Gyeongbok Palace In 1394, when Seoul was established as the capital of the Joseon Dynasty, King Taejo had the Gyeongbok Palace constructed as the main palace. It is the most comprehensive and the grandest palace of the five palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. Seoul World Cup Stadium The opening ceremony and opening game of the FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan were held here. The Seoul World Cup Stadium provides approximately 65,000 seats, the largest capacity in Asia. Seating space is as close as 11m away from the touchline, and 17m away from the goal line. You can even hear players breathe. Bulguk Temple Bulguk Temple is one of Korea's best-known temples, a testimony to both the skill of Shilla dynasty's architect and the depth of Buddhist faith at that time. While most of the wooden buildings had been rebuilt over the centuries, all the stone bridges, stairways and pagoda still perserve their original forms, which were built in A.D. 535 and then enlarged in A.D. 752. Tumuli Park It is a huge walled area containing 20 tombs of the Shilla Dynasty's monarchs and royal families. Many of them have been excavated in recent years to yield fabulous treasures, which are on display at the National Museum. One of the tombs, the Chenmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb) is now open in cross-section to show the method of costruction. This huge tomb was built around the end of the 5th century A.D. and is the only one excavated so far which contains a wooden burial chamber. Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory Tower It is famous as the world's earliest stone observatory. Its apparently simple design conceals an amazing subtlety. The 12 stones of its base symbolize the months of the year and, from top to bottom, there are 30 layers- one for each day of the month. 366 stones were used in its construction, roughly one for each day of the year. There are numerous other technical details relating to the tower's position, angles and the direction of its corners in relation to certain stars. Seokguram Grotto Seokguram Grotto is one of the world's finest Buddha shrines, dating back to early 6th century, the same period as Bulguk Temple. Surrounded by Bodhisattvas and guardian deities, the serene central statue of Buddha gazes out over the forested hills and across the East Sea to the horizon. The carving of the granite dome of Seokguram Grotto was a truly amazing architectural feat. In 1995, Bulguk Temple and Seokguram Grotto were added to the list of UNESCO's prestigious World Cultural Heritage. Tongdo Temple Tongdo Temple, one of the largest temples in Korea, is located between Gyeongju and Busan. It may appear not so expansive at first, because many of the buildings are dispersed along the surrounding mountainside. Besides the many fine statues housed in the Shrines, there is an excellent collection of artwork in display in the temple museum.