Red Leaf Willow of Gwan-ri, Cheongsong

The red leaf willow is a tree of the willow family that grows in warm regions of Korea, Japan and China. It grows taller and has broader leaves than the common willow, which is how it gets its Korean name wangbeodeul ("king willow"), and it can be easily identified by the reddish colour of its new leaves. It has a fine shape, and is especially beautiful when its deep pink, candle-like new shoots emerge, making it an excellent choice as a park or street tree in urban areas. The age of the Gwan-ri willow in Cheongsong is unknown, but it stands 14.3m tall with a girth of 7.6m at breast height. It was originally a thick, well-grown tree, but after its western branch was cut off to remove a beehive, the wound decayed, and most of the tree is now dead. An old pine about 1m in diameter once stood nearby, but it no longer exists. A poignant story has been passed down about this willow and the pine that once stood beside it. A young bachelor went to serve in the army in place of a village girl's father, so that he might marry her. But when he failed to return, the girl hanged herself from the willow, and a pine tree is said to have grown up beside it afterwards. The tree has been venerated as a seonang, a guardian spirit protecting the village, and a communal rite has been held beneath it every year on the 14th day of the first lunar month. It was said that anyone who wrote with the paper used in this rite would become a fine calligrapher, so people would compete to take the paper home once the rite was over. The Gwan-ri willow in Cheongsong is an old tree steeped in the legends and culture of our ancestors, and with its high cultural and biological value, it is designated and protected as a natural monument.

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Where it is

Region

Cheongsong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물