News that BLACKPINK’s Jennie stayed at Yuwonjae (YOUONEJAE Hotel & Spa), a luxury hot spring hotel in Suanbo, Chungju, has been all over Korean media, and the spotlight has suddenly turned to Suanbo.
Jennie shared photos on social media of herself relaxing in an outdoor space surrounded by stone walls. When people learned the place was not a famous overseas resort but Suanbo in Korea, the reaction was explosive. Many said they had assumed it was a Japanese ryokan. Businesses connected to the area have been quick to use the buzz in their promotions.
So what kind of place is Suanbo, where Jennie went to unwind? Let me tell you about it.
What Suanbo Means to Koreans
For many Koreans, Suanbo is remembered as a place whose best days are behind it. Younger Koreans who never knew the old Suanbo probably think of it as just another town in the countryside.
Let me go back through my memories and explain.
One of Korea’s Oldest Hot Springs
Together with Onyang, Suanbo Hot Springs is one of the oldest and most famous hot springs in Korea. The water rises naturally from the ground, and kings of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties are said to have visited to treat their ailments, which is why it is sometimes called the “King’s Hot Spring.”
While Onyang Hot Springs sits in the middle of a city, Suanbo is surrounded by mountains and nature, so it developed actively as a resort area.
Another unique feature is that Chungju City, the local government Suanbo belongs to, manages the hot spring water directly. This is the only such case in Korea, which means every lodging in Suanbo, old or new, receives the same hot spring water.
Korea’s Top Getaway in the 1970s and 80s
There was a time when Koreans could not travel abroad freely, both for economic reasons and because overseas travel was restricted. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Suanbo Hot Springs was overwhelmingly popular.
When I was very young, my whole family, including my grandparents, took a trip to Suanbo together. Back then, Suanbo was one of the places that satisfied Koreans’ growing desire for leisure as the country’s economy grew.
Overseas Travel Liberalization and Decline
In 1989, however, overseas travel was fully liberalized, and Koreans gradually began going abroad for their holidays. From then on, the Suanbo area started to decline. As its facilities aged, fewer and fewer people visited. It would be more accurate to say it became a place almost nobody went to, rather than simply a place in decline.
The 2020s: Suanbo Is Talked About Again
Entering the 2020s, Suanbo slowly started to be mentioned again. There are three reasons.
First, Chungju City has steadily managed and developed Suanbo in an effort to revive it.
Second, in December 2024 the Jungbu Inland Line was extended, opening Suanbo Oncheon Station on the KTX-Eum line. Now that you can reach Suanbo by train, it has become a place you can visit easily without staying overnight.
Third, new investment has started to come in. New lodgings are appearing one by one, and Yuwonjae, where Jennie stayed, is one of them. It is a Korean-style luxury hot spring hotel that opened in 2023 after six years of design and construction.
Suanbo Today
I think Suanbo is a place that has only just started to draw attention again.
The Suanbo Cherry Blossom Festival already draws quite a crowd. Thanks to Chungju City creating and maintaining the cherry blossom road, it grows more popular every year.
New luxury lodgings have started to arrive, but we will need to wait and see. When good hotels move in, restaurants and other infrastructure around them need to grow to match, and that has not happened yet. Luxury resorts attract people who want to rest quietly and privately, but the surrounding area still feels a little noisy and cluttered.
On top of that, the older lodgings are still being ignored, so it remains to be seen how Suanbo will change from here.
I try to visit Suanbo at least once a year. To see the cherry blossoms.
Location of Suanbo Hot Springs
If you found this helpful, feel free to share it. If you quote or use any part of it, please credit Look at Korea with a link to this post.
