There’s actually a pretty sad love story behind Gilsangsa Temple, which I’ve written about here:
Gilsangsa (Temple) was once a leading gisaeng house/famous Korean restaurant owned by Jinhyang, who was in a star-crossed relationship with the poet, Baek Seok. Baek Seok’s family was against their relationship as she was a gisaeng, and they were separated indefinitely when Korea was divided by the 38th parallel north after the Korean war. Jinhyang then dedicated her time to academic studies (English Literature) and in her later years, she donated the restaurant to a Buddhist monk who she respected and who converted the restaurant into the temple it is now.
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