[Jo Yongjun's Travel Journey] Sincere About Autumn Foliage... The 1000-Year Temptation, Sangnim Forest

The Best National Maple Forest
Hamyang Sangnim, the No.1 Scenic Spot Among Hamyang's 8 Views
Created a Thousand Years Ago by Scholar Choi Chi-won
A Short and Precious Autumn Forest Journey

The autumn scenery created by the Millennium Forest, where you can enjoy the beautiful fall foliage of Sangnim in early November. (Photo by Hamyang County Office)

Hamyang Sangnim Beginning to Be Dyed in Autumn Colors

There are unusually many pavilions in Hamyang. Autumn leaves are settling on the pavilions along the Hwarimdong Valley.

Autumn is truly precious. It is precious because it is short and a beautiful season. It gently pushes away the lingering heat of the scorching summer with mild air, giving us time to prepare our hearts before the cold season arrives, making autumn precious once again. Is there any better place to enjoy this grateful season than a forest? Because autumn, which briefly appears and then quietly disappears, can be clearly seen there. The clearest place to witness autumn is surely not on the leaves but on the leaves themselves. The leaves, which remained consistently green throughout the summer, signal the arrival of a new season with their changed colors. We head to Hamyang, a cozy basin surrounded by mountains on all sides. Hamyang shines brightly with warm sunlight, just as its name suggests. With Deogyusan Mountain to the north and Jirisan Mountain seemingly embracing it from the south, about 80% of Hamyang’s land is mountainous. Perhaps because of this, a colorful array of trees continues throughout the region. Among them, Hamyang Sangnim, a thousand-year-old dense forest located in the center of Hamyang-eup, cannot be missed. The countless leaves of the forest have changed into various colors, and the air in the forest has begun to swell with autumn.

This forest is also the place where you can most vividly discover the colors of Hamyang. It is a place that fully contains the stories connecting Hamyang’s natural environment, history, and people. The Hamyang County regards the four seasons of Sangnim as the first of the eight scenic spots of Hamyang, making it a must-visit destination when you come to Hamyang.

Hamyang Sangnim is the oldest artificial forest in Korea, created by human effort. It is said to have been established by the renowned scholar Choi Chi-won, who was appointed governor of Hamyang during the reign of Queen Jinseong of the Unified Silla period. At that time, the Wicheon River flowing through the center of Hamyang-eup caused severe damage to the people every year due to flooding. To solve this problem, Choi Chi-won built embankments along the river and planted trees densely along these embankments. The forest, imbued with Choi Chi-won’s love and wisdom for the people, is rich with oak trees that bear acorns, which helped ease the hunger of the people during times of famine.

Sangnim Forest Dyed in Autumn Colors

The forest also holds Choi Chi-won’s profound filial piety. Upon hearing that his mother was frightened by a snake while walking in the forest, Choi Chi-won sternly scolded the animals and insects that threatened the forest. Perhaps because of his filial devotion, threatening creatures like snakes rarely appear even today. This is also due to the many sharp bamboo grass plants planted there. Hamyang Sangnim, with its long history, was designated as a Natural Monument in 1962 and has been protected ever since.

In recent years, facilities such as performance stages and exhibition halls have been built around the forest, and the area has been named Sangnim Park. However, the locals still fondly call it by its old name, Sangnim Forest.

Passing the tourist information center and the outdoor stage at the park entrance, a full-fledged forest trail unfolds. In seasons when bare feet don’t get cold, many people enjoy the long barefoot walking path through the forest. With soft soil paths, acupressure sidewalks, and dense shade, just walking here feels like a natural health boost. The 1.6 km forest trail runs densely along the Wicheon River, which used to frequently flood. Although the riverbed is currently dry, it is astonishing to think that this forest once served as a strong shield protecting the people from floods! It makes every single tree feel precious.

Ildu Jeong Yeo-chang Old House

The traditional house of Ildu Jeong Yeo-chang, a Neo-Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty

The forest, filled with about 20,000 trees of over 120 species of broadleaf trees, feels like being drawn into another world with its lush scenery. Oak species such as Quercus mongolica and Quercus serrata dominate, along with species like the Manchurian ash tree. The variety extends to species like the Korean cornel, Cornus officinalis, and arrowwood, as well as various vines, making it feel as if it embraces an entire mountain.

In early autumn, autumn flowers sway gently, and among them, 300,000 red spider lilies create a magnificent spectacle. The spider lily also shows a unique scene in winter, with its green stalks rising amid the snowy landscape. In full autumn, the fallen broadleaf leaves on the path form a colorful carpet. In the softly lit afternoons, the forest exudes a deeper warmth. No matter when you visit, you will be warmly welcomed by a perfect seasonal landscape.

At the entrance to the forest stands a two-story pavilion. Named Mangakru because Jirisan Mountain can be seen from it, the pavilion’s name has since been changed to Hamhwaru. It is the only remaining gate of the three gates of Hamyang Eupseong, originally built as an earthen fortress in 1380 and rebuilt as a stone fortress in 1729. Other small pavilions and a spring located midway along the path serve as small resting spots within the forest. You can also see the Hamyang Cheokhwabi, a monument erected during the opening of the port period, and the Hamyang Choi Chi-won Shindo Monument, built by the Choi family clan in 1923, offering the joy of learning about the forest’s history as you stroll.

Beautiful Geoyeonjeong in Hwarim Winter Valley

Outing visitors are walking along the Seonbi Exploration Trail.

Let’s also listen to the quiet stories of the trees. You can find a “yeonrimok,” a tree with two trunks fused together. Yeonrimok and yeonriji, which symbolize the fulfillment of love and deepening affection between a man and a woman, are often seen, but Sangnim has a unique one: a yeonrimok formed by two different species, a zelkova tree and a Manchurian ash tree. It must have taken a long time and effort for them to become one. Perhaps this tree symbolizes harmony and consideration rather than competition. Another unusual tree you can encounter has a lion’s head-shaped growth on its trunk. This growth is a kind of tumor on the tree, and although the tree is seriously ill and should have died, it is admirable that it has been recovering on its own over a long time.

“Even the Manchurian ash leaves breathe in response to Master Goun’s gaze / Woodpeckers chase the bark, swallowing Master Goun’s words / From a single seed sown, a thousand-year temptation has sprouted.” The poem “A Thousand-Year Temptation, Sangnim” by writer Park Haengdal, who grew up in this region and has been visiting Sangnim for over 30 years, fully expresses the poet’s love for Sangnim.

Hamyang Daebongsan Recreation Valley Monorail (Hamyang County Office)

Stone walls of Gaepyeong Village, a Hanok cluster

Hamyang is also a town of scholars. Let’s follow the footsteps of Il-du Jeong Yeo-chang, a representative Confucian scholar of the Joseon Dynasty. Gaepyeong Hanok Village has over 60 traditional houses over 100 years old. It is a quaint village where traditional houses and stone walls blend harmoniously, perfect for a leisurely stroll. The village also has Il-du Gotaek, the old house of Jeong Yeo-chang. The dignity of a noble family permeates the old house, and the gently curved pine tree in front of the sarangchae (men’s quarters) is especially elegant. In front of Il-du Gotaek is the Solsongju Culture Center, where you can taste traditional home-brewed liquor that has been made for 500 years.

Hamyang Namgye Seowon, located just a 5-minute drive away, is a Confucian academy established to honor Jeong Yeo-chang’s spirit. It is one of Korea’s seowon designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a neat layout from the pavilion to the shrine. It was the first to introduce the typical Korean seowon layout, placing the lecture hall in front and the shrine behind. The wide field view from Myeongseongdang hall fills the heart with generosity.

Hamyang Daebongsan Recreation Valley is a place where you can enjoy the scenic beauty of Daebongsan Mountain via a zipline and monorail. The monorail, which climbs along the ridgeline to the summit, offers a panoramic view of Daebongsan’s autumn foliage. For a more thrilling experience, try the zipline. The approximately 3 km zipline course, consisting of five sections, offers an excitement beyond imagination.

◆Travel Notes

▲Getting there = From the Seoul metropolitan area, take the Gyeongbu or Jungbu Expressway, then the Daejeon-Tongyeong Expressway and Gwangju-Daegu Expressway to Hamyang IC interchange. Follow signs for ‘Namwon, Hamyang’ → at the parking lot intersection, turn right toward ‘Anui’ → turn left toward ‘Hamyang Baeum-gil’ → turn right toward ‘Daemat-gil’ → Sangnim Forest / Sangnim Park.

▲Food = Daeseong Restaurant, serving Korean beef soup and boiled pork slices; Neulbom Garden, known for its five-grain set meals; and Namudal Shelter, famous for mountain ginseng health meals.

▲Attractions = Cheonggye Seowon, Hamyang Jirisan Dulle-gil Trail, Geoyeonjeong Pavilion, Seonbi Culture Exploration Road, Hwarimdong Valley, and more.