Incompatibility. DMZ, Dopiansa Temple, Goseokcheong, Hantangang Geopark
Six-two-five. So simply called the Korean War in South Korea. It ended in 1953, but its echoes still resurface on the agenda not only of the inter-Korean dialogue, but also of the leading world powers.
However, not only the sights associated with visiting the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) await us, but also acquaintance with Buddhist treasures at the Topians Temple, and the natural beauty of Cheorwon, one of the most unusual counties in Gangwon-do.
Please note: Chkhorvon is a paradise for crane lovers from November to March: guests from Siberia spend the winter here. No wonder the symbol of the county is the crane.
As we are visiting the DMZ, some objects might be closed to general public. We shall change the route accordingly.
What's included
Experience on This Tour
Experiences
The Hantan River has formed a picturesque valley with high rocky banks. A walk along the river may surprise you: under your feet in approximately equal quantities you will find granite pebbles and porous pebbles of clearly volcanic origin processed by river water. The time gap in the formation of the granite and magma layers of Cheorwon is about 100 million years!
"Pavilion of a Lonely Stone" Goseokchon perches on a cliff above the picturesque Hanthangang River.
On November 20, 1973, Private First Class Kim Hyosin and Corporal Yi Githae probably thought that the dormant volcanoes that had formed the Cheorwon Valley were awakening. However, a cunning "night fishing" operation discovered that these were not volcanoes, but North Korean "miners"-saboteurs were blowing up TNT bombs, digging an infiltration tunnel into South Korea.
The tunnel was not immediately found, it was completely reached only in March 1975.
You can go down into the tunnel, we must leave cameras at the entrance - shooting in the tunnel is prohibited; on the head - necessarily a helmet. The total length of the tunnel is approx. 3.5 km; however, only a small area is open to tourists: of course, you will not be allowed to cross the border, even underground.
An observation post overlooking North Korea. Violent fighting took place in this area, in particular, one of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War, the Battle of the White Horse (Hill).
"White Horse" was the name given to a small hill that changed hands 24 times during the 10 days of battle; after the end of the battle, the hill became completely bald and white, that is how it got its name. It is noteworthy that the battle took place between the joint forces of the South Korean army and the United States and ... "Chinese people's volunteers."
The region of North Korea that can be observed from here was once the capital of the cruel founder of the Taebong state, Wang Kune.
For an additional fee, you can climb the hill, where the "observatory" is located on the monorail; but we would recommend to go on foot: it is not far away, and along the way you will meet a couple of interesting sculptures.
The pearl of Cheorwon is the ancient Buddhist temple Topiansa, located very close to the border with North Korea (DMZ). The temple boasts the State Treasure No. 63 - the statue of the Buddha Vairocana, made of iron. The Buddha sits in a lotus position, hands folded in the characteristic Vajra mudra; his face, perhaps, is not just peaceful, but rather very friendly.
A stone pagoda, apparently from 865, the same age as Topians, stands in front of the main hall of the temple.
Sambuyeong Waterfall in Chorwon county cascades down the slope of Myeongseong Mountain. This is a 3-level waterfall with a height of about 20 meters. The name of the waterfall is semantically connected with the second largest city in Korea - Busan. "Pu"/"bu" means "cauldron". Thus, the whole name is translated "Lake of 3 Cauldrons". Or "Lake of the 3rd Cauldron"?
The Milky Way Bridge was planned so that domestic and foreign visitors can explore it in a natural way along the Hannyeoul Road located in Songdaeso and the Hantangang River Basin, which is registered as a UNESCO Global Geopark. The Milky Way Bridge added the name of ‘Cheorwon’ to ‘Hantangang River’, which is famous for its beautiful scenery, and named it ‘Eunhasu’, meaning a road made of stars. It is 180m long, 3m wide and 50m high, connecting Jangheung-ri, Dongsong-eup, and Sangsang-ri, Galmal-eup, which is course 1, and is a “single pole asymmetric suspension bridge” type.
Several ruins of buildings in the once populous county center of Chhorwon look somewhat strange: after all, now there is a pastoral landscape, fields, forests, reservoirs around...
Perhaps the most famous such building is the former district committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (North). The fact is that now Korea is not divided exactly along the 38th parallel, as it was immediately after the end of World War II; after the Korean War, the border passes in some places to the south, in some places to the north of the 38th parallel. Therefore, in the northeastern regions of South Korea, you can find these artifacts inherited from North Korea.
The music video of the popular South Korean rock singer Seo Taeji "Dreaming of Parhae" was filmed against the backdrop of the building.
The Woljong-ri station is now not operational: further the road could only go to North Korea.
The station was moved to the place where you can see it now in 1988. Prior to that, it was in South Korea, but in an area inaccessible to ordinary visitors.