Do You Know ‘Cheongsim,’ the Courtesan Who Protected Her Honor and Love?

On the 6th, the 31st Cheongsim Festival Held in Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do
Waiting and Believing the Promise to Return, Im Jumps off a Cliff Missing Them

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Pyeongchang-gun (Governor Shim Jae-guk) announced that the Cheongsimje Festival Promotion Committee held the Cheongsimje Festival at 11 a.m. on the 6th at Cheongsimdae in Mapyeong-ri, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, with about 50 local institution heads, organization leaders, and residents in attendance to honor the integrity and noble spirit of love of Cheongsim, a court lady from the Joseon Taejong era.

The Cheongsim Festival Promotion Committee of Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, held the Cheongsim Festival at Cheongsimdae in Mapyeong-ri, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, at 11 a.m. on the 6th. About 50 local institution heads and residents attended the event, which honored the integrity and noble spirit of love of Cheongsim, a court lady from the Joseon Taejong era. Photo by Pyeongchang-gun Office

Cheongsimdae is the place where Yang Su, the Daedohobu Governor during the Joseon Taejong era, who served as the magistrate of Gangneung, after completing his six-year term, was promoted to Hanyang. There, he shared a farewell sorrow with Cheongsim, a Gangneung court lady he had loved for many years, while overlooking the Odaecheon River from a cliff. They made a promise that Yang Su would return after one year. Believing in this promise, Cheongsim waited like a stone of longing but, grieving over the absence of her beloved, she threw herself off the cliff. To honor Cheongsim’s integrity, later generations built a shrine on the cliff and named it Cheongsimdae after her. Additionally, her memorial tablet is enshrined, and a ritual is held annually in the village to console her spirit.

Ji Yong-ju, chairman of the Cheongsimje Festival Promotion Committee, expressed gratitude by saying, “I would like to thank the heads of institutions, organization leaders, and residents who attended the Cheongsimje Festival.” He added, “I hope that Cheongsim’s integrity and love will be widely remembered by future generations.”