Ganjeolgot Point

About 30 minutes southeast of Ulsan is Ganjeolgot Point, where the earliest sunrise on the entire Northeast Asian continent can be seen. I guess this is a really popular place to go on New Year's Eve, as you can see the first sunrise of the new year. We got up really early a few days ago and drove down to the point to see the sunset. It was an incredible view (though it was also FREEZING outside).


We got there just before dawn, and the lighthouse light up the sky. We aren't sure if this statue is hailing the arrival of the new sun, or giving a angry fist to the Japanese (snicker, snicker).

We watched a few locals place fruit and other food on a blanket, and then gather around and pray during the sunrise. The explanation was that it was an offering to the Dragon God.

Many statues are placed upon the point. This turtle was pretty cool, with a fiersome snake sitting atop the pyramid coming out of his back.

What was really interesting was the statue of the Golden Pig. The year 2007, in the Chinese Zodiac, is the year of the pig. But that is not the end of the story, it is more specifically the Year of the Golden Pig, which occurs once every 600 years. The golden pig symbolizes prosperity and wealth, and they say any child born during the Year of the Golden Pig will enjoy a prosperous and wealthy life. For this reason, the Korean birth rate is expected to increase by 10% for 2007. The festivies on Ganjeolgot point for New Year's were more popular this year due to the coming of the Golden Pig. You find references to the golden pig everywhere, as street vendors try to sell cheap plastic pigs to Jeff on his way to work as well as the golden pig adorning numerous store signs and billboards.