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Today on the Korean Atlas and History. South Korean Provinces and

Metropolitan Cities. North Chungcheong.

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North Chungcheong is a province in South Korea with a population of 1,578,

934. It is approximately 7,433 square kilometers. If you look at a map of South

Korean provinces, it is the only landlocked province, in the center of the country.

The province of Gyeonggi lies to the northwest, and Gangwon to the north east.

North Gyeongsang is east, and South Chungcheong is far west, with the

metropolitan cities of Daejeon and Sejong on the western border. The province of

North Jeolla is on its southern border.

The capital of North Chungcheong is Cheong-Ju. Other major cities include

Chung-Ju and Je-Cheon. The province is divided into 8 counties: 음성군, 진천군,

옥천군, 영동군, 괴산군, 증평군, 보은군, and 단양군. The province was established in

1896; it was the result of the splitting of Chungcheong province into North

Chungcheong and South Chungcheong. The province is mostly mountainous,

dominated by the No-Ryeong Mountains. The province has a variety of agricultural

products including rice, barley, beans, and potatoes. It specializes, however, in

ginseng and tobacco. Mineral reserves include gold, iron, coal, soapstone, fluorite,

molybdenum (mə-LIB-dən-əm), and limestone. Silk weaving also plays an important

role in this province.

North Chungcheong is home to the So-Baek Mountains, including Mount

Song-Ni, which is 1,058 meters or 3,471 feet. The most picturesque peak of Mount

Song-Ni is Mun-Jang-Dae, standing at 1,029 meters. The highest peak, at 1,058

meters, is Cheon-Hwang-Bong. The name Mount Song-Ni means “Mountain

Removed from Worldliness.” The area was designated a national park in 1970, and is

home to abundant wildlife, including otters, flying squirrels, and mandarin ducks, as

well as protected species including the small-eared cat and the marten.. The scenery

has dramatic layered clouds that can be seen on rainy days.

On the northern slopes of Mount Song-Ni is an ancient temple called 법주사,

or 법주 temple. 법주사 was initially constructed in 553, by a Silla monk named Ui-

Sin. Ui-Sin named the temple 법주, which means “Residence of Dharma,” because he

brought a number of Indian sutras with him back from India, and housed them at

법주. The temple has more than 60 buildings and 70 hermitages, including Pal-Sang-

Jeon, the highest wooden pagoda in Korea. Pal-Sang-Jeon and many other buildings

were burned to the ground during the 16th century Japanese invasions of Korea. The

pagoda was reconstructed in 1624.

 In the Goryeo dynasty, this temple was said to have been home to as many

as 3,000 monks. It continued to play an important role in subsequent centuries, but

its role was diminished as the state’s support for Buddhism disappeared under the

Joseon Dynasty. The temple was chosen by Bruce Lee as the original setting for the

movie Game of Death, with the five floors of Pal=Sang-Jeon pagoda representing

five different martial arts. He died before the move was completed, however, and

법주사 was edited out.

구인사, the Temple of Salvation and Kindness, is also located in the So-Baek

Mountain area of North Chungcheong. 구인사 is the headquarters of the Cheon-Tae

school of Korean Buddhism and the administrative center of over 140 sub-temples

and heritages of the Cheon-Tae Sect. Built in 1945, the architecture of 구인사 is

much different than traditional Buddhist temples in that structures here are several

stories tall, instead of the typical one or two stories that many other Korean temples

have. This creates a visual experience that both beautiful and unique from other

temples. Up to 10,000 monks can live at 구인사 at any one point, while the kitchen

can accommodate twice that amount. The temple maintains and operates a large

farm system that provided much of the food prepared and consumed at the temple.

Free, simple vegetarian meals are served for all visitors at about 6:30-7:00 AM for

breakfast, 11:30-1:00 for lunch, and 6:30 for dinner, regardless of race or religion.

But, as is the Buddhist custom, you must finish everything you have taken for your
meal. The temple operates Geum-Gang University. Twice a month, the temple runs a

2 days Temple Stay program, which can be booked via internet or phone.

North Chung-Cheong’s top attraction, however, may be Dan-Yang. Dan-Yang

is a resort town perched by a beautiful lake and surrounded by three national parks

and numerous caves and temples. If you explore the modern town of Danyang, you

will see statues, pictures, and even lampposts of a guy with huge eyebrows, holding

hands with a lady. This guy is On-Dal, the imperial court jester who managed to

break through Korea’s strict caste system and married a princess named Pyeong-

Gang.

Around the area of Dan-Yang, tourists can vistit Go-Su cave. The cave is 1.7

kilometers of twisting and turning limestone caverns, outfitted with metal walkways

and subdued lighting. The price is 4,000 won, or about 4 dollars.

Another Dan-Yang attraction is Cheon-Dong Cave. This cave is filled with ups

and downs and twisty narrow passages. It has excellent stalactites, stalagmites, fins,

and soda straws.

The Ondal Fortress in Danyang is a complex that houses the reconstruction of

an old fortress and a limestone cave. An admission ticket will get you into both the

fortress and the cave. The fortress has dozens of buildings to walk through, and you

can dress up in traditional Korean clothes for a photo op. Some Korean dramas have
been filmed in the fortress. The caves are extensive, and take about 30 minutes to

tour.

Dan-Yang also plays home to a scenic arch near the river, known as the Stone

Gate of Danyang. It is a popular tourist stop with plenty of shops for food and drink.

Danyang is also a popular place for hiking, especially in the So-Baek-San and

Wo-Rak-San and Dae-Song-San National Parks.

North Chung-Cheong is home to a famous hot spring village called 수안보. It

has thousands of years of history, and is surrounded by mountains. It is a hot spring

town, so most tourists go hot spring dipping. A market nearby sells local specialties

and handicrafts, and local specialties include pheasant and rabbit.

North Chungcheong’s geographical location made is the central meeting

point for expressways and train lines. The province is also known for being the

birthplace of the oldest book in the world, Jik-Ji, which was printed with movable

metal type. You can see the book at the Early Printing Museum, in Cheong-Ju.

Historically, North and South Chungcheong have a long tradition of

contributing to the yangban, or noble class. The yangban class is one made up

mostly of scholars and statesmen.

 North Chungcheong is a rural area, and as with most rural areas, things move

a little slower here. This can be seen in the local dialect as well—it is forthright,

gentle, and a little more laid back.

The cuisine in the province is composed mostly of grains and vegetables, as

there is no coastline. Barley is the most popular alternative to rice for their variety of

dishes. Regional specialties include:

 산채 비빔밥:, rice with mushroom, spinach, an assortment of roots, sprouts

and other vegetables

 호박 범벅: winter squash porridge

and

 청국장 찌개: bean paste stew with ground fermented soybeans

When visiting North Chungcheong, be sure to try out Cheong-Ju 대출술, a type

of Tak-Ju or unrefined liquor fermented from grains. It is carefully brewed from

jujubes, glutionous rice, yeast, malt, pine needles, and spring water pumped from an

underground rock bed. It tastes sweet, with a bitter aftertaste. The alcohol content is

around 16 percent.
 According to a 2005 census, 23.8% of North Chung-Cheong residents were

Buddhist. 15.1% were protestant and 9.9% were Catholic. 51.2% were not religious,

or followed a Korean Folk Religion.

North Chung-Cheong is the site of several tertiary institutions, including:

Chungbuk National University, the Korea National University of Transportation,

Korea Air Force Academy, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju National

University of Education, Cheongju University, Seowon University, Semyung University,

Far East University, Youngdong University, Chung Cheong College, Jusung College,

Daewon Science College, Konkuk University, and Gangdong College.

On a special note, today’s episode contained a wealth of knowledge from

Wiki Voyage.org under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

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Thank You for listening to this episode of the Korean Atlas and History. Most

of today’s information was taken from the 나무 Wiki and Wikipedia. All of our

episodes can be found and downloaded from koreanatlasandhistory.com. Thank you

for listening and we’ll see you next time.