‘A Pair of Male and Female’ Sejong Sejong-ri Ginkgo Tree, Natural Monument Designation Notice

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Cultural Heritage Administration has announced its intention to designate the ‘Sejong Sejong-ri Ginkgo Trees,’ a monument of Sejong Special Self-Governing City and a natural heritage, as a nationally designated natural monument.

The ‘Sejong Sejong-ri Ginkgo Trees’ are a pair of male and female ginkgo trees located in front of the shrine of Im Nansu (1342?1407), a loyal official and military officer from the late Goryeo period (the shrine is the Sungmogak, a local cultural heritage of Sejong City). According to the woodblock print of the Buan Im Clan Genealogy (扶安 林氏世譜) from 1674, which depicts the Bujo Sawo Diagram (不?祠宇圖), there is a record and illustration of a sizable pair of ginkgo trees and an apricot pavilion (Hangjeong) in front of the shrine, allowing us to estimate that the age of the Sejong-ri ginkgo trees is at least 347 years.

The Sejong-ri ginkgo trees differ from the single designated ginkgo trees in that the male and female trees grow side by side in front of the shrine. For reference, there is one other natural monument designated with two trees: the Dangjin Myeoncheon Ginkgo Trees. The male tree on the east side is 20 meters tall, with a trunk circumference at ground level of 6.9 meters, and a crown width of 20.3 meters east-west and 20.9 meters north-south. The female tree on the west side is 13.2 meters tall, with a trunk circumference at ground level of 5.4 meters, and a crown width of 13.5 meters east-west and 14.3 meters north-south.

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to collect opinions during a 30-day public notice period regarding the ‘Sejong Sejong-ri Ginkgo Trees’ and then designate them as a nationally designated natural monument after review by the Cultural Heritage Committee. Going forward, they intend to actively cooperate with local governments and residents to preserve and utilize this natural heritage.

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