People enjoy Imsil County's Santa Festival at the Imsil Cheese Theme Park on Dec a tiny rural village in North Jeolla Province is a town that most people in South Korea have heard of and precious few have visited a trip there via public transportation is not easy It is secluded behind mountains and admittedly scenic rivers crouching behind the slopes just a little over 20 kilometers from Jeonju Stretched across 597 square kilometers of mostly farmland and home to a meager 29,160 as of 2019 having earned its reputation as the country’s cheese mecca over the years Imsil now doubles as the main producer of the domestically made Imsil cheese and a tourist site hosting Imsil Cheese Village and the Cheese Theme Park when a young Roman Catholic priest from Belgium called Didier t’Serstevens started to make cheese with the leftover milk from the two goats he owned.  as its hills and barren lands were not the best place to grow crops A little over a decade removed from the 1950-53 Korean War the rural part of the country relied mostly on farming and raising livestock for a living What started out as a way to help the farm’s struggling business a small cheese factory he built on a $2,000 loan from his parents with Imsil cheese making its way even to the top hotels and stores in Seoul The product now has over 70 commercial brands associated with it the cheese pioneer was granted Korean citizenship and he is now known as Father Chi Chong-hwan It takes well over three hours by bus or train from Seoul to reach Imsil it takes only 15 minutes by train or half an hour by car Read also: The other side of Korea: Art, food and history Imsil Cheese Village is a little over 500 meters or a 10-minute walk from the Imsil train station which is about a 10-minute bus ride from the intercity terminal.  It offers a variety of workshops where visitors can experience making mozzarella or the original Imsil cheese that the village is famous for Fees for the workshops and packages vary between 10,000 ($8.90) and 32,000 won.  there are packages that give participants a chance to make and package the cheese is the S course for groups of up to 40.  The park even offers lodgings at the aptly named “Cheese Pension” although it doesn’t look anything like cheese The place maxes out at around two dozen guests with just seven rooms In October the town hosts the annual Imsil N Cheese Festival An average of 60,000 to 70,000 tourists visit the cheese town of Imsil-gun every year but it would be a stretch to say it is one of the most popular tourist spots in Korea While Imsil cheese has expanded into a nationwide enterprise that brings in north of 10 billion won annually Imsil itself is still a relatively small agricultural town Despite not being a prime tourist destination there is no denying that Imsil has completed its transformation as a cheese town a change that kicked off with a Catholic priest and the two goats he owned half a century ago Quickly share this news with your 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vacationers' priorities well-known restaurants and unique cafes garner unprecedented attention from holidaymakers Though highway rest stops were considered a place to quench one's thirst and relieve hunger with instant food and snacks some roadside establishments -- which promote their local specialties with unique culinary offerings -- are luring epicureans and has even led to the coining of the term “hyugeso tour,” meaning “rest stop tour.” may arguably be one of the most colorful cuisine in South Korea’s expressway food plazas The dish adds a new flavor to the time-honored dish by adding melted cheese to the classic bibimbap beef and gochujang -- a red pepper paste commonly used as bibimbap sauce The Osu rest stop’s bibimbap is served with cheese from nearby Imsil the namesake birthplace and production center for the famed Korean cheese for over 50 years udon noodles or sundubu jjigae -- a stew made with smooth tofu or sundubu -- at almost every service area in Korea That’s the reason why I choose the Imsil cheese cheolpan bibimbap whenever I make my stop at the Osu rest stop delicious,” a 53-year-old truck driver surnamed Kim told The Korea Herald on July 27 “If you want to enjoy the clean taste of mushrooms and bean sprouts I recommend you not add the gochujang sauce,” he added the Imsil cheese bibimbap ends with nurungji the fragrant crispy rice left at the bottom of the pan Osu Service Area lies on the Suncheon-Wanju Expressway bound for Gwangyang in Imsil Another popular destination for eateries on the highway is the Chungju Service Area on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway bound for Changwon in Chungju Deep-fried pork cutlet is everyone's favorite with its crunchy breaded exterior and tender and juicy meat inside topped with the iconic brown-colored sweet sauce the sauce's flavor is brought up a notch with Chungju apple The apple pork cutlet is served with a scoop of rice Pay a visit to to Insam Land Service Area on the Tongyeong-Daejeong Expressway bound for Tongyeong in Geumsan South Chungcheong Province if you want to try unique ginseng-themed desserts Geumsan is the country's ginseng retail center the snack stalls offer fried ginseng snacks and ginseng milk “Fried ginseng snacks might seem surprising the best item to pair with the ginseng milk is hodu gwaja (Korean walnut cake) The sweetness of sweet red bean inside the hodu gwaja masks the bitter taste of the ginseng milk,” Park Ha-young told The Korea Herald at Insam Land Service Area on July 27 South Korea’s 4,866-kilometer highway system boasts 206 rest areas This article is the second in a series introducing notable rest stops guiding travelers to unique experiences during summertime road trips in South Korea Lee Jae-myung leads in hypothetical three-way race with Han Duck-soo the presidential candidate of South Korea’s main liberal Democratic Party holds a lead in a potential three-way race for the country’s next election 15% of Korean wage workers have flexible work schedules: data Azerbaijan urges Korean firms to invest in Alat FEZ UAE seeks Korean partnerships in water management 'Smile at me': Cancer-fighting senior influencer inspires with strength Netflix's 'The Devil’s Plan' returns with star-packed season 2 Seoul to host inaugural 'MyK Festa' in June Yoo Seung-ho returns to stage as Brutus in reimagining of 'Julius Caesar' Respect wanes: Teaching no longer highly coveted job in S South Koreans get creative with Parents’ Day gifts Costco’s steep membership hike tests loyalty of Korean shoppers a shooting silver medalist who emerged as a "meme star" at the 2024 Paris Olympics gave off another charm as a pictorial model for Louis Vuitton Fashion magazine W Korea presented Kim Ye-ji's first pictorial exclusively on its official website and official Instagram on the 31st of last month Kim Ye-jin showed off her chic charm in the photo shoot released on the same day wearing Louis Vuitton's various costumes and posing for fire Kim Ye-jin's inner feelings were also revealed along with the photo shoot "The first thing I thought about was why it was me," adding "I've been shooting since middle school and it's always the same." At first and three and a half hours to Seoul to find the W set "The public's time to remember Olympic stars is shorter than expected "I want to remain 'Kim Ye-ji who is good at shooting' in the future," he explained "I had to train the next day as well," he said and I didn't know that Twitter had changed to 'X'." In particular "My training and competition schedule are the top priority now and I will continue to surpass myself whether it's a record or a person "Shooting is a battle of concentration and sensation," Kim Ye-ji said "I can't hear anything and I can only see the target and the line of sight as if I were the only one in the space," he said Kim Ye-ji's more diverse pictorial and interview full text will be available on the "W Korea" Vol.10 and the W Korea site Kim Ye-ji signed an official contract with Plpil (CEO Ryu Min-guk) who provides Entertainer management services It is known that a number of requests for broadcast appearances and 20 requests for advertisements interest is growing as there are global online FPS games among game companies he was selected as one of the top 10 stars selected by NBC "It would be cool if the shooting world champion was also in an action movie You have to cast Kim Ye-ji in an action movie Kim Ye-ji sponsored 5 million won for the elderly support project alone "I chose this method to find a way to repay your hearts for trusting and supporting me." “When he was asked about how it felt to receive South Korean citizenship in 2016 and I’m grateful to be thought of as a Korean.’ He said I will stay in Korea forever.’” Buan and Imsil are both countries in North Jeolla Province The funeral mass of Belgian-born Catholic priest Father Didier t'Serstevens also known by his Korean name of Ji Jeong-hwan was held at a cathedral in Jeonju at 10 am on Apr Ji was known not only for his love of Korea but also for being the “father of cheese” in Imsil County chief assistant of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jeonju described the 61 years that Ji served as a priest and the 60 years that he lived in Korea for dedicating his entire life to farmers and people with disabilities and for launching Imsil’s cheese industry More than a thousand people attended the funeral mass on Tuesday As story after story was told about Ji’s life of holiness by focusing on five of his accomplishments These were his reclamation of land in Buan for poor farmers without modern equipment his creation of the cheese industry in the Imsil region despite serious obstacles his establishment of the Rainbow Family rehabilitation community for people with serious disabilities the donation of his entire fortune of 789 million won (US$695,120) to create a scholarship program that ultimately helped 571 disabled students and his translation of a history of the Korean church into French after his retirement in 2003 “This easygoing and loving person dedicated himself to the alienated and the suffering he stood up to the strong and had no shortage of compassion for the weak We should learn from the example he showed as he took up his cross and followed Jesus,” Father Kim said Kim related a meeting he’d had with Ji this past January “Ji told me that we need to bring hope to our neighbors instead of despair He told me that whatever difference he has made has been the providence and the plan of God We too should live a life of love and dedication to our neighbors in need.” greeted the attendees in Korean and then expressed her gratitude to Koreans for treating her uncle like family during his 60 years in the country The funeral mass lasted for about one and a half hours Ji’s remains were buried in a cemetery for clergymen at Chimyeongjasan Holy Ground Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr] a silver medalist in shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympics is drawing attention with her new charm through fashion pictorials Kim Ye-ji showed off her unexpected charm by creating two contradictory moods in this pictorial with MLB and fashion magazine Vogue he perfectly digested MLB's hip real lifestyle with his unique and Instagram-inspired style he has shown extraordinary affection for hats to the extent that he often wears them in games and completed his style using MLB's vintage ball cap in this pictorial The NIGHT (Night) pictorial created a completely different atmosphere he performed a Goff-core style with a charismatic look like a shooting empress showing an intense aura that contrasts sharply with DAY she is drawing attention by reinterpreting her charismatic appearance into MLB's unique fashion noir film Kim Ye-ji's intense character made such a strong impression that he received rave reviews from Elon Musk Kim Ye-ji recently signed an official agency contract with PlPhil PlPhil supports various domestic and foreign activities such as advertising and broadcasting of Kim Ye-ji and is drawing more attention as it is known that it is also in the process of signing a contract with the world-popular online FPS game Kim Ye-ji will take on an acting challenge by being cast as a killer in the drama Kim Ye-ji was cast with Indian global star Anushka Sen as a killer in the film 'Asia' spinoff short-form series 'Crush' "Asia" is a work of multinational stars from more than seven countries in the United States and Asia that depicts the intertwined story of various human groups about racial hatred and discrimination who received attention for his outstanding skills and composure at the 2024 Paris Olympics said on the 6th that he "at first did not believe" Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk's recommendation to appear in an action movie On CBS radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' I didn't even know the word "sharout" itself Sharout is a translation of the English 'Shout-out' into Korean pronunciation Kim Ye-ji won a silver medal in the women's 10-meter individual shooting air pistol at the Paris Olympics The video that made headlines online was not the Olympic Games but the 25m International Shooting Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup in Baku Kim Ye-ji shot 42 points to set a new world record and won gold and silver medals with Yang Ji-in (21 Kim Ye-ji shot her last shot with her hat on the back and after checking the target site with a cold expression Elon Musk retweeted (re-shared) the video to X and said "It would be cool if there was a shooting world champion in an action movie," adding "We should cast Kim Ye-ji in an action movie." There is no need for acting," he praised "I'll have a meal with Elon Musk sometime," Kim Ye-ji said "I don't think I can because I can't speak English." let's get ready for the next game,'" and explained and I don't think it's too late to do anything else but I spent a lot of time wandering thinking about it," he said "I thought I shouldn't be a shameful person after giving birth to a child." "When this child grew up and looked at his mother so I thought that I should take responsibility and go up further." the time difference was so bad that it was time for the baby to sleep when he came into the accommodation so I couldn't talk to her on the phone separately," he said with a smile I'll go to a very big stage called the Olympics and bring a medal to Min-so "I'm always waiting for Min-so," and Min-so said "The first thing I want to do after returning home is to go see my daughter "Kim Yeji as the main character of the action movie!" the silver medalist in the women's 10m air pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics is drawing great attention around the world and Internet users around the world are also "Kim Ye-ji-holic." A video of Kim Ye-ji's past match who collaborated with Oh Ye-jin for gold and silver in the women's 10m air pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics the scene where Kim Ye-ji won the gold medal in the 25m pistol event of the International Shooting Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup in Baku in May has attracted a lot of attention with more than 20 million views setting a new world record and winning a gold medal What Internet users paid attention to is Kim Ye-ji's "Cool." In the video Kim Ye-ji shot the final shot while wearing a black uniform for the South Korean women's shooting team with the national flag attached and a black hat pressed back the video shows him breathing out and turning around without changing his expression after checking the target site and the pistol lock with a cool expression Internet users are enthusiastic about his work without any special facial expressions or laughter even when he/she confirmed his/her victory by setting a new world record The person who posted the video gave a narrative to Kim Ye-ji's winning gold medal "It was the most 'character energy like the main character' I've seen in my life." SNS users around the world are also enthusiastically responding to these posts "You look like a cold killer or a main character in a movie." Kim Ye-ji's other game scenes and everyday appearances are also being released through various social media such as playing with an elephant character given by his daughter in his hand during normal games Various posts are pouring out praise such as "The woman on the screen is like a huge assassin," "This is a gold medal moment," "It's not a game scene it's like a scene in a drama or movie," "The dignity of a champion," and "She's a true professional who keeps her cool until the end," and "She's an assassin in the game the owner of X and CEO of global electric vehicle company Tesla Musk replied to the post one by one and wrote "It would be cool if there was a shooting world champion in an action movie." After a while "We have to cast Kim Ye-ji in an action movie adding that he wanted Kim Ye-ji to become an action movie The BBC also joined the ranks of Kim Ye-ji's praise The BBC's official SNS posted a photo of Kim Ye-ji on the 31st with a post saying "Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji is probably the coolest player in this Olympics." In the picture Kim Ye-ji is shooting with one hand on her waist he paid attention to Kim Ye-ji's charismatic appearance by covering one eye and staring at the target Kim Ye-ji will participate in the 25m air pistol event on the 2nd (main) and 3rd (final) of next month who already won a silver medal in the 10m air pistol shooting It is also a 25-meter event in which Kim Ye-ji won a gold medal at the World Championships which was first set by drawing attention online which has already achieved the world's strongest feat expectations for a charismatic medal seem to be growing an 85-year-old Belgian priest who is best known as the father of Imsil Cheese became a Korean citizen nearly six decades after arriving in Korea Imsil Cheese Theme Park: Korea's surreal homage to caseiculture It's up there with the cream of South Korea's tourist attractions - the Imsil Cheese Theme Park in North Jeolla Province Possibly the only dairy-themed park in the world Imsil is set in 32 acres of pasture in buildings shaped like giant wheels of Emmental cheese As a celebration of the Korean cheese industry visitors can ply their hand at making cheesy pizza mozzarella or visit a giant Swiss-inspired cheese chateau as the on-site restaurant serves up hearty portions of spaghetti and cheese steaks Other sights to visit include a petting farm with resident dairy herd a cave for ageing cheese in and – of course – a well-stocked cheese shop This fanatic tribute to all things cheesy is at home in Imsil which claims to be the birthplace of Korean cheese first imparted his knowledge to the locals in the 1950s As a Belgian priest who first moved to Korea with the Catholic church Serstevens decided the landscape would be perfect to start a smallholding He soon started raising goats and making his own goats cheese Father Serstevents is seen as the patron saint of caseiculture Arriving shortly after the Korean war as a missionary Serstevens had a true vocation for cheese-making the priest was given honorary Korean citizenship in 2016 for his services to the country The cheese still produced in the area became took on the name Imsil as the country's first regional cheese delicacy Imsil Cheese Pizza can be found throughout the country The success of the foodstuff rose the region to prominence and in 2004 the cheese theme park was opened to celebrate the area's heritage and teach the cheese-making process annually attracting 100,000 dairy-mad visitors • Imsil Cheese Theme Park is open Tuesday to Sunday The Marlborough Boutique Hotel offers luxury stays and a hatted restaurant Cows meet kids at the Cheese Village in Geumsung-ri Provided by Imsil County Office a cheese-making teacher Shows course participants how to stretch mozzarella Cheese fans show off their home-made pizzas topped with mozzarella All Headlines North Korea Sports Top News Most Viewed Korean Newspaper Headlines Today in Korean History Yonhap News Summary Editorials from Korean Dailies "yeot," made for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday at a village in Imsil in this photo provided by the Imsil county office All News National Economy/Finance Biz Culture/K-pop Images Videos Korean Newspaper Headlines Korea in Brief Useful Links Weather Advertise with Yonhap News Agency CHEESE lovers can experience heaven on earth at this theme park dedicated entirely to the dairy product South Korea's Imsil Cheese Park will see no dairy lover blue as they are able to churn through 32 acres of attractions all offering cheesy tributes and edam good entertainment As reported by The Mirror, there's mini cheese-themed rides, cheese making classes and buildings designed to look like edam - which all add up to a grate time. For the more mature cheese lover, there's also the opportunity to sample various local cheeses and buy your favourites at the gift shop. The park is located in North Jeolla Province, believed to be the best cheese-producing part of the country. It opened in 2004, with the aim of teaching visitors the history of cheese making. They can also sample local produce and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the cheese making process. There are also a variety of fairytale scenes, including an appearance from the Smurfs as they face off against evil wizard Gargamel. A small farm also allows children to meet the animals who produce the milk that cheese production relies on. it's about a two-hour drive from Seoul take note that the park is closed on Mondays you're likely to have a gouda-m amazing time We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ eventually opting to try to make cheese out of the goats’ milk now brings in around 200,000 visitors to the region each year The theme park’s website is only available in Korean most of its text is actually part of various image files which means that Google Translate can’t actually do much to make the site readable for English speakers there are a few descriptions of what kinds of activities it contains floating around the English-language internet — and honestly courtesy of some drone footage uploaded to YouTube in 2014: and a lab whose sole purpose is to research different methods of cheesemaking (There is no science better than cheese science.) Here’s a look at some of the hands-on classes you can take at the Imsil Cheese Theme Park Although la Cité du Vin is often called a theme park it’s really more of a museum with a lot of interactive elements; the Imsil Cheese Theme Park feels a lot more traditionally theme park-esque I do appreciate that they both have a ton of activities for visitors to take part in it turns the experience from a passive one to an active one — and when cheese and/or wine are involved what good is going to a location built entirely around the existence of a certain type of food or drink if you can’t actually consume said food or drink while you’re there For the curious, Chi Chong-hwan still lives in South Korea today; he was finally granted citizenship in 2016. For more information about visiting the Imsil Cheese Theme Park, check out its page on the Korea Tourism Organization’s website