Korea Herald
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| Yedang Reservoir |
YESAN, South Chungcheong Province - If you didn’t already know, Yesan County is home to some of the biggest, sweetest, crispiest, most succulent tasting apples you will ever bite into. Situated in South Chungcheong Province about 131 km southwest of Seoul, apples from this region are regarded by many as the best in the country.
Even those that aren’t apple experts will have to agree after trying one that they are pretty darn good.
For those in younger, more adventurous demographics, they will be first to admit, Yesan doesn’t offer much of an exhilarating experience.
But for the leisurely-paced traveler or for couples, activities like freshwater carp fishing at the Yedang Reservoir - Korea’s biggest - taking a nice stroll around Sudeoksa Temple, hiking on Mt. Gaya, or visiting the home of celebrated Joseon-era calligrapher and “realist” scholar Kim Jung-hui are some of the things you can do here.
The Deoksan district is also known for housing quite a few reasonably-priced luxurious spa and hot spring resorts.
The hot springs in Yesan are known for their germanium-rich water. Germanium is thought by some to improve the immune system, boost the body’s oxygen supply, make a person feel more energetic, and destroy damaging free radicals in addition to protection against radiation.
Seasoned travelers might be tempted to take a detour from the usual route and adopt an unorthodox approach by skipping some of the historical landmarks like the “hanok,” or traditional house, of Kim Jung-hee.
But if you are a historical architecture buff, it is worth having a look as the layout of the house differs from the usual structural schematics of hanok. The study and bedroom are not separate but joined in an L-shape which according to the site’s curator “went against Confucian ethics at the time.”
The Altoran Apple Farm and Korean independence movement hero Yun Bong-gil’s memorial site are both worth bookmarking if you plan on visiting the county.
At the Altoran Apple Farm, its owner Kim Young-joo said that land used for cultivating agricultural goods in Yesan County is 80 percent allotted to apple farming.
It has been said that what the locals call the area’s “yellow earth” - made up of loess, sand, clay and silt blown in from nearby rivers - is amongst the most fertile soil in the world.
So what’s so special about Yesan apples?
According to Kim, one of the many differences lies in the method of harvesting, which still harkens back to the old days before machines were used.
“Our apples are harvested through manual labor as means of quality control,” Kim said.
“It is to ensure each apple does not get bruised and to ensure that they are picked when they are at their prime. … This is to keep up with the high standards people expect from apples from this region, but it also makes life very difficult for our farmers, who would rather use modern techniques of harvesting.”
Through joint research conducted by the Rural Development Administration and the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science earlier this year, the study found that apples from Yesan County had an average weight of 319.7 grams - 170 grams heavier than the average apple worldwide.
Kim’s farm doesn’t just produce apples. It also produces a variety of products made with the fruit such as jams, juice, sauce for “donkatsu” and even soaps and candles.
“Our jams and juices are free of preservatives and are directly made right here at the farm,” he said.
The peak season for apple harvest according to him is between July and the middle of November when the flux of temperature between warm and cool of daytime and nighttime results in optimal growing conditions.
“The cool mist that forms around the mountains surrounding the farm early at dawn, the mildly hot temperature and bright sunlight of the daytime, and the cold winds that flow down into the trees at night makes our apples very flavorful and sweet,” he said as he guided the tour around the endless acres of apple and persimmon trees.
The group stopped for a break when a farm hand, a diminutive “ajumma” wearing the default oversized visor and “Hammer-don’t-hurt’em” hibiscus-patterned parachute pants waddled down with bottles of apple-flavored “makgeolli” - a type of rice wine indigenous to Korea.
Our tour guides immediately took out knives and began hollowing out a few apples to turn into cups.
After the brief liquor intermission, Kim led the group to do some apple-picking.
“The trick to picking out the best apples is color and scent,” Kim said.
“The top of the apple should have small shades of green mixed with red with a strong scent and the skin should have a nice polish to it,” and added “an unripe apple is one that is very hard with lots of green, while an over-ripe apple carries a dark red tone without any shine to its skin.”
And just because an apple is big doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to taste good he said.
“If an apple is too big, preserving and storing becomes cumbersome as they spoil more easily and they aren’t as sweet,” he said.
Then it was off to Chungeuisa, the birthplace of Yun Bong-gil, a Korean independence movement activist who participated in an assassination attempt on several Japanese leaders during the country’s period under Japanese rule.
In 1932, he carried out an assassination using a bomb disguised as a water bottle at an army celebration for Emperor Hirohito’s birthday in Shanghai.
The bombing killed Yoshinori Shirakawa, a general of the Imperial Japanese Army and Kawabata Sadaji, a Government Chancellor of Japanese residents in Shanghai, and also injured several high-ranking military officials.
Yun was arrested at the scene and convicted by the Japanese military court where he was then transferred to Osaka prison and executed in Kanazawa.
He remained buried in the Nodayama graveyard until 1946 when his remains were excavated and transferred to Seoul by Korean residents in Japan.
What made the visit worthwhile was not just the compelling story about the sacrifice Yun made for his country, but also the devotion of Park Seung-yuk, the designated curator of the memorial site, to his work.
A grizzled old former primary-school principle, he seemed a man dedicated to preserving the legacy of the fabled patriot - perhaps a bit too much.
The moment the group walked up the stairs to the shrine, Park ordered guests wearing hats to promptly remove them from their heads as a mark of respect.
Then with a shout of “silence!” he forced guests to pray for Yun.
The group remained quiet for about a minute until he ordered them to turn their attention back to him.
Inside the shrine, a large over-sized portrait of Yun hangs on the wall facing the memorial gate. Visitors are provided with incense sticks to burn and plant in front of the portrait just outside the entrance.
One thing that visitors will notice immediately is how pristine and well-groomed the garden area is compared to other historical landmarks.
During the curator’s recitation of Yun’s life and times as a resistance and freedom fighter, he would emphsize random words as loudly as possible like a man stricken with Tourette’s Syndrome.
Before the end of the tour, the curator urged everyone to shout out “Yun Bong-gil man-sae! (Long live Yun Bong-gil!)” and “Dae Joseon-guk man-sae! (Long live Great Joseon)!”
For more information on tours around Yesan County, contact the culture and tourism office at (041) 339-7311.
(kws@heraldm.com)
By Song Woong-ki
News Clippings
The Donuimun before demolition in 1915 /Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
An artist’s impression of the restored Donuimun /Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government