Jusanji Pond

In Cheongsong, North Gyeongsang, a small reservoir lies hidden in a valley inside Juwangsan National Park. Ancient royal willows grow with their roots under the water at Jusanji, and when dawn mist rises the trees seem to float on the surface. Photographers return season after season, and the pond was designated a national Scenic Site in 2013.

History: a 300-year-old reservoir built for farming

Jusanji was not made for its looks: it was built to water the rice fields of the village below. Work began in August 1720 and was finished in October 1721, the first year of King Gyeongjong. On a rock at the entrance is a memorial to Lee Jin-pyo, who played a major role in building the dam, erected in 1771 by his descendants together with Jo Se-man.

After several repairs, the dam is now 63 m long and 15 m high, and it still irrigates the fields below. Water flows down from the top of the Jusan pass to fill the reservoir, and forests reaching from the peaks of Juwangsan surround it on all sides.

What to see

• Willows in the water: old weeping willows and royal willows grow inside the reservoir. Sources put their number at about 20 or about 30. Because the lower trunks are always under water, the scene is striking in every season.
• Lakeside path: a path along the edge of the reservoir brings you close to the willows, and information boards show the pond through the seasons.
• Lee Jin-pyo memorial: look for the inscription on the rock at the entrance, which tells the story of the people who built the reservoir.

Good to know

Since its completion, Jusanji is said never to have dried up, however long the drought. The reason lies in the rock: the reservoir sits on welded tuff, formed from fused volcanic ash, whose minerals are packed so tightly that water hardly seeps through. This makes Jusanji a geosite of the Cheongsong UNESCO Global Geopark. It is also where Kim Ki-duk filmed the floating hermitage in his 2003 film "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring".

When it was first built, the reservoir is said to have measured 1,180 cheok around and 8 cheok deep (a cheok is roughly 30 cm). Today it holds about 105,000 tonnes of water and irrigates 13.7 hectares of rice fields. The route linking Daejeonsa Temple and Yongchu Falls in Juwangsan with Jusanji and the Dalgi mineral springs is regarded as Cheongsong's core itinerary.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: free, open at all times, with parking. Enquiries go to the Jeolgol office of Juwangsan National Park.
• When to go: mist forms best at dawn in spring and autumn, when nights are cold and days warm. During the autumn colours in late October to early November, photographers arrive before sunrise, so go early.
• Time needed: about 1 hour to walk in from the car park and look around. Combined with Daejeonsa Temple and Jeolgol Gorge in Juwangsan, it makes a full day.
• Note: after the spring 2025 wildfires in North Gyeongsang, some trails in Juwangsan National Park were closed for a time. Check the park's trail information before you go.