Light lilac and red colored flowers rest in the foreground with Gyeongju's Cheomseongdae Observatory (첨성대) and a beautiful sky in the background.

A Local’s Guide to Gyeongju

On my first trip to Gyeongju, I remember being surprised to see such large mounds of earth protruding from the fields. Later, I learned that these mounds were more than just man-made hills but, in fact, the ancient burial chambers for Korea’s elite and royal. While such views have become more commonplace since living in…