Gwangju International Center will be running a tour to Gochang, North Jeolla Province, this month that covers the gamut of Korean history, from prehistoric times to the Joseon era.

The first stop will be at Seonunsa Temple, a seventh-century temple nestled in its own provincial park, famous for its camellia flowers.

After lunch, which will be grilled eels and eel stew, the tour will look at the Gochang Dolmen Site, which is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The area is famous for its connection to pansori, a type of slow narrative Korean song performed with a solo singer and a percussionist. The tour will stop off at the Pansori Museum in Gochang, where participants will be able to try their hand at some of the percussion.

Later they will move on to the last stop on the tour, Gochang’s Eupseong Fortress, which has a complete set of walls containing features dating from prehistoric to late Joseon times.

The tour runs on Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. and costs 65,000 won for GIC members and 75,000 won for nonmembers.

Registration, as well as more information, is available via gic.or.kr and closes Oct. 11.

(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)