National Parks of Korea: Songnisan

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Editor's Note: This is the third article in a series highlighting national parks in the ROK.

Songnisan National Park, situated primarily in the central Chungcheongbuk-Do province, was the third and final park I visited in October. Unlike my visits to Seoraksan and Bukhansan national parks, I did not utilize public transportation, but took my own privately owned vehicle.

Before I even arrived in the ROK, I had heard rumors that driving off-base could be quite an adventure, and even the 2008 Frommer's South Korea guide book notes that driving, notably around Seoul, can be "a hair-raising experience."

Fortunately, there's USFK Pam 385-2, the "Guide to Safe Driving in Korea." This pamphlet covers all the basics of driving off-base, and personnel assigned to Osan must pass a test based on it before obtaining a POV license. The current version is available online at http://www.osan.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090217-002.pdf.

However, even after studying the pamphlet and passing the POV license test, one might take their first drive off-base and return with white knuckles, thinking, "does anyone here follow any traffic regulations, or was I the only one who noticed the red lights and speed limits?"

I'll admit that driving locally can be a little nerve-wracking, but would also advise not to let that serve as a deterrent to exploring the rest of the country. From personal experience, I've noted three very distinct traffic zones - the local area, the greater Seoul metroplex, and everywhere else.

Driving in the local area is definitely the most challenging, but if you drive defensively and alertly it's not so bad, and traveling around the other two zones won't be nearly as stressful.

I consider the Seoul metroplex as the city itself, and a radius of around 40 kilometers from its outskirts. Within this zone, you're usually not really driving as much as inching along in bumper-to-bumper traffic. It's similar to commuting in Los Angeles, New York, or any other city with more than 10 million residents.

The third zone - everywhere else - is a very similar to driving in the states. The expressways, which are toll roads here, have wide, multiple lanes and are comparable to U.S. interstates. Other roads wind through the countryside, near towns with smaller populations and less traffic. And the good news is that a majority of the national parks in the ROK lie within this traffic zone.

To reach Songnisan, I took expressway 40 east to expressway 1 south, then expressway 30 east just after Cheongju. Look for the town of Boeun and you can exit at either national road 19 (first exit) or 25 (second exit). I took national road 25 and followed the signs to Songnisan - going north on either road will take you to national road 37, which leads to the Beopjusa district of the park. The distance from Songtan to the park entrance was 130 kilometers, and it took a little less than 90 minutes to get there. My POV is a 1999 Daewoo Matiz, and the toll was just 2,900 Won - rates are based on the size of your vehicle.

The Beopjusa district is one of the most popular in the park, and offers a lot to see ... natural and man-made. Near the primary park entrance stands a Korean red pine tree called 'Jeongipumsong' that is estimated to be at least 600 years old. There are at least 17 temples in Songnisan National Park and Beopjusa is "the greatest temple of central Korea" and the home of the Buddhist doctrines, national treasures and the world's largest bronze Buddha, according to the Korea National Parks Service.

Since I arrived in mid-afternoon, I planned to just explore the area around the temple instead of attempting to hike to one of the park's many mountain peaks. The tallest, Cheonhwangbong, rises to 1,057 meters, or 3,467 feet. There's a trail directly from Beopjusa, but you'll need an estimated five hours for the round-trip hike.

The short trail to the temple was quite scenic, especially with the changing colors of the fall leaves. The path runs alongside a small creek that you can cross several times, and there's even a small area of interesting sculptures - some are stone, some are scrap metal - before you reach the first bridge.

Once you reach Beopjusa temple, you can't miss the bronze Maitreya statue, which stands at 33 meters, or 108 feet. There's also a five-story wooden pagoda and many designated national treasures, including a stone lamp dating back to 720 A.D. and the largest iron cauldron "in all of Korean history," according to its marker.

After spending a few hours around the temple and a short trail into the forest, it was getting dark and time to drive back. My additional expenses were 2,000 Won to park close to the Beopjusa trailhead, a 3,000 Won park entrance fee and 2,100 Won in expressway tolls. In all, my total cash expenses came out to an even 10,000 Won - not bad at all for a half-day trip.

For additional information on the National Parks of Korea, visit http://english.knps.or.kr/Knp/AboutNP.aspx?MenuNum=1&Submenu=AboutNP.