Onjeonggaegeon Stele

This stele was erected in 1766, the 42nd year of King Yeongjo, to commemorate the achievements of Gang Pil-ri, magistrate of Dongnae, in thoroughly repairing the hot spring; the inscription was written by Song Gwang-jeok. The earliest record of Dongnae Hot Spring is found in the Samguk yusa, which records that Chungwon-gong, a minister of Silla, bathed there before returning home. The hot-spring entry in the geography section of the Dongnaebu eupji (Gazetteer of Dongnae) shows that Dongnae Hot Spring had been known since the Silla period. The spring water was said to be hot enough to boil an egg, and because bathing in it was believed to cure illness, many people are said to have visited from early times. The stele is 144 cm tall and 61 cm wide. According to its inscription, the hot-spring bathhouse rebuilt in 1691, the 17th year of King Sukjong, had two stone-built baths; later the building fell into disrepair and the baths became blocked, so Gang Pil-ri, newly appointed magistrate of Dongnae, rebuilt it again, constructing a nine-bay building divided into men's and women's baths, its appearance so fresh and splendid that it seemed like a pheasant in flight. The bathhouse is said to have undergone further repairs on several occasions after this. In 1878 a bathhouse for the exclusive use of Japanese residents was built for the first time, and during the Japanese colonial period Japanese residents came to control the hot-spring resort, leaving Koreans dispossessed of their interests in it. The stele is now preserved inside Yonggak (Dragon Pavilion) in Oncheon-dong.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Dongnae-gu, Busan

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물