Suseongsong Pine of Haenam

In the middle of the forecourt of Haenam County Office stands a black pine that rises on a single thick trunk and spreads its branches in every direction. Its name, Suseongsong (守城松), means "the pine that defended the fortress". Tradition says it was planted to commemorate the repulse of Japanese raiders in 1555, and it was designated a Natural Monument in 2001. It is a rare chance to see, right in a public building's courtyard, a tree that has watched over the town for more than 400 years.

The 1555 raid and "the pine that defended the fortress"

In 1555 (the 10th year of King Myeongjong), dozens of Japanese pirate ships attacked Dallyangpo, today's Namchang-ri in Bukpyeong-myeon, Haenam, and Daldo Island off Wando. During this Eulmyo raid the pirates overran one garrison after another around Haenam, Yeongam and Jindo, and even the army commander of Jeolla Province was killed. Amid the chaos, the government troops led by Haenam magistrate Byeon Hyeop held Haenam's walled town with great difficulty, and Byeon was promoted to governor of Jangheung for it. Locals are said to have planted a pine in front of the magistrate's office to mark the victory and named it Suseongsong. The raid shook the Joseon court too: it was what turned the Border Defence Council (Bibyeonsa), until then a temporary body, into a permanent one.

Judging by its size and age, however, some think the present tree was planted later than 1555. Sources also differ on its age: about 400 or about 450 years. What is certain is that it has stood on the site of the old Haenam government office, now the county office forecourt, for centuries. Even the village name, Seongnae-ri, means "inside the walls".

What kind of tree is it?

Suseongsong is a Japanese black pine (gomsol). Koreans call it gomsol because its needles are stiffer than those of the red pine; it is also called haesong, "sea pine", because it grows along the coast, and heuksong, "black pine", for its dark bark. Red pines have reddish winter buds while black pines have greyish-white ones, so the two are easy to tell apart up close in winter. Tolerant of salt and sea wind, black pines are widely planted as coastal windbreaks.

• Size: the current national heritage record gives 15.4 m in height and a trunk girth of 3.7 m at chest height. Older records give 17 m and 3.38 m.
• Shape: the single thick trunk rises at a slant and then splits into several limbs, forming a broad, rounded, umbrella-like crown.
• Protected zone: about 900 m² around the tree is protected.
• Designation: listed as a South Jeolla Provincial Monument in 1986, it was upgraded to a national Natural Monument on 11 September 2001, recognised as a healthy tree and a local symbol that carries the town's history.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: it stands in the county office forecourt, so there is no admission charge. The ground around the tree is protected, so stay outside the round planting bed to avoid treading on the roots.
• Photos: step back and shoot upwards to fit both the trunk and the spreading crown; from beneath the crown you can see the thick limbs radiating outwards.
• Getting there: it is in central Haenam-eup, about 850 m in a straight line from Haenam Intercity Bus Terminal.
• Time needed: 15–20 minutes is enough.
• Nearby: combine it with Daeheungsa Temple on Duryunsan, about 11 km away, and Mihwangsa Temple towards Land's End for a day in Haenam.