By Honorary Reporter Marina Ahmad Akhir from Malaysia

Photos= Marina Ahmad Akhir

This Mandarinfish sculpture is a popular photo spot for those wishing to capture a beautiful view, especially the sunset and at night, when the bridge and the sculpture shine with colorful lights.

This bronze statue of Soyanggang Maid was dedicated in 2005 by Chuncheon City Hall in 2005 to promote the Korean song of "Soyanggang Cheonyeo (Maid)." I'm scared of heights but tried to be brave to enjoy my experience here.

To mark the "Special Travel Week" hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism from July 1-19, I want to share my wonderful one-day trip to Gangwon-do Province last year.

Korea's second-largest province is located in the northeast and serves as the perfect place to experience a different side of the country. I went there on the G-Shuttle Bus, a festival transportation service exclusively free for foreign visitors and expats for attending the "DMZ POP Concert Goseong" during my stay.

Soyanggang Skywalk, an observatory at Uiamho Lake, has the nation's longest path of its kind at 174 m with a transparent glass floor 156 m wide. Visitors walking on the path's three layers of tempered glass can see the water beneath their feet. We had to wear covers over our shoes before going on the path, which is crowded at times because of its popularity.

Next was Sokcho Tourist Fish Market for lunch. Previously known as Jungang Market, this famous tourist attraction in Sokcho offers raw fish at the many restaurants on the basement level. A variety of other products like street food, clothing, vegetables and household items are sold on the first and second floors. I saw many people enjoy dak-gangjeong (sweet and sour chicken), a Sokcho delicacy, and naengmyeon (cold noodles). I bought gochugaru (spicy chili powder) and ate hotteok (sweet pancakes) and eomuk (fish cake).

Sokcho Tourist Fish Market has approximately 450 stores.

I had hotteok at this popular stall that also sells dakgangjeong.

Fresh vegetables and dried fish 

After a busy day of traveling, we headed to Goseong-gun County for the finale of our trip, the DMZ Pop Concert 2019 Goseong. The concert was held near the Demilitarized Zone, signifying the event's goal of promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula through music. Leading K-pop artists including Psy, Jun Hyo Seong and Miss Trot Jiwoni injected fresh energy into the crowd with their performances.

Over 2,500 fans from worldwide cheered as their favorite artists took the stage, including my friends and me. The dazzling performance exceeded even my high expectations for my first concert in Korea.

Performances by Psy had fans screaming non-stop and singing along. Psy performed his hit "Gentleman."

We even received orange balloons from Jiwoni.