Hwangji Pond, Taebaek

Hwangji Pond is a spring in a small park right in the centre of Taebaek, between shops and roads. The water rising here is the starting point of the Nakdong River, which crosses the southeast of the country to reach the sea past Eulsukdo in Busan. Old geographies such as the Donggukyeojiseungnam, Cheokjuji and Daedongjiji already record it as the source of the Nakdong. The pond is not large, but there is something striking about a great river beginning in the middle of a town.

Three pools

Hwangji consists of an upper pool about 100 m round, a middle pool of 50 m and a lower pool of 30 m. The upper pool hides a water cave of unknown depth from which some 5,000 tonnes of water well up every day. Until Gwangdong Dam was built in 1989, it supplied Taebaek's household water, and during the long drought of 2008 it was tapped again for the first time since the dam was built. Pumping about 350 tonnes a day for two months lowered the water so far that a turtle sculpture normally hidden underwater appeared above the surface. The outflow forms the Hwangjicheon stream, which passes Gumunso and joins the main Nakdong. Through the clear water you can see the gravel and water plants on the bottom.

The legend of Rich Man Hwang

Long ago a greedy rich man named Hwang lived on this spot. When an old monk came asking for alms, he shovelled cow dung into his bowl instead of rice; his daughter-in-law, ashamed, secretly gave the monk rice. The monk told her disaster was coming and that she should follow him without ever looking back. On a ridge at Gusa-ri in Dogye she heard a thunderous noise behind her, turned round, and was turned to stone; the rock is said to still look like a woman carrying a baby on her back. Hwang himself is said to live on in the pond as a great serpent. Hwang's house sank into the ground and became the pond: the upper pool is the house, the middle the mill and the lower the privy. The name Hwangji, "Hwang's pond", comes from this story; earlier it was reportedly called Cheonhwang, "heavenly pond".

The Nakdong's first steps

The water leaving Hwangji becomes the Hwangjicheon stream through Taebaek, passes Gumunso and continues through North and South Gyeongsang to Busan. The fact that the river that waters the great Yeongnam plains begins in a town-centre park is the real attraction here.

Hwangji Park and the culture plaza

The pond is the centre of Hwangji Park. In 2017 the park was enlarged on the site of a demolished shopping building, adding a culture plaza with a stage that becomes a fountain in summer and a skating rink in winter. The spring is also listed among Korea's 100 notable springs.

Tripto tips

• Hours: Always open, every day, free. Parking is available.
• Time needed: 20 to 45 minutes for the pond and park. Combine it with a hike in Taebaeksan National Park or a visit to Gumunso further down the stream.
• When to go: Any time of year. The plaza has a fountain in summer and a skating rink in winter.
• Watch out: The water looks shallow and clear, but the upper pool has a deep spring cave, so do not wade in.