Now In Korea
Have You Heard of Dae Jang Geum’s Hometown? Exploring Okjeongho Downstream
Creatrip Team
16 days ago
A travel report from Jeongeup and Imsil explores the historical and cultural sites around Okjeongho (옥정호) reservoir, formed after the construction of the Seomjingang Dam. The writer visited Hwangto Village and Hwangto Island (a former islet now connected by an embankment) in Jongsong-ri, Sannae-myeon, Jeongeup, where the pavilion Nangukjeong (蘭菊亭) overlooks the lake. Nangukjeong, built in 1928 when the earlier Unam Dam was completed, was a meeting place for Confucian scholars who lamented national loss under Japanese rule; it was later relocated to higher ground when the Seomjingang Dam was finished in 1965. Hwangto Island’s forest paths reveal traces of a former shaman shrine (성황당) and old village features: ginkgo trees, a spring, and a small riverside pavilion. Nearby Jongsong-ri borders Janggeum-ri, traditionally associated with the Joseon-era court nurse Dae Jang Geum, whose origin myth ties to this area. The article traces layers of local memory: the submerged villages of Neodi and Suchimdong (now under Okjeongho), the 1925–1928 Unam Dam (now underwater), and the larger Seomjingang Dam built in stages from 1940 and completed in 1965, which created the current reservoir. It also recounts wartime histories—memories of 1950s guard detachments and clashes with partisans near “Ojungdae” bus stop—and engineering details such as riprap stonework used during Japanese-era dam construction. The piece notes modern developments: eco-tourism spots like Bong-eo Island and a suspension bridge upstream, while suggesting the Okjeongho downstream area could grow as a cultural-historical tourism site preserving both ancient traditions and 20th-century memories.
Like the information?