Sosu Soweon, Buseoksa

Founded in 676 by the famous monk Uisang, Buseoksa Temple is the "guardian" of one of Korea's oldest wooden structures, the state treasure Muryang Sujeong (Pavilion of Endless Bliss). The name of the temple is associated with the legend about the founder of the temple, Uisan, the “floating stone” pusok, and the girl Sunmyo who fell in love with Uisan. By the way, this stone has survived to this day - you can see for yourself.

The year the temple was founded - 676 - is also the year of the first formal unification of Korea by the Silla state. Of course, the temple has been rebuilt many times since its founding; the oldest building of Muryang Sujeong Temple was built during the Goryeo era; In the pavilion there is another state treasure - a statue of a seated Buddha 2.78 meters high, made using the technique of laying clay on a wooden frame.

The name of the oldest surviving Confucian Academy in Korea, Sosu Seowon, comes from the following saying, composed of Chinese characters (hanmun): 旣廢之學紹而修之 ("Re-learning a teaching that has already fallen into decline"). The head of Pungi County, Chu Sebong, created in 1542 the temple of the scientist Anhyang, the founder of neo-Confucianism in Kore (Anhyang was from Phungi); It was later transformed into the first official private educational institution designed to nurture the young generation of neo-Confucians. Yi Hwang was also the magistrate of Punggi County and it was he who approached King Myeongjong with a request to give the academy a royal name; the king responded favorably to the request, signing the plaque with his own hand and sending it along with a collection of books. Thus, Seosu Seowon became the first officially recognized private educational institution in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty.