Myeongjeong, Tongyeong

"Myeongjeong" refers to two wells located below Chungnyeolsa Shrine (Historic Site No. 236) in Myeongjeong-dong, Tongyeong. The upper well was called Iljeong ("Sun Well") and the lower one Woljeong ("Moon Well"); together they are known as Myeongjeong, "the bright wells." The water from Iljeong is said to have been used for memorial rites to Lord Yi, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, while the water from Woljeong was used by ordinary households. The wells are said to have been dug in 1670 under the 51st Tongjesa (naval commander-in-chief), Kim Gyeong. According to tradition, only one well was dug at first, but its water was cloudy and scant, so a second was dug, after which the water became clear and plentiful. Earlier records, however, already mention place names such as Myeongjeong-ri and Myeongjeong-dong in connection with these wells, suggesting the original wells were dug even earlier. The spring water has long been used in the memorial rites at Chungnyeolsa Shrine and is treated as a sacred well. As a literary space, Myeongjeong also appears in Park Kyong-ni's "The Daughters of Kim Yak-guk," a landmark work in the history of Korean literature, which contains a description of the well; the poet Baek Seok's poem "Tongyeong" conveys a poignant episode connected with it; and Kim Chun-su's poem "Myeongjeong-ri," written with Baek Seok's poem as a motif, likewise describes Myeongjeong.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Tongyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물