Maryang-ri Camellia Forest, Seocheon

On a seaside knoll in Seo-myeon, Seocheon, the Maryang-ri Camellia Forest is a rare camellia wood on Korea's west coast. Some 80 camellias, kept to 2–3 m by the sea wind, cover the hill, and from the Dongbaekjeong pavilion on top you look out over Oryeokdo islet and the open Yellow Sea. The flowers bloom from late March to early May, and the forest has been a Natural Monument since 1965.

A bunch of flowers and a fishermen's rite

Legend says that about 300 years ago a local official dreamed of a bunch of flowers floating on the sea; when he went down to the shore he found real flowers there and planted them, and they grew into this forest. From then on villagers gathered here every first lunar month to pray for safety at sea and good catches. Another legend tells of camellia seeds received about 500 years ago after an old man appeared in a dream. The Maryang shrine house in the forest is where that tradition lives on.

What to see

• The camellias: sources count 82 or 85 trees, spread over about 8,265 m². Camellias can reach 7 m, but here the strong wind keeps them at 2–3 m; they branch into two or three trunks from the ground and grow into rounded shapes. On the windier west side only a few remain, while about 70 grow on the east side.
• Dongbaekjeong: a two-storey pavilion on the summit. Because the hill sits at the tip of a hook-shaped peninsula, the view feels more like the wide-open East Sea than the island-studded west coast.
• Sunrise and sunset: thanks to its shape, this is known as a west-coast spot where you can see both sunrise and sunset. Year-end and New Year events are held around Maryang Port.
• A northern limit: when it was listed, the forest stood on the northern limit of where camellias could grow, which gave it particular botanical value.

The Seocheon power station stands right next to the forest, so its chimney often appears in photos.

The rite at Maryang shrine house

The shrine house in the forest has traditionally hosted a rite from the first to the third day of the lunar new year. It runs through a quayside rite, sutra chanting, a spirit-pole ceremony, a courtyard rite, a rite for the Dragon King and a street rite. In the days before, each household contributes rice, and dozens of fishing-boat flags reading "good catch" and "full boat" are planted around the shrine. The camellias, in other words, have been protected together with the faith of a village that lives from the sea.

A starting point on the Seocheon coast

The forest is listed first among Seocheon County's Nine Views of Seocheon. Maryang Port below is a harbour where you can watch both sunrise and sunset, and year-end and New Year events are held there. Seeing the camellias and then eating seasonal seafood at the port makes an easy plan.

Tripto tips

• Hours: 09:00–18:00. Closed on Mondays, 1 January and the Seollal and Chuseok holidays, but open every day from March to May while the camellias bloom.
• Admission: adults KRW 1,000, youths, soldiers and police KRW 700, children KRW 500. Parking available.
• When to go: camellias peak from late March to early May. At the same time Maryang Port hosts its camellia and webfoot octopus festival, a chance to try the seasonal octopus.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for the woodland path and the pavilion.
• Getting there: drive west from central Seocheon to the coast. Chunjangdae Beach and Hongwon Port are close by for a day on the Seocheon coast.