Inje Hwangtae Village,
with its excellent winter landscape, is known for its dried hwangtae (Pollack), which repeatedly melts and freezes
with the fluctuations in the weather, giving it a delicious chewy taste. Covered with snow, the area is worthy visiting in the
winter to enjoy all it has to offer. While walking around the site, visitors are able to listen to the story
of its background, and how myeongtae becomes hwangtae (dried Pollack) after passing
through the hand of thirty one people.
Nearby is Maebawi Rock, which has a metal path perfect for beginners, and it
is also visited by advanced climbers for ice climbing in the winter months.
Gwaneumgul Cave is thought to be the most beautiful cave in Korea. It has a reputation of being a must explore cave by not only Korean scientists but throughout cave academia around the world. The underground water flows from the entrance all the way to end all year long producing around 15,000 ㎥per day. The cave also has 4 waterfalls along the way with the largest being 9m high. The cave is full of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as straw soda, columns, flowstones, cave corals, aragonite crystals and more. The cave has total of 24 different types of living organisms, making a desirable cave for academic research.
Gwangjuho Lake is located at the base of the Mudeungsan Mountain, which creates a beautiful view. Many people come to the lake not only for the relaxing setting, but also for the great fishing. Near the upper stream of the lake there are beautiful arbors built during the Joseon Dynasty that display the traditional garden culture of that time. One of these arbors is the Sikyeongjeong Pavilion, a historic site written about by Jeong Cheol, a famous statesman and poet during Joseon Dynasty.
Dopiansa Temple was built by the Buddhist Monk Doseon in 865, the 5th year of the reign of King Gyeongmun of the Unified Silla Period. Legend has it that Monk Doseon founded this temple because a 91 centimeter-tall seated iron Vairocana Buddha statue had disappeared while being carried to Anyangsa Temple in Cheorwon and was mysteriously found seated at the current site. The temple was named Dopiansa to indicate that the iron-made Buddha statue had reached “pian,” meaning an eternal place to rest. In addition to the legendary iron Variocana Buddha statue (National Treasure No. 63) made by Monk Doseon, the temple houses a 4.1 meter-tall three-story granite pagoda (Treasure No. 223).
Jijok Strait flows between Jijok Village in the towns of Samdong-myeon and Changseon-myeon. Fishing on Jijok Strait is done by using traditional bamboo weirs called jukbangnyeom. Along the tidal flats where the water is deep and the current is fast, some 300 oak-wood beams as high as 10 meters are driven into the sea bed with bamboo screens to form V-shaped traps. The fish caught in the incoming tide get trapped in the narrow “V” end, which are then retrieved with a scoop net.
The seafood products from this area are known for their exceptional quality because the surrounding waters are clean. The anchovies and seaweed caught from Jijok Strait are among the most highly sought-after in Korea.
Changseondaegyo Bridge (440m) links Changseondo Island to the city of Sacheon. Following its collapse in 1992, the bridge underwent repairs and reopened in December, 1995. Fishing from this bridge will yield a catch big enough to feed the whole family.
Along with Jukbangryeom, Amsubawi Rock in Gacheon Village is also regarded as one of Namhae’s valuable cultural assets.
The Namhae German Exhibition Hall was opened on June 28, 2014 to display the history and artifacts of the Korean miners and nurses who were sent to Germany for work in the 1960s. At that time, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world, with an unemployment rate of 30%. The exhibition hall shows the sad and lonely reality these workers lived through while working in a far place in order to send money home to their families.
Donamseowon Confucian Academy was built in 1634, originally 1.5 km away from its current location. It received a royal charter in 1660 and relocated to its current location in 1880 due to flooding issues. The seowon's main gate, Ipdeokmun Gate, is made up of three entrance doors. Once inside, Yangseongdang Hall can be seen facing the main gate, with Eungdodang Hall to the left. Ancestral rites take place every February and August at Jungjeong Hall. Inside the seowon is a temple that enshrines the ancestral tablets of four prominent scholars who taught at this institution - Kim Jang-saeng, Kim jip, Song Jun-gil, and Song Si-yeol. Among the academies that served Kim Jang-saeng and his teachings, Donamseowon is considered the most important and influencial.
Palbongsan Mountain stretches out like a folding screen and stands high with great spirit,
embracing nine villages. It is named Palbong (“eight peaks” in Korean) because of its eight peaks
in a row. The third peak is the highest, standing at 362m with a beautiful view and crisp air,
making it ideal for hiking (about a 3 hour course) and resting at the top. There is also another
popular Palbongsan Mountain in Hongcheon, so this mountain is usually referred to as “Seosan
Palbongsan.” Seosan is the name of the city where the mountain belongs. In fact, there are nine
peaks here, but the smallest one was not included in the name, so there
smallest one weeps over its exclusion at the end of each December.
Munheon Confucian School was established to pay tribute to the memory of Lee Gok (1298-1351) and Lee Saek (1328-1396) who were well-respected for their writings and character. The school was originally built in the 27th year of the reign of King Seonjo (1594) of the Joseon Dynasty, but was burnt down during the Imjin Waeran (Japanese Invasion of Korea 1592-1598). It was rebuilt in Hansan Gochon in the 3rd year of King Gwanghaegun (1610) and in 1611 was awarded the “Munheon” sign by the government, thereby becoming a legislated private institute.
Mortuary tablets of five Confucian scholars including Lee Jong-hak, Lee Ja, Lee Gae as well as Lee Gok and Lee Saek were enshrined at the school. The school recently added the tablet of one more scholar, named Lee Jong-deok, and holds a service annually for the 6 Confucian scholars in March and September (according to the lunar calendar).
Muheon Confucian school consists of two parts: an educational area and a shrine. When you walk in the school through Oesammun Gate, you’ll see a garden and an auditorium and library at the far end where training takes places. The shrine is located past Naesammun Gate behind the auditorium and is surrounded by a wall.
Peace Dam was built over the period of 15 months from February 1988 to May 1988 with funds donated by the general public in response to North Korea’s construction of Geumgangsan Dam and a potential flooding attack. The flood control dam has proved its worth during the floods of 1995, 1996, and 1999 and it has become a major tourist destination over the years. Located In the vicinity of Peace Dam is Bimok Park, which is the origin of the famous national song “Bimok.”
In addition to the war monuments inside the park, there are around a dozen wooden crosses with rusty iron helmets placed on top within the barbed wire entanglements around the hill, thereby reminding visitors of the national tragedy of the Korean War. The county of Hwancheon hosts the Bimok Cultural Festival from June 3 to June 6 every year at Bimok Park, Bungeoseom Island by the town’s riverside, and the surrounding areas. The four-day festival offers a variety of events such as song contest, memorial ceremony of poetry reading, bimok tree cutting contest, rice ball eating contest, army life experience, military music parade, and more.
Crossing over to Yanggu County from Peace Dam, there is a national security education place comprised of attractions like the 4th Underground Tunnel and Eulji Observatory. Paroho Lake Battlefield Tourist Park is also worth a visit after looking around Peace Dam. Also known as the “ocean within mountains,” Paroho is a manmade lake created as a result of Hwacheon Dam constructed in 1944. The lake is home to over 70 different species of freshwater fish such as mandarin fish and carp. It also holds a sorrowful history of burying at sea a whole three divisions of the Chinese Forces in defending the lake during the Korean War. The name Paroho, meaning “enemy breaking lake,” was given after the late president of Korea Rhee Syngman visited the place and designated a plaque in his own handwriting in memory of obtaining victory in fierce battle. There is an observatory, a security hall, and a stone monument engraved with the poetry of Wolha Rhee Taegeuk (1913-2003).
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