Hwaseong-si to Hold Year-End Bell-Ringing Ceremony at Yongjusa Temple

Agreement to Cooperate on Seonghwangsan Forest Trail Development

The year-end bell-ringing ceremony in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do will be held at Yongjusa Temple.

Hwaseong City announced on the 5th that it signed a business agreement with Yongjusa Temple for the year-end bell-ringing event. The agreement ceremony, held at the Gwaneumjeon Hall of Yongjusa Temple with Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun and Yongjusa Chief Monk Seonghyo in attendance, outlined the main points as ▲conducting the bell-ringing ceremony at Yongjusa during Hwaseong City's year-end event ▲and other necessary exchanges and cooperation for business promotion.

Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong, and Seonghyo, the head monk of Yongjusa Temple, are holding up the memorandum of understanding for the bell-ringing ceremony at the year-end party event. Photo by Hwaseong City

Through this agreement, Hwaseong City decided to link the bell-ringing ceremony of the year-end event, held annually at Jeongjo Hyo Park in Annyeong-dong, with nearby Yongjusa Temple. Yongjusa is a temple imbued with King Jeongjo’s filial piety, who honored his father, Crown Prince Sado. It houses various cultural assets such as the National Treasure No. 120 Yongjusa Bronze Bell and Treasure No. 1942 Yongjusa Daeungbojeon Hall.

Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun said, "This business agreement will enhance Hwaseong City's cultural status," and added, "I hope the year-end event held together with Yongjusa Temple will establish itself as a representative year-end and New Year event enjoyed by citizens."

On the same day, the city also signed an agreement with Yongjusa Temple to create a forest trail on Seonghwangsan Mountain. Besides Mayor Jeong and Monk Seonghyo, Kwon Chil-seung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, participated as a party to the agreement. Seonghwangsan Mountain is a mountain with burial sites from the Three Kingdoms period and traces of the Seonghwangdaeje, a national ritual, and it is also the main mountain (jusan) of Yongjusa Temple.

According to the agreement, Yongjusa Temple will open Seonghwangsan Mountain, and the city will create a forest trail to provide it to local residents. Representative Kwon’s office will support policies and budget acquisition for the forest trail construction. Following the agreement, the city plans to actively promote the Seonghwangsan forest trail project starting next year. In particular, the city intends to establish a complex tourism belt combining forestry welfare, history, and culture, connecting Yunggeolleung and Taean 3 District in the mid to long term.

Mayor Jeong stated, "Seonghwangsan is both a cultural heritage and a natural treasure of Hwaseong City," adding, "Through this agreement, a valuable space will be created where citizens can rest in nature and reflect on historical value."