Munamsong Pine of Chukji-ri, Hadong

Halfway up the hill behind Daechuk village in Akyang, Hadong, a pine tree sits astride a huge flat boulder. Its roots have split the rock and wrapped around it, as if the tree had no need for soil at all. This is Munamsong (文岩松), and from beneath it you look out over the wide Akyang plain, the land of the Choi family in Park Kyong-ni's epic novel Toji (The Land).

A pine that grew through stone

Munamsong is 13 m tall with a girth of 3.7 m at chest height. On rock that holds no water it has grown very slowly; some of its roots force open the cracks while the outer ones grip the boulder like fingers. Its unusual growing conditions, its graceful shape and the open view it commands led to its designation as a national Natural Monument in 2008.

Nobody knows its exact age. In the village you will hear both that it is around 300 years old and that it has passed 600. The name seems to come from the rock beneath it, which locals call Munam or Munbawi, and villagers still sometimes call it simply "the Munbawi tree".

Look around nearby and you will also find a hornbeam that has taken root in the rock. It is far less famous than Munamsong, but it shows that the pine is not the only tree clinging to life on this bare stone.

Where poets once gathered

Literati from the Jirisan area are said to have met in its shade for poetry gatherings. Right in front of the tree stands a small pavilion, Munamjeong, and the people of Daechuk and the lower village of Sochuk formed a mutual society, the Munamsong-gye, to look after it. Every year around Baekjung, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, members gather at the tree for a feast. That villagers have kept a society going for generations for the sake of a single tree is what makes Munamsong special.

In 2014 the National Institute of Forest Science began collecting the tree's pollen and storing it at minus 18 °C, so that a successor of the same lineage could be raised if the old pine were ever lost.

Tripto tips

• When to go: early summer, when the plain is green, and autumn, when the rice ripens, are the most rewarding. Chukji-ri is known for its large daebong persimmons, so in late autumn the walk up passes trees hung with orange fruit.
• Time needed: 30–60 minutes to walk up from the village and enjoy the tree and the view.
• Getting there: from the Daechuk village bus stop, follow the village lane uphill for about 800 m; the tree is at the top end of the village. The path climbs, so wear comfortable shoes. Lanes in the village are narrow, so if you drive, park lower down and walk up.
• Combine with: Choi Champan House in Pyeongsa-ri, the Toji film set about 2.6 km away, and a walk across the Akyang plain make a good half-day. The pair of pines standing together in the middle of the fields, known as the "married couple pines", is a favourite photo spot you can also pick out from Munamsong. Hwagae Market is about 10 km away along Route 19 beside the Seomjingang River, so you can continue to the market and Ssanggyesa Temple for a full day.
• Good to know: the rock and roots are easily damaged. Do not climb onto the boulder; admire the tree from the pavilion and the ground around it.