Seven-story Stone Brick Pagoda in Jangnak-dong, Jecheon

On a patch of lawn in Jangnak-dong, on the eastern side of Jecheon and not far from blocks of flats, a dark grey tower rises in seven storeys. From a distance it looks like a brick pagoda, but it is in fact a mojeon seoktap, a stone pagoda built from stones cut one by one to look like bricks. The Seven-story Stone Brick Pagoda in Jangnak-dong, a national Treasure, lets you study this unusual type of monument at close range.

A stone pagoda pretending to be brick

Mojeon pagodas imitate the brick pagodas built from fired clay, but use stone dressed into brick-like blocks. Here the body is made of thin slabs of dark grey slate, set on a single-tier base of natural stone. Judging by the construction and stone-working techniques, it is believed to date from the late Unified Silla or early Goryeo period, around the 10th century. It was designated a Treasure in 1967.

The pagoda belonged to a temple called Jangnaksa, thought to have been founded in the Three Kingdoms period and to have survived until around the 18th century. Its grounds later became farmland, so the size of the temple is unknown, and today the pagoda alone marks where it stood.

What to look for

• Granite pillars: only the four corners of the first storey are made of dressed granite instead of slate. The pale pillars stand out clearly against the brick pattern and are the pagoda's best-known feature.
• Niche doors: on the south and north sides of the first storey are small niches, once meant for relics, fitted with doors. The southern door is gone, so walk round to see the northern one.
• Stepped roofs: as on a true brick pagoda, each roof is stepped both above and below, with short, level eaves. Holes for hanging wind chimes remain at the corners.
• Traces of lime: patches of lime plaster survive here and there. They suggest the pagoda was once rendered, so it may have looked quite different from today's dark grey.
• The top: the finial is lost and only its square base remains, with a lotus pattern carved around a central hole.

War damage and restoration

During the Korean War the pagoda was hit by shells, which badly damaged the south and east faces of the first storey. On the verge of collapse, it was dismantled and rebuilt in 1967–1968. During that work a bronze fragment decorated with flowers was found on the seventh roof, and it may be part of the missing finial.

Tripto tips

• Information board: the sign in front of the pagoda has explanations in both Korean and English, handy for checking the details on the spot.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes to walk around and study the details. There is no fee and it can be visited at any time.
• Photos: on a clear morning the sun falls on the south face and brings out the contrast between the brick pattern and the granite pillars.
• Getting there: it is about 3 km north-east of Jecheon Station, roughly 10 minutes by taxi. The pagoda stands on a fenced lawn, so you view it from the path that runs around it.
• Combine with: about 3 km away is Uirimji, a reservoir said to date back to the Samhan period two thousand years ago. Its embankment, lined with pines and willows, is a designated Scenic Site, and seeing the pagoda and then walking around Uirimji makes a pleasant half-day.