Tasting Geumsan's Ginseng

What would a day spent in the mountains be like? Even without serious trekking, it can be a pleasant, happy time. The mountains of Geumsan-gun hold the thousand-year miracle herb ginseng and offer it up to us, and they will surely help cleanse a body and mind worn down by daily life. Source: Chungcheong, More Charming the Longer You Stay

Along the way

1. 1
   Daedunsan Provincial Park (Geumsan Area)

   대둔산도립공원(금산지역)

   As recorded in the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam (Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea), Daedunsan is the guardian mountain of Jinsan, and by that measure could be called the mountain of Geumsan. Just as Beopjusa Temple in Songnisan has its mountain, the old temple of Taegosa, which takes Daedunsan as its guardian mountain, also lies within Geumsan's territory. Although Geumsan's share of Daedunsan as a whole is small, the mountain's true root can be said to lie at the site of Taegosa — the very place of which Manhae Han Yong-un said, “Do not speak of the world's great scenic sites without having seen Taegosa.” MoreLess

   

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2. 2

   Lunch (Hanbat Sikdang, Minsok Jeonju Sikdang)

   점심식사(한밭식당, 민속전주식당)

   [Minsok Jeonju Sikdang] Order the countryside-style Korean set meal here and the sheer number of dishes will surprise you — so many basic side dishes come out that the table barely has room for them all. Minsok Jeonju Sikdang's main menu includes the countryside set meal, wild-greens set course, and wild-greens bibimbap. It's a place to enjoy a variety of dishes with a distinctly local flavor. Lunch [Hanbat Sikdang] A restaurant located within the cluster of facilities at Daedunsan Provincial Park, seasoned with all kinds of wild greens grown on Daedunsan.MoreLess

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3. 3
   Geumsan Ginseng Hall

   금산인삼관

   Geumsan is the home of Goryeo ginseng, with a 1,500-year cultivation history, and serves as the country's central trading hub, handling more than 80% of national ginseng production. To promote the excellence of Goryeo (Geumsan) ginseng both at home and abroad, this comprehensive exhibition hall was built and is run to display ginseng cultivation methods, tools, models, health benefits, foods, ginseng products, and other goods, along with various video installations, so visitors can easily learn everything about ginseng. MoreLess

   

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4. 4

   Geumsan Ginseng and Herbal Medicine Market

   금산인삼약초시장

   Geumsan is the home of Goryeo ginseng, handling 80% of the nation's trade. It is also emerging as a nationwide herbal medicine market alongside its ginseng trade. Within the Geumsan Ginseng and Herbal Medicine Market are a traditional market passed down through generations, as well as the Geumsan Ginseng International Market, the Geumsan Fresh Ginseng Center, the Geumsan Ginseng Hotel Shopping Center, and the Geumsan Herbal Medicine Department Store, all dealing in various kinds of ginseng and health products. MoreLess

   

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5. 5

   Gaesamteo

   개삼터

   Known as Gaesamteo, meaning "the place where ginseng was first planted," this site carries a legend. About 1,500 years ago, a scholar of the Gang clan lost his father early and, when his mother also fell ill and took to her bed, prayed devotedly for her recovery at the Gwaneumgul Grotto on Jinaksan. One day, a mountain spirit appeared to him in a dream and revealed, "Go to the rock face at Gwanam Bulbong, and you will find a plant with three red berries — dig up its root and brew it for her." He went to the spot and, sure enough, found just such a plant. He dug up the root, brewed it, and gave it to his mother, who made a full recovery. The seeds from that plant were then sown and cultivated in what is now Gaean Village, Seonggok-ri, Nami-myeon. This is said to be the beginning of ginseng's cultivation by human hands. MoreLess

   

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