Cheongsong dreaming of having a million tourists <5>

Songso Gotaek.

Old houses left by the ancestors.

Choose one

from among Jeongseungdaek, Chambongdaek, Hunjangdaek and other traditional old houses to sleep over.

The old houses in Cheongsong are special.

The old houses get visitors to imagine

the past, present and future life in Cheongsong.

The old houses left by the ancestors in Cheongsong give mysterious feelings to visitors.

Cheongsong has plenty of old traditional Korean houses with a long history because it is located in a basin surrounded by mountains and could be protected from flames of war. And the Folk Arts Village consists of houses, restored and reproduced based on old houses in Cheongsong. In the Folk Arts Village, there are houses built, modelled on the old houses in Cheongsong and people getting accommodation at one of the houses can feel like a noble man or a minister in the Joseon period.

There are plenty of old houses in Cheongsong that have been remodeled and transformed into new spaces.

As such spaces are growing in Cheongsong, the county as a tourist attraction is designed, step by step, to welcome 10 million tourists in the future.

Songso Gotaek (Old House of Songso)

In the middle of Deokcheon Village, located at a propitious site with a mountain in the back and water in the front, sits Songso Gotaek, an old house with 99 rooms (the largest size in the Joseon period). Songso Gotaek is Important Folklore Material no. 250, designated by the country, and was built by Sim Ho-taek (沈琥澤), a seventh-generation grandson of Sim Cheo-dae (沈處大), who enjoyed the wealth from vast crop-yielding fields during the reign of King Yeongjo of Joseon. The Cheongsong Sim clan is traditionally a prestigious family that produced four queens, four sons-in-law of kings and 13 ministers during the Joseon period.

There is an interesting mark that tells of the "inside-outside rule (naewoebeop)" in Songso Gotaek, which prohibited women in public places. There is a wall called heotdam that served as a screening fence to prevent guests at sarangchae (detached building) from seeing women in the family. In contrast, there remains a wall with holes through which women could see visitors from anchae (main building). These walls get visitors to imagine women looking through the holes with curiosity in the Joseon period.

Songso Gotaek provides accommodation for tourists. As it is located in an area, designated as a slow city for the first time in Cheongsong-gun, the old house constantly attracts visitors. It is well-known as a filming location of plenty of movies and dramas, such as The Gangster Shaman (Baksu Geondal) and The Divine Weapon (Singijeon). Together with adjacent Chalbanggoing Jongtaek (Chalbanggong Head House) and Changsil Goaetaek (Old House of Changsil), Songso Gotaek looks like a traditional Korean house hotel.

Folk Arts Village.

Folk Arts Village

Near the entrance of Juwangsan National Park sits the Folk Arts Village along with Daemyung Resort Cheongsong. Cheongsong-gun built the Folk Arts Village with traditional Korean houses modelled on real old houses in the area in May 2014. The village was created based on the idea that most old traditional houses do not offer accommodation. For this reason, each house has a different structure and unique characteristics.

The Folk Arts Village is composed of eight houses (26 rooms), namely, Daegamdaek, Yeonggamdaek, Hunjangdaek, Jeongseungdaek, Chambongdaek, Gyosudaek, Saengwondaek and a tavern. Daegamdaek is a reproduction of Chojeondaek, located in Deokcheon Village of Pacheon-myeon, Cheongsong-gun. It is in the form of a house of the nobility and features a square-shaped yard. In Yeonggamdaek, there is a reverse L-shaped main building and the daemunchae building adjoins the shed. There is also a treadmill, which is unique. The original forms of old houses are kept, but the interiors are equipped with cutting-edge facilities. The houses have air conditioning and heating and shower facilities and thus receive good responses particularly from foreigners.

The Cheongsong Culture ＆ Tourism Foundation, which manages the Folk Arts Village, will reenact the old market place from the novel Gaekju, which tells a story of peddlers in the late Joseon Dynasty, for three months beginning in July. The market place named "Morakmorak Jangteo" will be set up in the village.

When the market place was set up last year for the first time, it was well received. It will be set up for the second time this year. Residents will bring various products in carts to sell them in a flea market. They will sell pottery, woodcrafts and straw crafts they made themselves, and various agriculture products including apples they harvested themselves will sell at half market prices. Near the market place, there will be various events in which residents and tourists can participate. The events include a Cheongsong white porcelain exhibition, peddlers' marching and performance events, as well as experience events like lantern making and hanbok wearing.

Cheongsong Inn.

Cheongsong Inn

There are many cases of utilizing old buildings in various ways. Abandoned buildings of closed schools were transformed in cultural spaces such as Gaekju Literary House, Yasong Art Gallery and Artistic Genius Republic of Korea. And old buildings were transformed into new spaces such as a café and a personal office through painting and some repair work. A good example of the transformation is Cheongsong Inn (President: Park Gyeong-heum), which opened last year. The high-class pension was built by remodeling the building of a 30-year-old hall for senior citizens.

"I saw a decrepit building at a place with a good view behind Mangmijeong. I found out that the building was a hall for senior citizens, and it had been neglected for years since losing its function," said Park. "I managed to buy the building after explaining its usage to the residents and getting their consent."

Park found the building more decrepit than he had thought. He had to invest more money in the dismantling and remodeling of the building than the money he paid for the building. Reinforcement work was done to repair damaged or weakened parts, and he tried to preserve the original external appearance of the building from 30 years ago.

As soon as it opened, Cheongsong Inn of the 30-year-old remodeled building began to be promoted through word of mouth. After Daemyung Resort Cheongsong opened and Cheongsong was listed in UNESCO'S Global Geoparks Network, Cheongsong has become more popular and more tourists come to Cheongsong Inn.

CEO of Songrimjeong Park Sook-Ja,

Park, Sook-Ja, CEO of Songrimjeong : A True Delicacy – "Pork Bossam Accompanied with Aged Kimchi ＆ Fatsia"

After touring old traditional buildings, there is a restaurant befitting the picturesque landscape. It is none other than Songrimjeong located at the heart of Jungpyeong Pine Forest.

Driving out of the Cheongsong IC from Sangju~Yeongdeok Highway and heading towards Jinbo-myeon, you will come across a bridge on the left. Jungpyeong Pine Forest will unfold before your eyes after crossing the bridge. At the center of the thick forest is where you will find Songrimjeong which is surrounded by pine trees which are centuries old.

Songrimjeong is a restaurant which serves traditional Korean course meals. It is worthy to take note that this restaurant is conservative on its use of meat and serves more vegetarian dishes than other Korean restaurants of the same class. They also serve dishes which uses vegetables in season as if they are meat. Young fatsia sprouts are either served raw or deep fried while mountain herbs are used to make Korean-style pancakes which are a delicacy offered by this unique restaurant. Pork is eaten in a rather unusual way. Boiled pork is placed on top of aged kimchi topped with a sliver of Cheongyang chili and garlic. To that, a fatsia sprout is dipped in vinegary gochujang paste is added on top. The contents are wrapped in the kimchi and eaten. You will be able to taste saltiness, savoriness, aroma, and spiciness all in one bite.

Sweet and sour shiitake mushrooms, salad made with Cheongsong apples, and soup made with marsh snails harvested from untainted waters embody the flavors Cheongsong has to offer. The array of vibrant colors also seems to add a sense of elegance to the dishes. Moreover, Songrimjeong offers courses half the price of other restaurants in major cities making it less of a burden to dine there.

Park, Sook-Ja, the CEO of Songrimjeong says, "We try to offer food which still have their natural flavors using natural seasonings." She boasted, "The Korean dishes served at Songrimjeong is pleasing to the eyes, enjoyed by through the mouth, and is easy on the stomach."