Ginkgo Tree of Eumnae-ri, Goesan

The ginkgo tree of Eumnae-ri is estimated to be about 1,000 years old (as of its designation), stands 14.4 m tall and has a girth at breast height of 7.1 m. It now stands in the playground of Cheongan Elementary School. Traces of cut branches remain here and there along the trunk, and part of the crown has died back, yet the tree has grown fairly evenly in all directions. According to tradition, during the reign of King Seongjong of Goryeo (r. 981–997) the local castle lord here — equivalent to today's county magistrate — held a feast for the people and expressed a wish for a pond within the town walls. The people accordingly dug a pond called Cheongdang ("Clear Pond") and planted trees around it; this ginkgo is said to be the sole survivor of those plantings. After the lord's death, villagers carefully tended the tree in tribute to his good governance. A legend also holds that an eared snake lives inside the tree and punishes anyone who tries to harm it, and this belief is thought to have helped protect the tree to the present day. The ginkgo tree of Eumnae-ri, Goesan is of great cultural value both as a symbol of the village and as a tree honouring a magistrate who loved his people, offering a lesson to later generations; it also holds great biological conservation value as a large tree that has lived for nearly a thousand years. For these reasons it is designated and protected as a natural monument.

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Where it is

Region

Goesan, Chungbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물