[Jo Yongjun's Journey Manli] A Festival of Flowers and Pines on the Lakeside Rocky Cliffs... The Hidden 'Healing Sanctuary'

Wanju 3-Color Journey - Untact Travel Enjoyed at BTS Healing Site

BTS visited, making Wanju a rising healing destination full of attractions. Although it had been overshadowed by Jeonju until now, charm is hidden everywhere. Standing on Unamsan, where clouds are said to hang, a spectacular view unfolds below with Dae Reservoir and layers of mountains.

Water-Lakeside Drive... 20km of Water Mist and Cherry Blossom Road Charm

Mountain-Premium Pine Tree Hiking... Admiring the Rocky Ridge Scenery

Forest-Gonggi Village Cypress Trees... Refreshing Wood Scent Clears the Mind

Unamsan Premium Pine Tree

Spring Days of Mangyeong River

Spring Flowers Welcoming You on the Dae Reservoir Drive Road

Dongsang Reservoir

Cherry Blossoms Encountered on Hoban Drive Road

The Dol Bridge in Changpo Village, made famous by BTS's visit

Healing Forest Sang-gwan Gonggi Village Cypress Forest

[Asia Economy Reporter Yongjun Cho, Travel Specialist] Wanju-gun in Jeonbuk Province has begun to make its presence felt in tourism. Until now, it was overshadowed by the neighboring city of Jeonju and did not dare to promote itself as a tourist destination. However, Wanju recently declared the '2021~2022 Year of Visiting Wanju' and has started actively promoting the area. The global popular group BTS, who recognized Wanju's subtle charm, played a significant role in this. In the summer of 2019, BTS stayed in Wanju for a week to film the '2019 Summer Package' video, which led to Wanju emerging as a healing sanctuary attracting many visitors. The places BTS visited?Wibong Fortress, Wibong Waterfall, Samnye Arts Village, Oseong Hanok Village, Oseongje, Bibinak-an, Changpo Village Stone Bridge, and Daedunsan Mountain?have become must-see travel destinations. However, this week's travel journey does not visit the healing sites BTS went to, as social distancing due to COVID-19 is still in effect. Instead, we explored Wanju's unique travel spots where visitors can enjoy healing and travel without crowds: Unamsan Mountain, a rocky mountain rising above the clouds with premium pine trees; a non-face-to-face drive around Dae Reservoir; and the cypress forest in Gonggi Village, Sanggwan. During the two days of reporting, we met only a handful of people, but there is no better place to heal the body and mind tired from COVID-19 and to enjoy the spring atmosphere.

◇Mountain?Step by step, premium pine trees greet you at the cliff's edge

Starting from Dae Reservoir, where the water mist adds a mysterious touch, we head to Unamsan Mountain (雲岩山, 597m), a hidden gem in Wanju. Spanning Dongsang-myeon and Gosan-myeon, Unamsan literally means a mountain rising above the clouds. The steep cliffs below and the beautiful scenery around the reservoir, along with the beacon fire platform used during the Imjin War, create a stunning rocky ridge extending east to west. Especially beautiful is the landscape of pine trees growing among the rocky ridges against the calm reservoir backdrop.

The trailhead is at Daeajeong, which has a rest area, parking lot, and a simple restroom. The beginning is an ordinary forest path, but the uphill starts as you approach the water intake tower. After a short climb past the tower, glimpses of the scenery raise expectations for the hike.

As you walk, the successive mountain ridges look like a beautiful painting. Although the mountain is rocky, short rocky ridges have ropes installed, so it is not dangerous. The ridge trail to the summit consists of rocky ridges, uphill sections, and rocks. The magnificent view to the right naturally slows your pace.

After alternating between rocky ridges and short ups and downs, you encounter the first premium pine tree. Rooted beneath a sheer cliff and enduring wind and rain, the pine tree creates a spectacular scene.

Passing the pine tree and climbing more rocky ridges and cliffs, you reach the second premium pine tree. It looks like a twin of the first but is even more beautiful and exudes a premium aura. The pine tree stretches precariously toward Dae Reservoir from the cliff, resembling a traditional Korean landscape painting. Such pine trees can be seen throughout the Unamsan hiking trail.

Dae Reservoir is Korea's oldest modern dam, and the scenery blending rocks and pine trees scattered around Unamsan is breathtaking throughout the hike.

At the summit, there is a beacon fire platform about 10 meters wide and long and 4 meters high, said to have been built during the Three Kingdoms period. The Sarijae pass, connecting Daedunsan and Unjangsan mountain ranges, was a strategic border defense point linking Baekje and Silla. Centered on the Unamsan beacon fire platform, Mansusan Fortress lies to the north, Gilmajae Fortress and Baejae to the northeast, and Wibong Fortress to the south.

The descent from the summit to Unamsanghoe is steep, so it is advisable to go down slowly. From Unamsanghoe, walk about 1.2 km along the road to Daeajeong. Returning to the starting point from the summit is also an option.

◇Lakeside Drive?20km from Dae Reservoir to Dongsang Reservoir, romantic spring road greeted by water mist, forsythia, and cherry blossoms

After the hike, the lakeside drive begins immediately. Provincial Road 732, running along the lakeshore from Dae Reservoir to Dongsang Reservoir, is a famous winding drive spot.

Both are artificial reservoirs, but the surrounding scenery is so outstanding that it does not feel artificial at all. The grand landscape and the rocky cliffs by the lakeshore are a feast for the eyes. A Wanju-gun official, who has seen the reservoir since childhood, proudly said, "When it rains, water flows down the rocky cliffs like water dripping from a cloth, which is very beautiful."

The water mist rising from the reservoir and the silvery waves create a flawless scene, but unfortunately, there is nowhere to stop the car. Naturally, it becomes a 'non-face-to-face drive.' The lakeside scenery viewed from the moving car has its own charm.

Dae Reservoir holds poignant historical traces. During the Japanese colonial period in the 1920s, the reservoir was built to supply water to the Honam Plain (Mangyeong Plain). Agricultural products extracted from the Honam Plain were stored near the upper reaches of the Mangyeong River in Samnye-eup. That is why there are many grain warehouses built at that time in Samnye-eup. These warehouses have been transformed into a complex cultural and artistic space called Samnye Culture and Arts Village.

Driving from Dae Reservoir toward Dongsang Reservoir and crossing a bridge called Eumsugyo, you can find Wibong Waterfall, Wibong Fortress, and the cherry blossom road of Songgwangsa Temple. Wibong Waterfall cascades down in three tiers and is quite picturesque. A wooden stairway trail connects the road to the base of the waterfall. Naturally, after rain, the roaring water sound is so grand that people studying sound choose this place for their practice.

If you do not cross the bridge and continue along the Dongsang Reservoir lakeside road, you will reach Dae Arboretum. It is neither a too prim garden nor a wild forest but feels like a taciturn yet deep friend. The mountain terrain where the arboretum is located is charming in itself.

◇Forest?Breathe freely in a healing sanctuary full of phytoncides

Entering an old forest refreshes the senses. The pure bird songs and the sound of the wind open your ears wide, and the sharp wood scent clears out old impurities from your lungs. The afterglow lasts long. The true value of the forest lined with cypress trees soaring straight up to the sky can only be felt once you step inside.

In Gonggi Village, Sanggwan-myeon, Wanju-gun, there is a vast cypress forest. In 1976, villagers planted 100,000 cypress trees by hand on the 859,500㎡ (about 260,000 pyeong) mountain slope behind the village and nurtured them.

The forest is dark and cool even at midday. The air is fresh, and not a single insect is around. There are many stones under the dense cypress trees. Large stones provide comfortable resting spots.

In the middle of the cypress forest, there is also a forest bathing area. It is a place where wooden decks are installed in a slightly sparse part of the forest for rest. Usually, when entering a forest bathing area, people walk while absorbing the forest energy, but most visitors here stay still and enjoy the wood scent. Sitting quietly and focusing solely on breathing, one naturally understands why this place is called a 'healing forest.'

The cypress forest trail passes the forest bathing area and returns to the village. Just before reaching the village, there is a sulfur cypress foot bath. Pipes bring up underground water mixed with sulfur, but the water is cold, not hot spring water. After walking the trail, the order is to soak your feet in the cold water and rest.

Wanju = Text and photos by Yongjun Cho, travel specialist jun21@

◇Travel Notes

△Getting there=From the Seoul metropolitan area, take the Gyeongbu Expressway, then the Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway, exit at the Nonsan Junction toward Iksan, exit at Iksan IC, and head toward Bongdong, then Gosan-myeon and Dongsang-myeon to reach Dae Reservoir and the Unamsan trailhead.

△Food='Original Hwasim Tofu' serves Hwasim soft tofu and tofu made from locally produced soybeans. 'Gosan Miso Hanwoo,' operated by the Wanju Hanwoo Cooperative, is a butcher shop and restaurant where you can buy grilled Hanwoo beef or yukhoe (raw beef). In Samnye-eup, 'Ibook Halmeoni Anchovy Noodles' offers anchovy noodles, bibim noodles, dumplings, and more.