Built 40 Years Ago for 6.7 Billion Won... The "100 Million Won Tree" Rumored "Garden of Power" Now [Digging Travel]

From Cheongnamdae to Goesan, Walking the Path of Time
Cheongnamdae, Built for 6.7 Billion Won 40 Years Ago, Now a Lakeside Trail Open to All
Nongsomak, LumaCove, Aquarium... Regenerative Tourism Models Unique to North Chungcheong

Autumn at Cheongnamdae was exceptionally tranquil. Each time the surface of Daecheong Lake rippled in the breeze, old stories seemed to rise to the surface. Once known as the "Garden of Power," this space has now become the "People's Garden." In 1983, under the direction of Chief Presidential Security Officer Jang Saedong, it was built as an exclusive presidential villa at a cost of 6.7 billion won in just six months. Back then, spending 6.7 billion won would have made it nothing short of a palace.

Exterior view of Cheongnamdae, the presidential villa located in Cheongju. Provided by the Travel Team

For 20 years, five presidents stayed here, and for another 20 years, it belonged to the citizens. Before it was called "Cheongnamdae," this place was named "Yeongchunjae," meaning "House Welcoming Spring." Yet, that spring was not open to everyone. Five presidents came and went, and the seasons of power passed by. Now, the traces of those long years are buried under the sounds of birds and the scent of trees.

In the main building overlooking Daecheong Lake, expensive furniture and paintings adorned the walls, and the garden was filled with premium pine trees brought from all over the country. The golf course, swimming pool, and the pleasure boat "Yeongchunho"-everything was an exclusive facility for "that person." In those days, the gates of Cheongnamdae were tightly shut, and whenever the president left, the reeds by the lakeshore seemed to hold their breath. During the 5th Republic's Blue House Audit, which catapulted President Roh Moo-hyun to stardom, Cheongnamdae became the backdrop for countless rumors: "There's a golden bathtub," "All the bathroom faucets are made of gold," and "There's a dedicated gardener for a 100 million won tree." The entire nation was captivated by the rumors of this luxurious villa.

A 235-year-old quince tree in full view. This tree was specially planted by the construction company during the establishment of Cheongnamdae and became a hot topic as the "10 million won tree" during the 5th Republic's Blue House Audit. Photo by Kim Heeyoon

The reality behind these rumors, upon inspection, was surprisingly modest. There were no gold-plated decorations or real gold faucets in the main building's bathroom. However, the 235-year-old quince tree standing in the front yard was indeed real. This is the very tree that, during the 1988 audit, was called the "100 million won tree with a dedicated gardener."

It still stands there today. In spring, it bears bright green leaves, and in autumn, it produces firm fruit, quietly bearing witness to the passage of time.

All the calendars and clocks inside Cheongnamdae's main building are stopped at "April 2003, 10 a.m."-the exact moment when President Roh Moo-hyun transferred management rights of Cheongnamdae to North Chungcheong Province and decided to open it to the public. To commemorate that moment, every clock was stopped. Where the time of power ended, the time of the people finally began to flow.

The interior of the main building still holds the "scent of those days": an old cathode-ray tube TV, a karaoke machine, an Austrian chandelier, and heavy curtains. It feels as if time itself has locked the doors. On one wall, traces of past presidents remain: Roh Tae-woo's golf club, Kim Dae-jung's fishing rod, the bicycle ridden by Roh Moo-hyun, and Chun Doo-hwan's worn-out skates displayed in a glass case.

Cheongnamdae was a private space of power, but it was also a stage for history. President Kim Young-sam decided to announce the Real-Name Financial Transaction System here through the "Cheongnamdae Initiative," and President Roh Tae-woo spent extended stays here planning state affairs. The calm waters of Daecheong Lake, once "their exclusive lake," have now become a mirror open to all, reflecting us back.

The lake surrounding Cheongnamdae and the view from the First Observatory. To reach the top of the observatory, you must climb 645 steps. Provided by the Travel Team

Autumn at Cheongnamdae is larger and slower than one might expect. As you walk across its 1.8 square kilometers-half the size of Yeouido-you come to realize that the light on the lake resembles the grain of time itself. The Ogakjeong Path, stretching from the main building past Ogakjeong Pavilion to the fish farm, the Path of Democratization where President Kim Young-sam once ran, and Chogajeong, a thatched pavilion loved by President Kim Dae-jung and his wife-all these paths have names, and each name is steeped in memory. The renaming of "President Chun Doo-hwan's Path" to "Ogakjeong Path" is perhaps part of the process of cleansing those memories.

Climbing the 645 steps to the First Observatory, you see Daecheong Lake heaving as if it is breathing, and in the distance, the city of Daejeon appears faintly. There, where someone's private thoughts once lingered, the wind now passes by. This place, once reserved for power, has become a sanctuary where anyone can pause and catch their breath.

The path continues from Cheongnamdae to Goesan. There, you find more "evidence of change." Spaces abandoned by time have been revived by human hands. Nongsomak in Cheongcheon-myeon, Goesan, was once a closed school. Daehucho Elementary School, which closed in 1993, has now been transformed into a "house to stay."

The name "Nongsomak" combines "Nong" for rural and "Somak" for small shelter. It means "a small resting place," "a temporary barrack." The name alone feels warm. Classrooms have become guest rooms, and the playground has been turned into a lawn garden. The plane tree where children once played still stands there, offering shade in summer and tranquility in winter. Sitting under that tree with a cup of coffee, you might feel as if time has turned back.

A remodeled view of Nongsomak, newly opened at the closed Daehucho Elementary School in Cheongcheon-myeon, Goesan. It has been reborn as a new recreational space embracing a tranquil lawn garden and plane trees. Photo by Kim Heeyoon.

Nongsomak is more than just accommodation. It hosts cultural experiences, ecological programs, and local exhibitions. It is an "experimental space of coexistence" where local residents and travelers share time together. If there is such a thing as "upcycling time," this is the place where it happens.

Twenty minutes away, a flue-cured tobacco warehouse built in 1952 has been reborn as a cultural space called LumaCove. The name means "a harbor where children's dreams dock." The truss structure spanning the vast warehouse ceiling is left exposed, and a pirate ship-shaped play facility occupies the center. In the caf?, parents sip coffee while children cheer and play. Their voices bounce off the old walls and soar up to the ceiling. It is the moment when an old building comes alive. A space once filled with tobacco boxes is now filled with laughter. The regeneration of architecture is, ultimately, the regeneration of life.

The freshwater fish aquarium "Chungbuk Aquarium," located in landlocked Chungbuk, releases 5 million silverfish eggs into Chungju Lake every year, practicing ecological conservation beyond mere exhibition. Photo by Kim Heeyoon

Following the Sogari-gil in Goesan leads to Chungbuk Aquarium. It is the sea encountered inland. Gentle waves shimmer, and schools of silverfish dance. The "Silver Waves of Autumn Silverfish" special exhibition is in full swing. Children walk through the underwater tunnel, exclaiming in amazement, "It's real! It's real!" Their voices are filled with pure awe. The Chungbuk Inland Fisheries Research Institute, which operates this aquarium, releases 5 million silverfish eggs into Chungju Lake every year. The exhibition is an extension of living life. "Ecological conservation is the future of the region," says a staff member. True to their words, the aquarium functions not just as a place to see, but as a place to revive life.

The final stop is the Goesan Ecological Museum. Once an agricultural history museum, it has now become a platform connecting nature and art. The exhibition is titled "SNAP SHARE SAVE: What Will Remain for Us Is Love." The word "love," written in different languages, is inscribed on every wall. The blue-toned photographs by photographer Ko Sangwoo catch the eye, overlaid with digital paintings by Flora Borsi. In the moment when the eyes of endangered animals meet human eyes, I am strangely reminded of the quince tree at Cheongnamdae. The tree left by the memories of power, and the art striving to protect vanishing life here and now-though these scenes are far apart, they exist within the same sentence. The house of power is gone, but what remains is the heart that welcomes the fruits of autumn.

Interior view of LumaCove in Goesan, a cultural space reborn by newly remodeling a flue-cured tobacco warehouse built in 1952. It is gaining attention as a complex cultural space where both parents and children can enjoy. Photo by Kim Heeyoon

Some may call Cheongnamdae a "symbol of the past," but on this journey, I discovered instead the "future of time." The days gone by fall away like old leaves, and in their place, new buds emerge. That is regeneration, and perhaps that is what travel is.

The autumn of Cheongnamdae, the afternoon at Nongsomak, the laughter at LumaCove, and the silver waves at the aquarium-all are part of a single story woven into the time of North Chungcheong Province. Yeongchunjae, once the "house welcoming spring," has now become the house embracing autumn. Though the season wanes, the time of this land continues to move forward. At the end of autumn, we learn the beginning of the next spring.