Discovering Gyeongsangbuk-do, Yecheon-gun

I thought that since we are already in Andong, we might as well see what else Gyeongsangbuk-do has to offer. I know what I’ll do; I’ll go from one county to another until I finish the whole of Gyeongsangbuk-do. How does that sound to you? For a start let’s visit some place near to Andong first before venturing much further. How about the county of Yecheon bordering Andong to the north?

In the introduction on the homepage it says “visit Yecheon, the village with clean water and warm hearted people, a village of loyalty and filial piety. I’m sure I’m going to like it here. Looks like, we’ll be taking the country roads for a change. Yecheon may be just a small town and not so populated as Andong, to be considered a city. but it doesn’t mean that Yecheon-eup is lacking in its tourist attractions. From what I’ve seen from the picture gallery I ‘m very impressed. Before a town can join the ranks of a city, the population in that town has got to reach a certain target; it doesn’t matter upon the size of the town, it’s the population that counts. So things should be cheaper since Yecheon is just a eup. Ever wondered what do the words like do, dong, myeon and gun usually found in Korean addresses mean? I happened to come across an explanation about that on this website http://en.allexperts.com and now I’m better informed on this subject.

There are two levels of administration in the Korean system, the Provincial level and the Municipal level. The Provincial level, more of a national thing, consists of the 8 Korean provinces (do) namely Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do, the only Special Self-governing Province (teukbyeol-jachido) of Jeju-do, the Special city (teukbyeol-si) of Seoul-si and the 6 Metropolitan cities (gwangyeok-si) of Busan-si, Incheon-si, Daegu-si, Gwangju-si, Daejeon-si and Ulsan-si.

Whereas the Municipal level consists of the other Cities (si) (non-Metropolitan,) Counties (gun), Wards ( gu), Towns (eup), Townships (myeon), Neighborhoods (dong) and Villages (ri). You will note that the North Gyeongsang Province when translated into Korean will become Gyeongsangbuk-do. The buk-do stands for north-province. So it is wrong to write it as Gyeongsangbuk-do province when written in English, it should just be North Gyeongsang Province (minus the buk-do.)

This place we’re going to, Yecheon-eup, is in the county of Yecheon-gun. Yecheon-eup used to be a myeon before it was promoted to a eup. "Myeons” have smaller populations than "eups” and represent the rural areas of a county or city. Myeons are then subdivided into villages ("ri"). I hope that I haven’t confused you. I just want to let you know how big a eup is as compared with a city or si.

City or not, do you know that Yecheon was the training ground for the national archers in the South Korean archery team? It was also responsible for holding the archery games in the 22nd Daegu Summer U Sports Festival in which 250 persons (players: 152 persons, managers: 98 persons) from 28 countries participated, held at the Jinho International Archery Field, Cheongbok-ri, Yecheon-eup. That’s quite an achievement for a rural town isn’t it? Well Yecheon, with its beautiful natural scenery has often been called the rural city of the future for nothing.

Are you ready to go to Yecheon-eup? Then let’s go! On our way there we shall make a little stop at Jeongchung-sa located at Gopyeong village in Yecheon-gun. It is a museum built in 1980 for the remains of Yakpo Jeong Tak, a famous minister under King Seonjo of the Joseon Dynasty. Two national treasures are to be found here, Yakpo-yeongjeong, a portrait that was commissioned by the king, and the document containing the daily records of the Japanese Invasion, which is a valuable relic now. The Yakpo shrine, Cheongpungja Jeong Yunmok that enshrines Yakpo and his son is also located here.

A filming location of Hwang Jini was the Byeongamjeong Pavilion, a 15 minutes drive from Yecheon-eup on the way to Yongmun. This pavilion frequently appeared in the drama as the place where Hwang Jiny and Eunho met secretly, and was also the scene of Eunho’s death. Perched serenely on a rock that stands like a folding screen, Byeongamjeong pavilion and the pond with lotus blossoms offer a beautiful view. A lovely arched bridge was built across the pond, creating an even more romantic ambience. See, the producer of this wonderful drama even knows how to come here for the beautiful scenery. What did I tell you?

How many of you saw the drama “Autumn in my Heart?” Hoeryongpo Village is a famous island village in Yonggung-myeon, Yecheon-gun, in a land with strange geographical features, surrounded by the meandering Naeseongcheon River, a tributary of the Nakdonggang River. To get to Hoeryongpo Viewpoint from where you can get a beautiful view of the surrounding area you have to travel a narrow and winding road. It’s worth it because the view is so….. beautiful looking down over the landscape with a river meandering around an island. For many years the island was only connected by a little bridge to the mainland which meant that the people living on this little island were often cut off from the outside world. However, a few years ago a new road has been built for the islanders.

There is a natural park with a path up the mountain with a few historic spots such as the Wonsanseong (castle) and the Bongsudae (beacon mound) to explore.

There is also the 1000-year-old Buddhist temple, the Jangan-sa which was founded by Wunmyeong-seonsa during the Shilla dynasty period here. From the pavilion of the temple, or at Hoeryongdae Hill on Mt. Biryongsan one can get a great view of the Hoeryongpo village below. There used to be about twenty families living in this village about 7-8 years ago, but now, it has been reduced to just nine.

The 500-year-old nettle tree Hwangmokgeun (a natural monument), which pays tax in Geumnam-ri is also located in the vicinity. Some people say that the tree has magic, thus many people visit this tree to pray.

In the Bomun-myeon in Yecheon county is the Mt. Hakga Urea National Forest. This recreational forest is located in a remote and unspoilt region of Yecheon County. It lies just to the north of Mt. Hakga which is one of the famous mountains in northern Gyeongsang-buk-do. Mt. Hakga which took its name after a red crowned crane that had appeared there, offers a great view of Yecheon, Andong and Yeongju from its summit.

On Mt. Hakga is the Bomun-sa which was founded by Eusang-daesa (a Buddhist monk) in 676 A.D. during the Shilla Dynasty. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in Yecheon county. The temple consists of the Geukrakjeon or main hall ( a cultural asset), Yeombuldang (a building for praying), Sanshingak (a building) and a 3-story stone pagoda (a cultural asset) with a wonderful view. Bojoguksa Jinul (a Buddhist monk) rebuilt the temple in 1185 in the reign of King Myeongjong during the Goryeo Dynasty.

The Hakgasan Urae Recreational Forest can be reached by taking a relaxing drive on the road beside the river. The log cabins, located within the forest, complement its natural surroundings. A beautiful mountain trail runs above the forest, and you can reach the peak in about two hours. Other facilities such as a campfire site, an outdoor performance stage, a children’s playground, a fitness center, two water pools, are also available. A Snow sledding slope, a Community Kitchen, a Forest Museum and lecture rooms are slated to be built. Accommodation is available if you want to spend the night here.

Who wants to go to the “spring of youth?” The Yecheon Hot Spring is one of the top three hot springs of Gyeongsangbuk-do along with Punggi Hot Spring and Mungyeong Hot Spring. Yecheon Hot Spring located in the village of Gwanhyeon-ri, is proud of its clean and gentle waters, which make the skin soft and smooth by removing fat from the body. The nutrients in the water also have anti-aging properties. I wouldn’t mind staying here if I can remain young forever.

A few kilometres north of the Yecheon Hot Springs, is the Hancheonsa temple which was built by monk Ui-sang in the year 676 A.D. Its statue, Cheoljoyeoraejwasang, (a National Treasure), is Korea's oldest iron Buddha. This seated iron Buddha is an outstanding example of the typical iron Buddhas produced during the Shilla Kingdom. It is considered to be one of the best iron Buddhas to be found from the closing years of the Shilla Kingdom.

This next temple we will be visiting is the Yongmun-sa, a temple located in the village of Naeji, which is not far from here. It has a 1000 year old history and is a treasure house of sorts because many cultural assets can be found here. It was founded by Duwun-daesa (a Buddhist monk) in the year 870 A.D. in the reign of King Gyeongmun, of the Shilla Dynasty.

Daejangjeon or the main hall (a national treasure), and oldest wooden building here was built in 1173. Daejangjeon houses the Hubultaeng (a Buddhist painting) the oldest Buddhist art work in Korea, made from the jujube tree in the reign of King Sukjong of the Joseon Dynasty, that is hung just behind the statue of Buddha.

Yunjangdae is the hall for the Sutras that only Yongmunsa Temple possesses among domestic Buddhist temples across the country. It also possesses the only Wunjangdae (a national treasure), a revolving-type of Buddhist scriptures storage.

You can also find the Mokbul-jwasang (the wooden Buddhist statue) and Mokgaktaeng or wood craft, (a national treasure) carved on a jujube tree here.

The Hall of Eight Paintings of Sakyamuni’s Life in Yongmunsa Temple is where there is a mural depicting the life of Buddha from his birth to his ascension to Nirvana in eight scenes, a work that represents a continuity of painting tradition and trends of painting during the early Joseon Dynasty .

The Cheonbuljeong or Buddhist painting on hemp shows one thousand Buddhist images, painted on one piece of paper which is considered the oldest in any existing paintings that described 1,000 Buddhas. This painting was based on the ideology that pursued the worship of many Buddhas during the Joseon Dynasty.

The Yongmunsa-gyoji (a national treasure) that King Sejo wrote provides an insight into the conservation of Buddhist temples during his reign , reflecting his policy to promote Buddhism. This was hand written by King Sejo himself and is precious material for studying the handwriting of a king of the Joseon Dynasty.

There is a Yeocheon Gwon Family house that holds Daedongwunbugunok, the first encyclopedia and Chogan-ilgi and 'Choganjeong' which was founded by Chogan Gwon Munhae. A long time ago, monks spun them while they underwent discipline. Those wooden treasures are only opened to the public twice a year Anything special you want to wish for? Then turn the big old "wishing" wheels and make your wish.

According to legend, King Taejo of the Goryeo Dynasty was visiting Duwun-daesa when two dragons suddenly appeared and led him to the temple. King Taejo named the mountain Yongmun Mountain (meaning dragon gate) and the temple Yongmun-sa. Please do not confuse yourselves with another temple of the same name but in the province of Gyeonggi-do.

There are four very old and famous trees in Yecheon-gun which have been classified as monuments. We’ll be able to see the Seoksongryeong as it is nearby to the Yecheon Hot Spring.

Seoksongryeong

This multi-caulis which stands at the entrance to Seokpyeong village is 10m tall and 3.6m wide. It is said to have been transplanted here by someone who pulled it out of the flood water in Seokgan stream about 6 centuries ago. An old man named Lee Soo-Mok who had no heir donated all his wealth to this tree 1920 years ago. On the first full moon of the Lunar year, religious rites are performed before this tree.

Hwangmokgeun

This old and large tree, a hackberry, which is thought to be approximately 5 centuries old, is 15m tall and 3.2m in diameter. This richest tree that owns the largest land (12,232㎡) in Korea and pays tax to the government was given the family name of Hwang (meaning that it always blooms yellow flowers in May) and the first name of Mok-Geun (meaning a tree of noble origin).

Saburi Pine Tree

This species of pine tree has been an important subject for academic research because of its peculiar appearance. It is 2 centuries old and 8m high. Though pine trees are usually multicaulis shaped and have straight branches at acute angles, this pine tree has branches that are nearly right angles and is a mutation between a peculiar-looking pine tree and a multicaulis.

Aromatic Tree of Jukrim-ri

This is a tree called Juniperus chinensis which is 10m in height and 0.6m in diameter, and is estimated to be approximately 3 centuries old.

Huiryeonggun Eosageum in Gugye-ri, is where you can see the geomungo (a Korean zither-like instrument) that King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty awarded to Huiryeonggun Ta, his sixth son. It is 120.3cm long, 15.9cm wide and 12cm thick, just a little bit smaller than the geomungo which is currently being produced. It was exquisitely finished with the image of a dragon’s head and the tail of a phoenix, the fabulous bird, and its tortoise shell is covered with soft cow leather.

The Ijeongsa Shrine also in Gugye-ri, is a shrine built to perform religious rituals for Huinyeonggun Lee Ta, the 6th child of King Taejong during the Joseon Dynasty. It was originally seated in Gwangju, but was rebuilt by Lee Byeong-seong in Gugye-ri, the 13th descendant to perform ritual services from generation to generation.

The Cheongdan-noreum(Masque) which is something similar to the Andong Mask Dance, is held annually in October at the Yecheon Student Indoor Gymnasium. It is a traditional pantomime masque which originated from Cheongbok village, Yecheon, and which has been handed down through the ages. Yecheon-eup won the minister's prize in the national folk art contest in 1981 and 1987. It is said that a wealthy man put together a drama group and toured around the nation with the show, trying to find his lost family at the same time. He found them in the village of Dongbon-ri, Yecheon-eup and must have stopped performing. After that there were frequent fires in Yecheon-eup, which were believed, to have been caused by the power of the Cheongdan-noreum (Masque). So the residents revived the drama and passed it down for many generations. The dance in the drama is mainly composed of the following characters:- Waemachi, Saemachi, Salpuri and Deotbaegi. The whole drama comprises of 6 scenes enacted by Gwangdaepan-noreum (the masque performer), Haengeu-noreum, Juji-noreum (the Buddhist monk), Jiyeon-gwangdae-noreum (the clown), Ealraebanga-noreum (the miller) and Mudong (the little dancing boy).

Seonmongdae, located in Baeksong-ri, Yecheon-gun is a pavilion founded in 1563 by Wuam Lee Yeoldo, the eldest grandson of Twaegye Lee Hwang. Lee Hwang wrote the three letters of 'Seon-mong-dae'. The autographs of respected scholars of those days such as Tawegye Lee Hwang, Yakpo Jeong Tak, Seoae Ryu Seongryong, Kim Sangheon and Lee Deokhyeong are on exhibit.
It has a great view of the sands of Naeseongcheon in Daewi, makes a great place for a summer resort. Nearby places for sightseeing are 'Seodang-maeul' (a folk village) with a sandy river and pinewoods, 'Yeongan-isi-byeoljwagong-jongtaek' (an old house of the Yeonan Lee family), Jeongchung-sa (a Buddhist temple) with the remains of Yakpo Jeong Tak, a famous minister under King Seonjo, which was our first stop on our way to Yecheon and Dojeong-seowon (a memorial hall).

Myeongbong-sa (a Buddhist temple) situated in the village of Myeongbong in Yecheon-gun was founded by Duwun-seonsa (a Buddhist monk) in the year 875A.D. during the reign of King Heongang, of Shilla Dynasty. It contains the ‘King Munjong Taeshilbi (a monument), the Gyeongcheong-seonwonjajeok-Seonsaneungwuntapbi (a monument)’, which is an important historic landmark that was built in the year 941A.D during the reign of King Taejo, of the Goryeo Dynasty, Daewungjeon (Main temple), Sanshingak (building), Budo (pagoda), a 5-story stone pagoda and others. There are many big trees around the main gate, which makes it cool even in summer, and many people enjoy taking their vacations in the surrounding valleys. Along Imdo (road), there is ‘Yongdu Park’, which lies on the border with Danyang-gun, Chungcheon-bukdo. Since it has a path up a mountain and beautiful view, it provides a great vacation spot.

Though the stone chamber that preserves the umbilical cord of ‘King Munjong the Great’.was built on the peak of the mountain behind the main building of Myeongbongsa Temple in 1735, it was relocated to the courtyard on the right side of the Main Buddha hall.

The Jajeokseonsaneunguntapbi of Gyeongcheonseonwon is the sarira pagoda of Jajeokseonsa, a Buddhist monk, which was erected in the year 941 A.D. It is located about 50m northeast of the main hall of the Myeongbongsa Temple.

The Yunbyeol Dongmyo is a Bulcheonwi shrine that performs religious service to Byeoldong (pen name) of Yoon Sang, a great scholar from the early Joseon Dynasty who entered the government service for the first time as a home town official of Yecheon and rose to the status of Daesaseong, a high governmental post. The shrine is a doubled tile-roofed house with three compartments in the front and one and a half compartments at the side.

The Geumdangshil Traditional Village in Sanggeumgok-ri, Yongmun-myeon (Geumdangshil) is where the 1st king of the Joseon Dynasty wanted to build his capital, which is one of the Shipseung-jiji (10 safe places). There are many cultural assets here including a dolmen from the Bronze Age, Geumgok memorial hall for 3 people of the Hamyang Park family, the shrine for Park Jongrin (the originator of Hamyang Park family) (Folk material), Hansongjae-gotaek (a Cultural asset) Old house for the minister Kim bin under King Sukjong’s rule, Sagwaedang-gotaekk (a Cultural asset) Old house for Byeon Eungnyeong (the founder of the Wonju Byeon family), the land for the 99 roomed big house of Yangju-daegam (minister) Lee Yuin and many other renovated houses. The 100-year-old pine trees around Yongmun middle school and a 300 year old zelkova tree in front of Yongmun-myeon office provide the shade for the rest area.

The Sacrificial Ritual Room of Yecheon Cheongju Jeong Family in Bon-ri, Homyeong-myeon Is a structure for family burial and sacrificial rites which was built by Jeong Si-Hyeong, the grandson of Yakpo Jeong Tak in the 17th century in memory of his grandfather. It has a straight line-shaped lodge with 6 compartments, and a room for the sacrificial rites.

The Ancestral Shrine in Jiksan-ri, Homyeong-myeon is an ancestral shrine built about 4 centuries ago in memory of Heobaekdang Kim Yang-jin. A shrine is seated on the hill surrounded by an oblong wall on the right side of the ancestral shrine.

Mui Private School in Mu-i-ri, Yonggung-myeon is an auditorium built by Lee Ji-seom and Lee Sik in 1710 to perform ancestral rituals for Lee Yun-su, their ancestor, who was from Yeoju. It is a half-hipped tile-roofed house with four compartments in front and two compartments at the side, surrounded by rectangular earthen and stone walls. A shrine is located around a doubled tile-roofed house with three compartments on the hill behind the auditorium.

A great view of lotuses in full bloom at the Santaek lotus flower Park can be seen along national road No. 34 (Dangjin –Yeongdeok) in July and August. The Santaek rest area is just on the opposite side.

Sam River is the place where the Naeseongcheon, Geumcheon and Nakdong Rivers join. It has a great view, clean water and broad sands. It used to be a gateway to Seoul. Travelers had to cross the Sam River by ferry before continuing to Mungyeong-saejae (ridge). The last inn along the Nakdong River, the Samgang Tavern, is located under a 500 year old pagoda tree.

Samgang Hall (a cultural asset) is composed of a lecture room and a hall, which was founded by Jeong Yunmok in 1620 and 4 Chinese letters are written on a tablet.

Well did you enjoy your tour of Yecheon-gun? We visited a lot of places didn’t we? But one thing I know for sure is that Yecheon-gun, the home of clear water, warm hearts, loyalty, and filial piety will remain in my heart forever.

Guess that’s about all for now.