On a drizzly Saturday in October, we left Seoul at 8 a.m. aboard a luxury limousine bus provided by the Seoul JoongAng Rotary Club for its annual autumn outing. Our first destination in Gongju, the ancient capital of Baekje, was Magok Temple, founded in 640. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the temple exudes a quiet grandeur. Its weathered wooden buildings with faded traditional decorative patterns and graceful tiled roofs reflect centuries of Buddhist devotion. A clear stream winds through the surrounding mountains, while peaceful forest trails invite quiet reflection. The temple stay program made me imagine spending a peaceful night here, away from modern distractions. Magok Temple also preserves a chapter of modern Korean history. Kim Gu, the renowned independence activist and president of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai, once sought refuge from Japanese authorities there and temporarily became a monk while evading arrest. Returning to Korea in 1946 from Shanghai after liberation, he planted a Rose of Sharon, Korea’s national flower, along with a tree whose wood was use