Yeongcheon, Even More Charming with Its Gentle, Low Mountains

Yeongcheon is an area with low and gentle mountain landscapes, formed along the trailing ridges of the Taebaek Mountain Range. However, with many mountain passes along its borders, it has long served as an important transportation hub. As such, it offers the atmosphere of an ordinary, peaceful rural village. When visiting Yeongcheon, be sure to experience the mysterious Dolhalmae (Stone Grandma) and explore the famous Yeongcheon Market.

Along the way

1. 1
   Yeongcheon Dam

   영천댐

   Driving about 5 minutes from Yeongcheon toward Pohang along the national highway leads to a local road branching off to the left. Following this road for about 20 minutes reveals the wide-open, ocean-like view of Yeongcheon Dam. The dam stands 42 meters high and 300 meters long, with a total storage capacity of 96.4 million tons. Construction began in 1974 and was completed in 1980, supplying drinking and industrial water to Pohang and Yeongcheon. Although six legal dongs of Jayang-myeon were submerged during its construction, it offers a superb landscape where water and mountains harmonize from any angle. MoreLess

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2. 2
   Imgoseowon Confucian Academy

   임고서원

   Imgoseowon Confucian Academy is a royal-chartered Confucian academy founded in 1553 (the 8th year of King Myeongjong of the Joseon Dynasty) on Buraesan Mountain in Gocheon-ri, Imgo-myeon, by local Confucian scholars including No Su, Kim Eung-saeng, and Jeong Yun-ryang to commemorate Poeun Jeong Mong-ju, a loyal subject of the late Goryeo Dynasty. It received its royal charter under the name 'Imgo' in 1555, just five years after Baegundongseowon, the first royal-chartered academy, showing that it belongs to the early period of academies. The academy was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War) and rebuilt in 1603 (the 36th year of King Seonjo). MoreLess

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3. 3

   Yeongcheon Market

   영천장

   As a key transportation hub leading to Daegu, Gyeongju, Pohang, and Andong, on the days the five-day market opens, it bustles with various street vendors not only inside the market but also along the sidewalks of a 500-meter four-lane road. Benefiting from its transport-hub location, the Yeongcheon Five-Day Market has maintained its scale and tradition, standing as the largest agricultural trade market in the Gyeongsang region where merchants from all across Gyeongbuk gather. It has long been regarded as one of the three major markets of the Gyeongsang-do region, along with Daegu Yangnyeongsi Market and Andong Market. In particular, it produces and trades the largest volume of medicinal herbs nationwide. Furthermore, the Yeongcheon Cattle Market is recognized as second only to the Suwon Cattle Market. MoreLess

   

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4. 4
   Dolhalmae

   돌할매

   It is called 'Dolhalmae' (Stone Grandma) because people predict their fortune by lifting a granite stone weighing about 10 kg and measuring 25 cm in diameter. It is said that if the stone is easily lifted with both hands, one's wish will not come true, but if the stone refuses to budge, the wish will be fulfilled. In other words, it determines the outcome of one's wish. What makes this stone a popular topic is not merely whether it possesses prophetic spiritual power, but the fact that the stone may or may not be lifted depending on the person or the nature of the wish. MoreLess

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