Filled with Smiles of Nature and History

Jincheon in the middle of North Chungcheong Province has many local attractions, such as flavorful rice, aquarium fish and sweet-smelling roses. Located in the heart of South Korea, Jincheon benefits from ground and air transportation through Cheongju International Airport, Jungbu Highway, the Dongseo Highway, and three other national highways. Thanks to such conditions, the area is developing into a center of Korea’s advanced transportation network. The county is bordered by Goisan-gun to the east, Cheonan City (of South Chungcheong Province) to the west, Cheongwon-gun to the south, and Anseong City (of Gyonggi Province) to the north.

The southwestern part of this area is mountainous, with the Charyeong Range traversing it from the north to the south. Its northeastern part forms a fertile granary, with the Mihocheon Stream starting from Mansung-myeon and Baekkok-myeon and running through the wide plains located in the south.

Botap Temple and Gilsang Temple

With a rich Buddhist history, Jincheon has the famous Unification Tower at Botap Temple. The three-floor wooden tower at the temple is famous for being the tallest tower in the world (42.7 meters high) erected without the use of a single nail. It was created to provide views of the surrounding scenery. The first floor is centered around a shrine created for worshipping such Buddhism saints as Sukgayeorae, Birojanabul, Amitabul and Yaksayeorae. The second floor is Bubbojun, which is a sanctuary enshrining the scripture.

On the other hand, Gilsang Temple inside Jincheon Dodang Fortress Wall is a shrine featuring the portrait of General Kim Yu-sin (595~673). General Kim is famous for accomplishing the unification of three ancient kingdoms of Korea. A shrine was built at the bottom of Taeryung Mountain, where until the Goryeo Dynasty era, the nation gave incense and rollers for national religious services every spring and autumn. Later the shrine was used for regional religious service at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty. The site was then destroyed by fire during a war and moved several times at the end of Joseon Dynasty. In 1926, it was rebuilt and named Gilsang Temple. The present Gilsang Temple receives great admiration from visitors thanks to its spectacular cherry blossoms, and the work of a cleanup project conducted in 1976.

Tourist Farm and Breeding Ground for Herons

In the meantime, Samheung Tourist Farm, located in Gijun-ri, Deoksan-myeon, is a place blessed with the warmth of Mother Nature. One can enjoy boating in a beautiful lake, while the farm also boasts many other features, including an outdoor swimming pool, a mini golf course, a playground, a snow sledge area, and a camp fire area. There is also an indoor stadium where people can play billiards and ping-pong.

Behind Noeunshil Town in Nowon-ri is a rare breeding ground for herons. Herons arrive in the area in March and April, and as they are summer migratory birds, leave in September or October. The heron is a grayish bird which lays three to four eggs after building a nest in a tree. In the old days, the heron’s would breed after building a nest in a big gingko tree in the area. However, herons and egrets are breeding by building their nest in a neighboring region nowadays because the gingko tree is too old and weak now. At present, the area is home to approximately 1,000 herons. In front of the gingko tree, there is traditional Sinhun House. The house is an important cultural property of North Chungcheong Province, showing the features of house construction for local upper classes in times gone by.