Gwangju International Center will hold an overnight GIC Tour to the coastal hermitage of Hyangilam on Nov. 24.

Accommodation will be at the hermitage, which was founded in the seventh century by the Buddhist monk Wonhyo as a place for meditation.

On the way, the tour will stop by at Seonso Shipyard which was used by Admiral Yi Sun-sin to build and repair his famous turtle ships during the Imjin War.

The shipyard has an armory, command post, smithy, as well as a circular harbor made for holding and sheltering the ships from rough waters.

After a lunch of sesame noodles at a nearby restaurant, the group will move to Jinamgwan, which was the center of Admiral Yi’s naval command and is one of the largest wooden buildings in Korea.

Up the hill from Jinamgwan is Gosodae, a small shrine that houses memorial steles honoring Yi Sunsin, who used this high point to watch the sea while giving commands.

The tour costs 50,000 won for GIC members and 60,000 won for nonmembers. The tour starts at the GIC at 8 a.m. To reserve a spot, sign up via the website at www.eng.gic.or.kr by Nov. 20.

(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)