Lacebark Pine of Songpo, Goyang

The lacebark pine is also called baekgolsong (white-bone pine) because its bark peels away in broad flakes to reveal a white surface beneath. Native to China, it was brought and planted in Korea by envoys travelling to and from China during the Joseon period. The lacebark pine of Songpo is estimated to be about 250 years old, standing 11.5 m tall with a trunk circumference at breast height of 2.39 m. Seen from the side, its branches spread out like the ribs of a fan, giving it an inverted-triangular shape, and its bark is less white than that of other lacebark pines. Two accounts of its origin are known. One holds that during the reign of King Seonjo of Joseon (r. 1567-1608), a man named Yu Ha-gyeom received two lacebark pines from a Chinese envoy and gave one to an ancestor of Choe Sang-gyu, a resident of this village and the tree's present-day owner, who planted it beside a family grave, where it grew to its current size. The other holds that during the reign of King Sejong of Joseon (r. 1418-1450), while Kim Jong-seo was establishing the Six Garrisons in the north, General Choe Su-won, who served there, brought the tree back and planted it on his way home to his native village. For a time, villagers also called the tree Dangsong (Tang pine), on account of its Chinese origin. The Lacebark Pine of Songpo, Goyang, is a rare pine seldom seen elsewhere, and as a tree attesting to cultural exchange with China it holds great value as historical and cultural material, and is designated and protected as a natural monument.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Goyang, Gyeonggi

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물