[Jo Yongjun's Journey] Shall We Receive 'Jeonggi' from the Ssangryong of Byeokgolje?

The sunrise is rising behind the twin dragons of Byeokgolje.

The year of Gapjin (甲辰年), the year of the Blue Dragon, has begun. January is a month filled with countless resolutions. Many people set out on journeys to solidify their resolutions like compact snowballs. Therefore, during New Year's travels, people tend to be more cautious with their words and actions and often assign special meanings to their trips. This attitude towards travel is similar. Ideally, it would be best if the travel destination is a place where one can receive auspicious energy. Such a place filled with these desires is Gimje in Jeollabuk-do. In the new year of Gapjin, you can receive auspicious energy from the Twin Dragons of Byeokgolje, or pray for your wishes in temples or churches layered with time. And that's not all. You can also gaze at the endless horizon of the vast Mangyeong Plain, absorb its vital energy, and envision your dreams for the new year. If you haven't decided on a travel destination for January yet, how about Gimje, which is emerging as a popular travel destination in the year of the dragon?

# Receive Auspicious Energy from the Twin Dragons of Byeokgolje

About 1,700 years ago, during the reign of King Chimnyu of Baekje, Byeokgolje was constructed and has become a symbolic tourist attraction of Gimje. The Byeokgolje embankment, built in the 27th year of King Biryu of Baekje (330 AD), is estimated to be about 3.3 km long, but currently, only 2.5 km of the embankment remains along with two sluice gate ruins and a restoration monument from the Joseon Dynasty.

The reservoir that should naturally exist has turned into farmland. If you visit without knowing this, you might be somewhat surprised. Instead, whether it is water or rice paddies, when you climb the embankment of Byeokgolje, you face fields that stretch out unimpeded in all directions.

A park located at Byeokgolje, built over 1,700 years ago

Icicles are hanging densely from the eaves of the Baekgolje Hanok due to the severe cold.

In the fields, Byeokgolje Park features a Twin Dragon sculpture based on the legends of Danya Nangja, the daughter of the Silla-era governor of Gimje, and General Jo Yeonbyeok of the Goryeo-era Jo family of Gimje. The White Dragon (Baekryong), known for its kind nature and helpfulness to people, and the Blue Dragon (Cheongryong), known for its mischievousness and occasional destruction of the Byeokgolje embankment.

The Twin Dragons of Byeokgolje are made by weaving bamboo around a steel frame. One dragon measures 54 meters in length, with a body diameter of 2 meters and a height of 15 meters. If a real dragon existed, it would likely be about this size. It is unclear which one is the legendary White Dragon and which is the Blue Dragon, but standing before these lively sculptures that seem ready to soar into the sky, one can feel an auspicious energy. If you happen to witness a majestic sunrise illuminating the Twin Dragons through the darkness, you might expect great fortune in the year of the dragon. That is why visiting Byeokgolje at the start of the new year is special ? because standing there, you can receive the vast energy of the world and the dragon’s spirit.

Behind the twin dragons of the illuminated Byeokgolje, the dawn is breaking.

# The Vast Mangyeong Plain Covered in Pure White Snow

The people of Gimje call the Gimje-Mangyeong Plain ‘Jinggemaenggyeong Oeaemitdeul.’ Here, ‘Jinggemaenggyeong’ refers to Gimje and Mangyeong in dialect, and ‘Oeaemitdeul’ means ‘the rice paddies filling Gimje and Mangyeong are open and refreshing like a single field.’ This is the same as the ‘Jinge Menggeng Oeemitdeul’ described in Jo Jung-rae’s epic novel Arirang.

The Gimje Mangyeong Plain is both vast and compact. Centered around Mangyeong-eup, the plain stretches so far that the end is not visible, reaching the towns of Jinbong, Gwanghwal, Seongdeok, and Juksan, but by car, it only takes about 10 to 20 minutes to traverse. This is because the roads stretch straight without a single mountain pass.

The endlessly stretching Mangyeong Plain

Mankyung Plain Covered in Pure White Snow

However, the story was different before cars existed. The ‘vast field whose end touches the sky’ made anyone who tried to walk it feel as if they were taking futile steps, always ending up in the same place despite their efforts. To commemorate that Gimje is the starting point of the epic novel Arirang, the city built the ‘Jo Jung-rae Arirang Literature Museum’ opposite Byeokgolje. The museum not only shows the landscape of the Mangyeong Plain but also the author’s research journey visiting sites of national suffering and resistance during the Japanese colonial period in China, Russia, Japan, and Hawaii.

Above all, the greatest attraction of the Mangyeong Plain is the endless horizon. Gwanghwal-myeon, reclaimed land, is the only field in the country without any mountains. As its name suggests, it is vast. The hills in the Mangyeong Plain are barely mountains. Bonghwasan (82.0m), Jinbongsan (61.3m), and Naseongsan (60.9m) in Jinbong-myeon are among the highest, but their elevations are so precise down to decimal points that every centimeter counts. Driving endlessly on these roads is a unique experience only possible in the Mangyeong Plain. Along the straight roads, utility poles stand sparsely, and the Metasequoia tree-lined street in Seongdeok-myeon creates a mysterious perspective.

# Pray for Wishes at Temples, Churches, and Cathedrals with Long Histories

If you travel to Gimje early in the new year, it is also good to visit temples, churches, or cathedrals with long histories. Gimje has the famous Geumsansa Temple and Geumsan Church, which has a history of over 100 years.

The tree-lined road stretching across the rice fields has a charming atmosphere.

There is also the elegant Suryu Cathedral overlooking a humble village. At Geumsansa Temple, the grand wooden three-story Mireukjeon Hall enshrining the Maitreya statue is the main attraction. However, the beauty of the Daejeokgwangjeon, Nahanjeon, and Josajeon halls with their floral lattice doors located behind the temple is equally impressive.

In Yonghwa Village below Geumsansa, there is Geumsan Church with a history of over 100 years. In 1904, American missionary Reverend Lewis Tate stayed overnight at the stables of the wealthiest family in Gimje. Inspired by meeting the missionary, the landlord Jo Deoksam became a devout Christian and in 1908 used his own funds to build the current Geumsan Church.

Geumsan Church was built by dismantling a Jae-sil (ancestral hall) of the Jeonju Yi family located beyond Moaksan Mountain. An L-shaped extension was added to one corner to create a five-room building. The church was built in an L-shape to separate male and female seating according to customs at the time. Although the church is over 100 years old, it is remarkable that not a single pillar or rafter is damaged, and it remains in its original form. Especially, the ceiling’s beam inscription, which transcribes the First Epistle to the Corinthians, is as clear as if it were written yesterday.

If you add one more place, it would be the cream-colored Suryu Cathedral in Hwaryul-ri, Geumsan-myeon. Although Catholic believers who fled persecution first built a church here over 100 years ago, the current cathedral building was rebuilt after being burned down during the Korean War.

◇ Travel Notes

△ Getting There = From the Seoul metropolitan area, taking the Seohaean Expressway is straightforward. However, you can also take the Gyeongbu Expressway to the Cheonan Junction, transfer to the Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway, then at the Gongju Junction transfer to the Gongju-Seocheon Expressway. Exit at Seo Gimje Interchange, leave Gimje city, and take National Route 29. Byeokgolje will be on your left.

△ Attractions = Mizuno’s Treehouse, Jo Jung-rae Arirang Literature Museum, Moaksan Provincial Park, Gimje Metasequoia Road, Gwisin Temple, and Sintulmisan Mountain.