Soyang Dam

Soyang Dam blocks the Soyang River north-east of Chuncheon with a 123 m embankment of earth and rock, holding back the vast man-made Lake Soyang. It is the largest rock-fill dam in South Korea, and from the crest the lake stretches away between the mountains. From the pier below, boats cross the lake to Cheongpyeongsa Temple.

History: the capital region's water tank

Construction ran from 15 April 1967 to 15 October 1973, and the dam was counted among the three great national projects of its time, alongside the Gyeongbu Expressway and Seoul Subway Line 1. It was first designed as a concrete gravity dam, but the builder, Hyundai Construction, proposed a rock-fill design that was much cheaper yet robust, and the plans were changed. The dam is 530 m long and Lake Soyang holds 2.9 billion tonnes of water. The dam secured a stable water supply for Seoul and the surrounding region, and its power station, which began generating in November 1973, has a capacity of 200 MW and produces about 353 GWh a year.

What to see

• Dam crest walk: stroll along the top with the lake on one side and the steep face of the dam on the other. It may be closed in bad weather.
• Lake views: waterways wind between forested ridges.
• Pier and boats: ferries to Cheongpyeongsa and towards Yanggu, plus sightseeing cruises, leave from here. The crossing to Cheongpyeongsa takes about 10 minutes.
• Completion monument: a tall tower on the plaza at the dam, built to mark the dam's completion in 1973; the plaza around it is a good spot to take in both lake and dam.
• Water Culture Hall: an exhibition space on the dam about the dam and water.

Why the design changed

The original design was a concrete dam by a Japanese firm with long experience of dams abroad. An engineer on the Hyundai Construction side proposed a rock-fill dam that would cost about a third as much yet be stronger, and President Park Chung-hee, weighing cost savings and the threat of war, accepted it; in February 1967 Hyundai was awarded the work. The gravel and earth used in the dam were said to equal seven sacks for every person in the country at the time. The power station sits just below the right side of the dam and runs two Francis turbines.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: from central Chuncheon, take city bus 11 or 12 to the Soyang Dam terminus.
• Add Cheongpyeongsa: take the boat to Cheongpyeongsa, a temple founded in the Goryeo period, and walk its valley path for a half-day trip. Check boat times on site.
• Opening times: check the Water Culture Hall's hours and closing days before you go.
• What the dam does: Soyang Dam is the only multipurpose dam in the Bukhan River basin, handling flood control, water supply and power generation together.
• Cheongpyeongsa: from the pier, a valley path leads up to Cheongpyeongsa, founded in the Goryeo period, where a revolving gate designated a Treasure and a three-storey stone pagoda survive.
• Time needed: 1 hour for the dam and views, 3–4 hours including Cheongpyeongsa.