[Ko Gyuhong's Trees and People] The 500-Year-Old Zelkova Tree Remembers... The Shout of Donghak Peasant Movement for National Protection and People's Peace

<15> Zelkova Tree That Has Protected the Life of the Nation

Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree 'Okcheon No. 35'
Used as the Command Post of the Donghak Army Leadership
Choe Si-hyeong, the 2nd Leader, Declared the Anti-Japanese War
Thousands of Donghak Peasant Army Gathered
Military Training Held in the Wide Open Space in Front of the Tree

Okcheon Hyomok-ri Zelkova Tree 'Okcheon No. 33'
Ming Dynasty Troops Drove Iron Stakes During the Imjin War
Village Scholars Planted It to Restore National Spirit

Ko Gyu-hong, Tree Columnist

Trees that settle in a village before people and live longer than people are living beings that unravel the traces of human life for a long time. The stories of old people, which tend to disappear from people's memories, remain intact in the large trees of the village. When standing in front of a tree, faintly forgotten memories one by one emit the scent of old human life. Ultimately, seeking out the large trees of this land is no different from reflecting on the scent of human life left on this land, that is, history and culture. This is why we must revisit the large trees of this land and linger before them for a long time.

The scenery of the 'Okcheon Hyomuk-ri Zelkova Tree,' which is said to have been planted to revive the national spirit.

When entering Mokdong Village, a Jeonju Yi clan ancestral village in Hyomok-ri (孝木里), Cheongsan-myeon, Okcheon-gun, Chungbuk Province, a tall zelkova tree stands prominently at the village entrance. It is the ‘Okcheon Hyomok-ri Zelkova Tree,’ designated as a protected tree by the Korea Forest Service with the protection number ‘Okcheon No. 33.’ At first glance, the tree’s majestic and beautiful shape is awe-inspiring. The scenery of the zelkova tree harmonized with the tiled roof and stone wall of ‘Sungdeokjeongsa,’ the ancestral hall of the Jeonju Yi clan’s Deokcheon-gun branch, naturally draws one into the life of old villagers.

The ‘Okcheon Hyomok-ri Zelkova Tree’ is 19 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 6.2 meters at chest height. Because the tree stands on a hill built with stone retaining walls, it appears much larger than it actually is. The straight trunk splits into two at a height of 2.5 meters, and the branches spread evenly in all directions, with a canopy extending well beyond 30 meters. A pavilion where anyone can comfortably rest is placed under its cool shade. The harmony of the ancestral hall, pavilion, and zelkova tree is peaceful. It is a typical scene of a zelkova tree embracing human life within its wide shade.

It has lived for a long time, but thanks to people's devoted protection, its growth condition remains vigorous.

The tree holds a special story passed down orally in the village for a long time. It is said that during the Imjin War, the Ming army tried to deprive the Korean spirit by driving iron stakes into the mountain behind the village, and at that time, village scholars planted this tree to restore the national spirit. Like most stories passed down about old trees, this story cannot be confirmed by records. Based on the story that the tree was planted during the Imjin War, its age is estimated to be about 430 years.

From the spot where the Hyomok-ri zelkova tree stands, across the ridge of Cheonggwan Mountain at an elevation of 445 meters to the east, lies Hangok-ri (閑谷里), a historic village. Although it is only about 2 km as the crow flies, the distance by foot around the obstructing mountain is about 8 km. Hangok-ri is widely known as a site related to the ‘Donghak Revolution.’ At the entrance to the valley of Cheonggwan Mountain at the village’s end, the Donghak Memorial Park has been established, and from there begins the so-called ‘Donghak History Trail.’ The approximately 3 km trail along a reservoir is a beautiful path with scenic views and a lush forest valley with clean air, making it a desirable walk even without the historical context.

Although the trail is named the Donghak History Trail, most relics related to the Donghak Peasant Army and revolutionary movement have disappeared. It is just an ordinary walking path. The only trace of the old Donghak Peasant Army along the trail is an old zelkova tree. About 700 meters along the trail from the Donghak Memorial Park by the reservoir, you encounter the ‘Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree.’ It is a representative relic at the heart of the historical exploration.

The 'Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree,' standing quietly in a deep mountain valley trail seldom visited by people, remembering the lives of old times.

This large tree is about 500 years old, 17 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 7.2 meters at chest height, and is a designated protected tree with the number ‘Okcheon No. 35.’ The ‘Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree,’ standing close to a large flat rock beside the trail, has a trunk that splits into two about 1.5 meters above the ground. The western trunk grows almost vertically straight, while the eastern trunk extends at about a 45-degree angle before dividing into two thick branches that spread over 17 meters in all directions, casting a wide shade.

It is said that when there was a temple here long ago, a monk liked the spot by the large flat rock and often came out to rest, eventually planting the tree right next to the rock. Behind the rock flows a slender stream, and the scenery is so pleasant that sitting on the rock for a long rest has been desirable both then and now. However, no traces of the temple remain, nor are there any records.

Amid the faintly vanished old stories, another vivid human story remains. It is the story from the 1893 Donghak Peasant War. At that time, this zelkova tree was used as the command post for the Donghak army leadership training the Donghak Peasant Army.

This Hangok-ri in Cheongsan-myeon was a place where thousands of Donghak followers gathered under the leadership of Choe Si-hyeong (崔時亨, 1827?1898), the second leader of Donghak. In April 1893, after being chased by government troops, Choe secretly gathered key Donghak Peasant Army figures in this village to plan their next strategy. Evidence of this can be found in the names of seven Donghak Peasant Army members?Park Hee-geun, Kim Jeong-seop, Park Maeng-ho, Kim Young-gyu, Kim Jae-seop, Park Chang-geun, and Shin Pil-woo?engraved on a large rock called ‘Moon Rock’ on the mountain behind the village.

The large flat rock shaded by widely spread tree branches served as the command post of the Donghak Peasant Army.

While staying in this village, Choe Si-hyeong summoned peasant army leaders scattered across the country and declared resistance against Japan, which had started the First Sino-Japanese War and was interfering in internal affairs after the Jeonju Truce. On September 18, 1894, he issued the so-called ‘Cheongsan Uprising’ order, commanding all Donghak followers nationwide to take up arms. This was a decisive moment in the nationwide unification of the Donghak Peasant Revolution movement. At that time, Hangok-ri village was called ‘New Seoul’ because thousands of Donghak Peasant Army members gathered there.

To prepare for war, the peasant army needed military training. The Donghak leaders led the gathered peasants into the mountains and set up a training camp. The site of the training camp was the wide open space in front of the current ‘Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree.’ The spacious area in front of the tree was more suitable for military training than any other spot along the narrow valley path. Today, an orchard occupies this space. The leaders who set up the training camp needed a command post to direct and control the entire training. The large flat rock beside the zelkova tree caught their eye. The spot once a resting place for a temple monk became the command post for the peasant army to raise the national spirit.

The ‘Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree,’ the most important centerpiece of the Donghak Revolution Trail, is actually not in the best condition to be called a vigorous and beautifully shaped tree. Standing alone beside a rock in a disadvantageous location, it has no shelter from strong winds, so its trunk has been torn and broken by the passage of time and wind. Moreover, the fact that the Donghak revolutionary army set up their command post and stayed here was certainly not good for the tree’s growth. Nevertheless, the tree has survived these harsh conditions because the earnestness of human life contained in its body is a great human legacy that must never be forgotten.

The ‘Okcheon Hyomok-ri Zelkova Tree,’ planted and preserved through generations to revive the national spirit against foreign invasion, and the ‘Okcheon Hangok-ri Zelkova Tree,’ which witnessed the passionate military training of ancestors defending this land from invaders deep in the valley beyond the mountain?both are great traces of national culture that quietly hold the fading scent of human life and are natural heritage that must be preserved for a long time.

Ko Gyu-hong, Tree Columnist