Hantan River

The Hantan River rises in Pyeonggang in North Korea and flows 136 km through Cheorwon, Pocheon and Yeoncheon before joining the Imjin River. As it cut down through a plateau of hardened lava, it carved canyons tens of metres deep lined with columnar basalt cliffs, and in 2020 the area became Korea's fourth UNESCO Global Geopark. Waterfalls, clifftop trails and rafting let you explore the same river in very different ways.

A canyon carved from lava

In the Quaternary period, lava poured out around Orisan in the north, filled the old valleys and formed the broad Cheorwon–Pyeonggang lava plateau. The Hantan then cut into this basalt, creating the unusual sight of deep gorges hidden beneath flat farmland. Along the river you can see columnar joints, the pillar-shaped cracks that formed as the basalt cooled, and older granite that lay beneath the lava, which is why the area is often called an open-air geology textbook. Goseok Rock at Goseokjeong is granite about 110 million years old that was already there before the lava arrived.

The story behind the name

The name comes from Hanyeoul, "the great rapids", written as Daetan in old records. A folk story claims that Gung Ye, ruler of the short-lived Later Goguryeo kingdom, sighed (hantan) over the black basalt as a sign that his kingdom would fall, but this is only popular tradition. The river valley saw heavy fighting in the Korean War, and the haemorrhagic fever virus first identified here was named Hantaan virus after the river.

What to see

• Jaein Falls (Yeoncheon): an 18-metre waterfall pouring between basalt cliffs. Its name comes from a tragic legend about a tightrope performer (jaein) and his wife.
• Bidulginang Falls (Pocheon): a waterfall dropping into a cave of columnar basalt, designated a Natural Monument and often used as a location for historical dramas.
• Goseokjeong (Cheorwon): a rock about 15 m high rising from the river, with a pavilion beside it. Records say King Jinpyeong of Silla stayed here; the present pavilion was rebuilt in 1971 after the war.
• Jiktang Falls (Cheorwon): a waterfall on the main course of the Hantan and one of the geopark's listed sites.
• Columnar joint trails: walkways fixed to the cliffs let you look down into the canyon.
• Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site (Yeoncheon): a Palaeolithic site on the riverside terraces where early stone tools were found.

The lava plateau in numbers

Lava is thought to have flooded the Hantan area between about 540,000 and 120,000 years ago. The basalt around Jeongok in Yeoncheon has been dated to roughly 270,000 years ago; in total it is no more than about 20 m thick and made up of up to four separate lava flows. The river has cut through this thin layer into the older rocks below, so a single cliff can show rocks of very different ages.

Becoming a geopark

Yeoncheon County and Pocheon City began seeking national geopark status in 2014, and the Hantan area became a National Geopark on 31 December 2015. Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces then worked with Pocheon, Cheorwon and Yeoncheon on a UNESCO bid; after an on-site evaluation in July 2019, it was certified as a Global Geopark on 10 July 2020. The Hantangang Dam on the lower river was begun in 2007 and completed in 2015, and it serves only for flood control.

The outlaw of Goseok Rock

Goseok Rock at Goseokjeong has a large hollow, and legend says that Im Kkeok-jeong, a famous Joseon-era outlaw often compared to Robin Hood, hid inside it. Old inscriptions are still carved into the rock. Downstream in Yeoncheon, the Hantangang Tourist Site stretches for about 1.5 km along the river between the Saranggyo and Hantangyo bridges, with campsites and water play facilities popular with families.

Fields for migratory birds

The Cheorwon Plain along the Hantan and Imjin rivers was also formed by volcanic activity. In places warm water wells up from the ground and stops the surface from freezing, so many migratory birds spend the winter here. After the Korean War much of the area became a civilian control zone, and with few people around, its marshes and grasslands became important feeding and resting grounds for the birds.

Tripto tips

• Where to start: the river is long and you cannot see it all in a day. Choose one or two areas, such as Yeoncheon (Jaein Falls, Jeongok-ri), Pocheon (Bidulginang Falls) or Cheorwon (Goseokjeong, Jiktang Falls, the cliff trail), and travel between them by car.
• Hours and fees: Bidulginang Falls is open 09:00–18:00 and free. Some facilities such as the cliff trails charge admission or have closing days, so check the Hantangang Geopark website first.
• Watch out: after heavy rain, access roads such as the one to Bidulginang Falls are closed. If you go rafting in summer, follow the operator's safety rules.
• Time needed: half a day for one area, a full day to combine two or three.