Priceless Cultural Assets Abound

Cultural assets in Yeoju include King Sejong’s tomb, world-renowned pottery industry and cultural festivals

Mayor Kim Choon-seok of Yeoju County, Gyeonggi Province, boasts in this written interview with NewsWorld about the county’s tourism resources, especially the royal tombs and the fact that it is the hometown of late Empress of the Jeoson Dynasty Myungseong, the wife of Emperor Kojong. The town has a number of royal tombs including that of King Sejong, the fourth monarch of the Jeoson Dynasty, who is the most revered king for his invention of Hangul, the Korean alphabet, during his rule.
But most of all, Yeoju has been well-known for its pottery industry with over 600 kilns spread over the region turning out all kinds of high-quality celadon including dinnerware. The county also boasts a number of annual festivals, the most well known one being the Yeoju World Pottery Festival, which has been a vehicle to show off the priceless pieces made in Yeoju.
Following are excerpts of what Mayor Kim had to say in the interview:
Question: What is the significance of the “Kangcheonbo” construction and the expected outcome of the project?
Answer: The weir construction project is designed to build a core force for green growth in the future by securing enough water resources and at the same time saving the residents from chronic flood damage.
The project has been listed as the No. 4 section of the Kangcheonbo project, the No. 6 work district of the Han River Revival Project, and includes the construction of banks, the renovation of streams and the creation of natural-type ecology systems downstream and the construction of a small hydro-electric power plant, among others.
Two banks will be built, one 350 meters long and movable and the Gojongbo, 90 meters long and immovable, and their doors will be revolving, but can be closed when necessary. Gojongbo preserves water in full at a certain level and can be laid sideways when lowering the water level. During floods, it will be laid down fully to allow water to flow freely, along with deposits, if so operated.
The natural-type river clearance will include the construction of waterways along with the construction of a bank some 14.4 km long.

Q: What are the expected results from the projects?
A: When completed, the project will lower the flood level by 1.5 meters and thus make flood control easier, as it will cover a total of 14.3 million cubic meters in all. The project will increase the water preserved in Kangcheonbo to 14.8 million cubic meters, enough to provide a stable supply of potable water even during the dry seasons.
A 30-km-long bicycle road will be built between Seoul and Cheongju for the people to enjoy the beauty of the South Han River and spend leisure time on both sides of the great river. In the vicinity of the Kangcheonbo will be such cultural assets as the Shinrook Temple, river wharves and the Young royal tomb. Other things the people will enjoy are sand parks on the riversides and the Hwanghak Forest, where various kinds of trees grow. We will also try to extend the Seongnam City-Yeoju Double Railroad to Kangcheonbo.
Q: Can you please enlighten us about major products and the general situation in Yeoju-gun?
A: Daewang brand rice, which is produced in the county, used to be presented to the royal palace during the Jeoson Dynasty for its excellent taste. This is due to the lower content of amylos in the rice, as it ripened in August and September when the difference of temperature from daytime to nighttime is as large at 6.4 degrees centigrade.
Pottery is another product that made Yeoju famous. Earth found in the Yeoju area is very gummy with strong colors, made famous during the Koryo Kingdom, but better known during the Jeoson Dynasty because it was used in Jeoson white celadon. There are 600 kilns around Yeoju producing all kinds of celadon including white, blue, Watae and others. They also make dinnerware, such as bowls, plates, flower pots and tea cups, and other items used in the home.
Peanuts from Yeoju are well-known for their flavor since they are grown in land rich in river deposits from the South Han River. Most peanuts produced in Gyeonggi Province come from Yeoju. Other famous farm produce grown in Yeoju are sweet potatoes, melons, mushrooms, pears, peaches, hemp and Korean leeks, to name just a few.
Yeoju-gun is located 83.6 km southeast of Seoul with 608 square km in area, including 172 square km (28 percent) of arable land, 311 square km of forest (51 percent) and 125 square km (21 percent) of other land. Yeoju-gun’s population totaled 109,348 as of Oct. 31; 55,194 males and 54,154 females.
Q: Can you please introduce us to the various cultural festivals held in Yeoju-gun?
A: In May 1990, the first Yeoju Pottery Festival took place in a bid to show off the high quality and beauty of the pottery pieces produced in Yeoju to the world. We held the 23rd festival in May. The festival is the oldest such event in Korea and has been of great help in improving the quality of celadon, especially their artistic features.
The Yeoju Famous Product Festival is held every year to show the world Yeoju’s famous farm produce, especially the rice. The initial event took place on Nov. 11, 1998 as the Festival for Farm Folks. Its fourth event, in 2001, it took place at the Yeoju Public Stadium. From 2002, the venue was changed to the Shinrok Tourism Site to make the event one of the famous annual events in Yeoju ever since. The Gumsa Melon Festival is an event to show off the quality of the yellow melons produced in Yeoju, famous for their sweet flavor and freshness, which has been a great help in increasing the income for farm households in the region. Shacks built with rice-grass roofs, some 150 in all, scattered among the melon fields, have become a popular place for melon lovers to visit.
The Sejong Grand Cultural Festival, which includes a tribute to the Jeoson Dynasty king and a marathon race, is held every year around Oct. 9, Hangul Day, commemorating the invention of the Korean alphabet. On May 15 every year the Sejong the Great Commemoration Event is held to honor his birthday, along with the Sejong Marathon Race to commemorate his achievements during his rule in the 16th century.
Q: Can you please enlighten us about the marketing programs to attract tourists to your region, especially those to improve the tourism image of Yeoju?
A: The South Han River Renovation Project is part of the Four Rivers Restoration Project under which some 1.9 trillion won will be invested in the Yeoju area, the first such huge project in Yeoju in 1535 years. The project will help the 110,000 residents of Yeoju with the economic development of their county by injecting a new wind into the effort.
In particular, 16 weirs will be built as part of the Four Rivers Restoration Project, of which three will be built in Yeoju in such places as Ipo, Yeoju and Kangcheonbo. They are being touted as those that will command the most beautiful sceneries among all the weirs.
In order to renew the tourism image of Yeoju, various programs have been set up including one that will link the Ipo weir with the tourist sites nearby, such as the Pasa Castle and the Noodle Village in Cheonso-ri, in an effort to build a tourism belt. Yeoju-gun will also build an industrial park and a research center by extending the Seongnam-Yeoju Railroad to Kangcheonbo.
Q: Can you please introduce to us major tourism and cultural assets in Yeoju?
A: Yeoju has 77 cultural asset items including 27 of those designated by the government, 37 designated by Gyeonggi Province and 13 designated by Yeoju-gun, making Yeoju full of cultural assets.
The cultural assets include the house where Empress Myungsong was born and lived until she was eight years old.
The royal tombs of Kings Sejong and Hyojong: the Young Tomb, where King Sejong, the fourth monarch of the Jeoson Dynasty and his queen Sohon were buried; and the Nyong Tomb where the 17th King Hyojong of the Jeoson Dynasty and his queen Inson were buried.
Also in the Yeoju area are the Shinruk Buddhist Temple, the site of the Godal Temple and Pasa Mountain Castle. Shinruk Temple is over 1,000 years old and is located on the riverside. The Godal Temple site is National Treasure No. 4 and Pasa Castle dates back to the Three Kingdom’s Period, over 1,500 years ago. In addition, Yeoju has museums, too. The Moka Museum boasts some 6,000 Buddhism-related artifacts and materials. There is also the Haeorim Plantation, which can relieve the stress of the people who tour the establishment.
The Museum for Women’s Life has a collection of materials on women’s lives and the Yeoju Museum has materials about Yeoju and its history. The World Pottery Museum offers the history of the Yeo pottery industry and the Phone Museum exhibits items showing the development and history of phones through the years.
Yeoju is also loaded with leisure spots, such as the Yeoju Hot Spring, a golf course, the Yeoju premium outlet, a pottery sales outlet and others, for the visitors’ enjoyment. nw

Mayor Kim Choon-seok of Yeoju County, Gyeonggi Province.

(photo left) King Sejong’s royal tomb in Yeoju-gun, one of the historical tourist assets abound in the county. A view of a recreated ancient festival that tourists cannot miss in Yeoju and makes the county proud.