Songni Jeongipumsong Pine Tree, Boeun

Standing in the middle of the road leading to Beopjusa Temple on Songnisan Mountain, the Jeongipumsong pine of Songni is estimated to be about 600 years old, with a height of 17.0 m and a girth at breast height of 4.9 m. The story behind how this pine came to be called Jeongipumsong is as follows. In the tenth year of King Sejo's reign (1464), when the king was travelling to Beopjusa Temple, his palanquin passed beneath this pine, but a branch hung down low enough to catch on it. When King Sejo said "the palanquin is caught," the pine is said to have lifted its branch so that the king could pass safely. There is also a story that King Sejo once sheltered from the rain beneath this tree while passing by. In recognition of the pine's loyalty, King Sejo bestowed on it the rank of jeongipum, a senior second-grade official rank equivalent to a cabinet minister today, and so the tree came to be called the Jeongipum Pine. Over its lifetime this pine has suffered various kinds of damage; in particular, in the early 1980s a great deal of money was spent installing large-scale netting to protect it from damage by pine needle gall midges. The tree originally had a neat and beautiful form, spreading out like an open umbrella or a traditional sedge hat, but in 1993 a large branch on its western side was broken by strong winds, considerably marring its shape. The Songni Jeongipumsong Pine Tree, Boeun, is designated and protected as a natural monument because its form is extremely beautiful and, being a large and ancient tree, it holds great value as a biological and genetic resource; it also carries great cultural value, preserving a legend that vividly conveys the spirit of an age in which people served their king.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Boeun, Chungbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물