Omokdae & Imokdae

Omokdae is located on top of a steep hill and is one of the places where Yi Seong-gye (who later became King Taejo, the first king of the Joseon Dynasty) stopped to celebrate his victory on his way home from a war with Japanese invaders at Hwangsan Mt, Unbong at the end of the Goryeo Era. It is also a place where Mokjo, one of Yi’s forefathers, had once lived.

Across from Omokdae is Imokdae, which is located near the foot of Seungamsan Mountain where Chimyeongjasan, a holy Catholic monument is placed. 80m down from Imokdae are memorial stones and a memorial house.

Imokdae is the place where Mokjo (forefather of King Taejo) had played war games as a child with his friends, a simple action which appears in ‘Yongbieocheonga’ (a 15th century ballad narrating national longevity and cultural achievement). Mokjo left the Jeongju area and moved to Hamgyeong-do as a result of a feud with the Jeonju Busa (public governing official). Yi Seong-gye (King Taejo) believed that Mokjo’s move to Hamgyeong-do five generations before his birth was a sign from heaven pointing to his founding of the Joseon Dynasty.