Baegunjeong Pavilion and Gaeho Pine Forest

In Imha-myeon, Andong, where the Banbyeoncheon stream bends, three elements come together in one view: Naeap Village, home to the Uiseong Kim clan; Gaeho, a pine grove standing in the water; and Baegunjeong, a pavilion on the hill across the river. It is a village landscape that a Joseon scholar family shaped in line with geomantic principles and protected for generations, and it was designated a Scenic Site in 2007.

Baegunjeong on the far bank

Baegunjeong was built in 1568, the first year of King Seonjo, by Kim Su-il (1528–1583) on land he received from his father, Kim Jin (1500–1580). It stands on a low hill on the south bank of the Banbyeoncheon, exactly where Naeap Village and the Gaeho pine grove can be taken in at a single glance. Some 300 years ago the painter Yi Jong-ak included this view, titled "Sails by the Cloud Pavilion", in an album of scenes along the river.

Gaeho, the pines that guarded the village

The Gaeho grove was planted around the reign of King Seongjong by Kim Man-geun, who felt that the sugu, the point where water leaves the village, was left too exposed. In geomantic terms Naeap Village sits on a site likened to "moonlight on a sandbar" or "a reclining ox chewing the cud", and the grove was planted to make up for what the site lacked. In practical terms it also sheltered the fields in front of the village from wind and water.

The grove was swept away in the great flood of 1605 and replanted at the urging of Kim Yong (1557–1620). The Uiseong Kim clan even drew up a family rule forbidding anyone to cut its pines. When the auxiliary dam of Imha Reservoir raised the water level, soil was built up only where the grove stood, so today it rises like an island in the lake.

Naeap Village

Naeap, on the north side of the river, has been a Uiseong Kim clan village for more than 500 years. Several old houses survive, including the clan head house (Treasure), and an independence movement memorial hall stands at the village entrance. Because grove, pavilion and village belong to one composition, the best way to enjoy the site is to stand on the riverbank and look at all three together.

A clan's promise to its forest

To protect the grove, the Uiseong Kim clan drew up a written family agreement forbidding anyone to cut its pines at will and binding the clan to look after the forest together. Generation after generation kept to it, which is why the grove survived floods and wars to the present day.

The protected Scenic Site covers about 238,822 m², taking in the Baegunjeong hill across the river, the Gaeho grove, the Banbyeoncheon itself, the rocks and cliffs along its banks and the riverside woods. Since the auxiliary dam raised the water, however, there have been concerns about the health of the pines on the island-like grove. The riverside pines that line the sandbar on the north bank can be seen up close from the village side.

Tripto tips

• How to see it: The pine grove is surrounded by water and hard to reach. Think of this as a landscape to view from the village riverbank and from the Baegunjeong hill.
• Getting there: From central Andong, follow National Route 34 towards Yeongdeok for about 10 minutes to the Imha auxiliary dam; Naeap Village is right beside it. Baegunjeong is on the hill on the south bank and is tricky to find, so check the route on a map app beforehand.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for a stroll through the village and the river views.
• Etiquette: The head house and other old homes are still lived in by descendants; if the gates are closed, admire them from outside.