Igyeondae

A pavilion overlooking King Munmu's Tomb rising from the East Sea — this is Igyeondae.

King Munmu, who unified the Three Kingdoms, left a will saying he wished to become a dragon guarding the nation from Japanese raiders even after death, and legend holds his ministers witnessed his transformation into a dragon at this very spot. His son, King Sinmun, is said to have received here a bamboo flute called Manpasikjeok — a treasure said to be beyond any price, capable of driving off invaders and curing illness with its sound.

The name Igyeondae draws from a line in the I Ching — "a flying dragon in the heavens; it is fitting to meet the great man" — reflecting the belief that this was where the king appeared as a dragon. The building standing today isn't the original; it was rebuilt in recent years based on foundation stones uncovered during a 1970 excavation.

Below the pavilion, at a marker reading "Donghaegu," stands a 1985 memorial erected by students in honor of scholar Ko Yu-seop, titled "The Sea I Cannot Forget" — adding another layer of meaning to a spot that already looks out toward Daewangam with Silla's spirit of national protection in mind.

Honestly, though, the pavilion itself is small and doesn't offer much to see up close — it's really a place you visit purely to sit and take in the view of King Munmu's Tomb out at sea.

It's close to Daewangam Beach and Gampo Harbor, making it easy to fold into an East Coast route; open at all times and free.