is itself worth the trip.

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