A Journey into Deep Mountain Valleys and Ancient Temples | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Sottongryeong Village is located in Ganseong-eup, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, one of the finest pristine areas. The clear and clean waters of the Jinbureong Valley flow through the village, surrounded by dense forests at the foot of Hyangrobong Peak in the Geumgangsan area, making it a typical mountain farming village. Through various hands-on activities, visitors can truly appreciate the value of nature and the charm of rural life. Additionally, by visiting famous tourist sites and security areas in Goseong-gun, visitors can foster love for the country's beauty and homeland. The village operates accommodation facilities including a camping site, and offers rural meal menus carefully prepared by the women's association.

Geonbongsa Temple in Geumgangsan is an ancient temple located on the southeastern slope of Gamrobong, where the Geumgangsan mountain range begins, enshrining the authentic tooth relic of Sakyamuni. It was once a large-scale temple with 3,183 rooms, but all except the Bulimun gate were destroyed during the Korean War. Restoration work began in 1994 and has led to the current appearance. It is a patriotic temple where monks organized warrior monks during the Imjin War and was a center for anti-Japanese independence movements during the Japanese colonial period. It is said that in the 7th year of King Beopheung of Silla (520), the monk Ado first built a temple here under the name Wongaksa. In the 17th year of King Gyeongdeok of Silla (758), the monk Baljing rebuilt the temple and held a 10,000-day chanting ceremony, which became the origin of Korea’s yeombulmanilhoe (a Buddhist ceremony praying for rebirth in the Pure Land by chanting for ten thousand days). Later, in the 7th year of King Gongmin of Goryeo (1358), monk Naong changed the temple’s name to the current one. In the 2nd year of King Sejo of Joseon (1456), the king visited and made it a royal ancestral shrine praying for the safety of the royal family, building Eosilgak to enshrine memorial tablets of successive kings, making it a grand temple. In the 15th year of King Gojong of Joseon (1878), a fire burned it down completely, and it was rebuilt the following year. In the 10th year of Gwangmu of the Korean Empire (1906), Bongmyeong School was established for enlightenment and new knowledge education, becoming a center of education in the Gwandong region but was forcibly closed by the Japanese. By 1911, it had regained scale as one of the 31 main temples presiding over nine branch temples. During fierce battles lasting about two years around Goseong in the Korean War, all buildings except the Bulimun gate, built in 1920, were destroyed, leaving it in ruins. After the armistice, the Geonbongsa site was located north of the civilian control line and became accessible to civilians from 1989.