[Cho Yongjun's Journey] The Remote Villages of Donggang... Tucked Away in Every Bend

The Journey to a Remote Village Along the Donggang River
A Gift of Slowness and Solitude

A traveler is following the Donggang waterway to find a remote village.

Crossing over the deep, deep mountains and passing the road visible on the left, you will reach Jeongseon Yeonpo Village.

The starry night sky viewed from the closed Yeonpo Branch School, the filming location of the movie Teacher Kim Bongdu, is a spectacular sight.

The three peaks, a specialty of Yeonpo Village

If you climb along the ridge opposite Baegunsan Mountain, you will reach Donggang Observatory Natural Recreation Forest. Standing there, you can see the Donggang River winding below like a giant dragon.

[Asia Economy, Travel Reporter Yongjun Cho] It is truly fitting to call the landscape of Donggang in Gangwon Province a "hidden paradise." There are many rivers with outstanding scenery, but if any river deserves the character "secret" (秘), it is undoubtedly Donggang. The reason Donggang remains "hidden" is that its bends wrap tightly around sheer cliffs (called "Ppyeongdae" in the Gangwon dialect), rarely allowing a road to run alongside the water. Streams flowing down from the Baekdudaegan mountain range follow ridges 600 to 700 meters above sea level, forming Donggang and creating remote villages that look like paintings along the beautiful rapids and cliffs. The charm of Donggang is not simply its God-given beauty. One of the main reasons people are captivated by Donggang is the journey to find the secluded villages hidden within its secret scenery. In the era of COVID-19, I set out for a remote village in Jeongseon, seeking tranquility and the joy that comes from slowness and solitude. Donggang flows for a total of 65 kilometers from Jeongseon to Yeongwol, with over 70% of the river passing through Jeongseon.

After leaving Yeongwol and taking National Route 38, a left turn at Yemi Samgeori in Sindong-eup, Jeongseon, leads into a deep mountain road filled with silence. Only the fluffy clouds floating in the autumn sky volunteer to be my companions.

After climbing and descending several mountain passes, I am greeted by a welcome sign near Goseonggyo Bridge: "Yeonpo." This is the road to Yeonpo Village, my destination for the day. After crossing the winding Mulrejae Pass, the sheer cliffs of Donggang appear ahead.

Carefully descending the mountain pass, I spot a village nestled quietly at the foot of the mountain. This is Sosa Village in Deokcheon-ri, Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province. Yeonpo Village lies across Donggang, connected by a single bridge. Residents live closely together under the dramatic cliffs that surround the village like a folding screen. The village preserves untouched valleys, pure water, and pristine nature.

Crossing Yeonpo Bridge over the gently flowing Donggang from Sosa Village, you soon arrive at Yeonpo Village, whose name means "Inkstone Bank" because the river in front of the village is said to resemble an inkstone filled with ink. Yeonpo Village is a deep, remote village located about halfway along the 65-kilometer course of Donggang. Along the river that wraps around the village, dramatic cliffs and peaks continue like waves. Yeonpo Village boasts the most beautiful river bends along Donggang. Here, you can witness the true character of a meandering river (Saengcheon), named for the way the sweeping curves of Donggang resemble a snake slithering along.

Yeonpo Village's heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s, when rafts frequently traveled the river. At that time, the banks of Donggang in front of the village were crowded with rafters who had set out from Jeongseon Auraji.

Crossing Yeonpo Bridge, I head into Yeonpo Village. In the past, people traveled between the two villages by ferry or by crossing a log bridge. Children commuting to Goseong Elementary School's Yeonpo Branch in Yeonpo would take the boat or cross the log bridge. Now, these are scenes you can only find in old, faded photo albums. Because the bridge was often swept away by rising water during the rainy season, a cement bridge was built long ago.

Last summer, due to the longest rainy season on record, Yeonpo Bridge was unusable for a while because of the swollen river. Even now, muddy water and driftwood are scattered around the area.

Turning around the mountain after crossing the bridge, a sign reading "Yeonpo Store" welcomes outsiders. Climbing the hill behind the small store, I find the closed Yeonpo Branch School. This was the filming location for the movie Teacher Kim Bongdu. Until it closed in 1999, Yeonpo Branch School, like in the movie, graduated five or six students each year from this remote area. However, when the production team for Teacher Kim Bongdu was searching for a filming location, they decided there could be no better place than this.

When Kim Bongdu (played by Cha Seungwon), a successful teacher from Gangnam, was assigned to Yeonpo Branch School, he must have truly wanted to cry. But isn't Jeongseon the place where you enter in tears and leave with a smile? After washing in the clear water and green forests, you might not want to leave at all.

Looking back on the winding journey, I feel as if I am completely cut off from the outside world. This is a place where no one can come looking for me. While staying here, I feel as though I can forget everything and spend time solely for myself.

Yeonpo Branch School is now operated as the "Jeongseon Donggang Yeonpo Ecological Experience School," which also serves as a campsite. Because of this, you cannot find the old scenes from the movie here. However, wandering around the schoolyard, it feels as if you might encounter the bright faces of Teacher Kim Bongdu and his students at any moment.

From the schoolyard, you can see Jageunbong, Keunbong, and Kalbong-the three peaks that rise above Donggang-creating a spectacular view. The dramatic cliffs carved by Donggang over hundreds of millions of years captivate the heart with their ancient mystery. Yeonpo Village is also called "the village where the moon rises three times in one night" because of these three peaks. The peaks are so high that the moon disappears and reappears behind them, making it seem as if the moon rises three times in a single night. When the moon hides behind the peaks, the sky becomes a spectacle of starlight pouring down like rain. Dazzled by the starlight, I stroll along the riverbank, step by step.

At the end of the riverside path in Yeonpo Village, there is a single guesthouse. The road, alternating between paved and unpaved sections, is so narrow that only one car can pass at a time. The road winds along the mountainside. Running parallel to the river, this road seems frozen in time.

Leaving Yeonpo Village, I head to Donggang Observatory Natural Recreation Forest, 9 kilometers away. More of a campground than a recreation forest, its main appeal is that you can easily enjoy the hidden scenery of Donggang. From the recreation forest, located 600 meters above sea level on the mountain opposite Baegunsan, you can see the Donggang River meandering below like a gigantic dragon. Baegunsan, Goseong Fortress, and the riverside villages of Jeomjae, Jejang, and Yeonpo are all visible at a glance. Even if you do not plan to camp, if you want to see the winding Donggang, you must make the climb.

Jeongseon = Text and photos by Yongjun Cho, Travel Reporter jun21@

◇Travel Notes

△Getting There=If you are coming from the Seoul metropolitan area, take the Yeongdong Expressway or the Second Yeongdong Expressway, then exit at the Jecheon Interchange on the Jungang Expressway. Continue on National Route 38, pass through Yeongwol, and before reaching Sabuk and Gohan, turn left at Yemi Samgeori to reach Yeonpo Village and Donggang Observatory Natural Recreation Forest.

△Attractions=The Jeongseon 5-Day Market is famous, offering various wild greens and medicinal herbs. You can also try Jeongseon's local delicacies such as Gondre-namulbap (rice with wild greens), Kkotdeungchigi-guksu (buckwheat noodles), and Memil-jeonbyeong (buckwheat pancakes). There are many attractions, including Byeongbanchi Skywalk, Gujeolli Rail Bike, Samtan Art Mine, Hwaam Mineral Spring, Hwaam Cave, Jeongamsa Temple, High1 Resort, and Mindungsan Mountain.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.