scenic viewpoint
Ganjeolgot
A headland on the Ulsan coast that sees the first sunrise on the Korean mainland, marked by a white lighthouse and an oversized postbox. Crowds gather here at New Year.
20 km · about 25 min drive
AsiaSouth KoreaUlsan
Ulsan
Ulsan, South Korea · Asia
About Ulsan
Ulsan works well as a base: 25 minutes from Ungsang, 28km from Gameunsa Temple Site.
Ulsan is in South Korea, with about 1.1 million people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Ungsang, about 20 km away.
Ulsan (Korean: 울산; pronounced [uɭ.s͈an]), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing GyeongjuRead more
to the north.
Ulsan is the industrial powerhouse of South Korea, forming the heart of the Ulsan Industrial District. It has the world's largest automobile assembly plant, operated by the Hyundai Motor Company; the world's largest shipyard, operated by Hyundai Heavy Industries; and the world's third-largest oil refinery, owned by SK Energy. In 2020, Ulsan had a GDP per capita of $65,352, the highest of any region in South Korea.
Ulsan is the city that built the first automobile hydrogen charging station in the country in 2009. In addition, the first hydrogen ship charging station in the country was installed in Jangsaengpo Port in 2021. Currently, the Ulsan Green Hydrogen Town project, a hydrogen city that supplies hydrogen by connecting the city and a hydrogen power plant, is in progress. In December 2016, 10 Hyundai ix35 FCEVs, the first hydrogen fuel cell taxis in the country, entered test operation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Ulsan?
Within an hour or so of Ulsan: Ganjeolgot (20 km), Tongdosa (23 km), Bulguksa Temple (28 km), Gameunsa Temple Site (28 km).
Where is Ulsan?
Ulsan is in Ulsan, South Korea, about 20 km from Ungsang.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,098,421
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- South Korea
- Region
- Ulsan
- Timezone
- Asia/Seoul
- Coordinates
- 35.5372, 129.3167
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in South Korea
Tourist helpline (English): 1330.
Full driving guide for South KoreaTags
Worth the detour from Ulsan
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Tongdosa
One of Korea's three jewel temples, founded in 646, whose main hall has no Buddha statue because relics of the Buddha are enshrined in the stupa behind it. A long pine-lined approach leads in from the road.
23 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Bulguksa Temple
A UNESCO masterpiece of ancient Korean Buddhist art and architecture, featuring exquisite stone bridges, pagodas, and golden Buddha statues.
28 km · about 30 min drive
ancient ruins
Gameunsa Temple Site
The ruins of a 7th-century Silla temple with two 13 m triple-storey stone pagodas still standing, built by King Sinmun near the coast where his father's underwater tomb lies offshore.
28 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Seokguram Grotto
A stunning eighth-century Buddhist hermitage grotto housing a monumental seated Buddha overlooking the East Sea.
29 km · about 35 min drive
ancient ruins
Gyeongju Historic Areas (경주역사유적지구)
The ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom with royal tombs, Buddhist temples, and the oldest astronomical observatory in Asia.
34 km · about 40 min drive
ancient ruins
Gyeongju Tumuli Park (Daereungwon)
A vast royal burial ground containing massive grass-covered tomb mounds of Silla Dynasty kings and queens.
35 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
A spectacular seaside Buddhist temple perched on dramatic cliffs above crashing waves on Busan's northeastern coast.
40 km · about 45 min drive
Driving roads near Ulsan
- 20 kmGanjeolgotA headland on the Ulsan coast that sees the first sunrise on the Korean mainland, marked by a white lighthouse and an oversized postbox. Crowds gather here at New Year.
- 46 kmGwangan Bridge7.4km suspension bridge across Busan's Suyeong Bay, double-decked and floodlit at night, linking Haeundae to Namcheon.
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