Seoksongnyeong Pine Tree in Cheonhyang-ri, Yecheon

Growing in front of the village hall in Seokpyeong village, the Seoksongnyeong Pine Tree in Cheonhyang-ri, Yecheon is estimated to be about 600 years old, standing 9.2 m tall with a trunk circumference of 4.2 m at breast height. The tree branches out in many directions from its base, giving it an overall umbrella shape, and stone pillars have been set up in various places to support the weight of its side branches. According to tradition, about 600 years ago, during a great flood in the Punggi region, a pine sapling drifting down the Seokgancheon stream was rescued by a passer-by and planted on this spot. Later, a village resident named Yi Su-mok gave the tree the name "Seoksongnyeong," meaning "the old man (yeonggam) pine tree living in Seokpyeong village," and bequeathed to it 6,600 square metres of his own land, even registering the title in the tree's name, so that it became a tree with its own property. The late President Park Chung-hee is also said to have granted it five million won. The village uses the income from Seoksongnyeong's property to fund scholarships for students, and every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month it holds a rite praying for the peace of the village. The Seoksongnyeong Pine Tree in Cheonhyang-ri, Yecheon is a tree without parallel anywhere in the world, owning property and paying taxes and scholarships as if it were a person, and it is designated and protected as a natural monument for its very high value as cultural material offering insight into the Korean people's attitude toward trees.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yecheon, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물