Seongju
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Seongju County is located in the southwest of North Gyeongsang Province.
It is surrounded by high and beautiful mountains including Mount Gaya national park.
The Nakdong River runs through the county in all its splendor.
The best attraction of Seongju is Mount Gaya.
It was designated as a national park in 1972.
The mountain has a distinguishable shape and the clean surrounding valley shows off the beauty of the natural landscape and the four seasons. The mountain also attracts many climbers.
At the base of the mountain is a botanical garden which has 580 kinds of wild flowers.
Junggi Village is at an altitude of 520 meters and there people can experience gathering corn, grilling potatoes and making tea with bamboo leaves.
Seongju County also has many cultural relics including traditional buildings made during the Goryo and Josun Kingdoms. Old tombs and mountain fortress walls of SeongSanGaya provide visitors an opportunity to experience life at that time.
Remains of the Josun Kingdom include stone urns holding the placentas of 17 princes.
It is the largest site for such urns and was constructed from 1438 to 1442 during the reign of the great King Sejong.
Aside from the rich history of the area, the county is also a producing center of ``chamoe’’ (melon).
It is in Seongju County where dishes of chamoe were invented and now the delicious melon is a popular export to Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
For more information, visit at www.sj.go.kr
