Ibike Korea People-to-People Program
Photo essay: Mungyeong to Sangju
Mungyeong to Sangju (53mi, 85km) Quiet roads – one major climb. Beautiful views.
Points of Interest: traditional village (World Heritage Site), museums, bicycle
capital of Korea.
Several times, or more, a day we pass roadside monuments.
This one is for Hang Guidal
(1438-1504), a scholar and official in the early Joseon period. The sign
near the monument gives typical information like the size (height: 3.74m) and
detail like, "the inscription was written by Nam Gon, who was prime minister and
the calligraphy was written by his son, Hong Eon-guk" and a biography. Hang rose
to become education minister, then feel out of favor, was exiled, was
rehabilitated and murdered.
Terraced fields,
often rice (right),
step up the valley to the base of the steep slope of the hills. This is
typical, where all of the fertile bottom land that can be used is, and then on
the steeper slopes the farms abruptly transition into healthy forests. On
the left are a variety of crops, including rice and diakon, a large radish.
When the diakon (a.k.a. White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese
radish) are harvested they are laid out to form long rows. 
streams and rivers. Here the bicycling is on a flat farm road through flat
farm land.When you slow down enough, it tend to me easy to meet people. Here is a chat on the road side. This student has relatives in the U.S. and exchanged addresses with a couple people in the group.
Hahoe
Magul (village), Andong, Homestead of the Ryu family for 600 years. The name
means roughly "spinning river village." Because the Nokdong River spins around
three sides of the village it has never been invaded. There are still more than
150 families living in the village. Among other qualities it is notable for
being constructed mostly with natural materials (wood, paper, clay, ceramic,
thatch), UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The combination of natural materials, curves, levels, textures, shades of beige, detailed work and eclecticism, make it very eye catching and interesting to around every corner.
Wind
down the crocked narrow passage into the center of the village and you will find
the sacred zelkova tree. It is said that the goddess Samsin resides in the
tree. She is the Goddess of pregnancy and child-birth. The thousands of
the notes draped around the tree are prayers for individuals for a healthy
pregnancy and healthy baby.In Korean lore there are a lot of reference to scholars having important discussions under zelkova trees.
Gyeongsang
Province is considered the breadbasket of Korea. Historically farm land
has been carefully managed and protected. The field go up to the edge of
the rice mills, churches and villages. There is some fear that the
U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement is going to undermined traditional agricultural
and land-use patterns.
Sangju
Museum covers a lot of local archeology and cultural history including the
Sabeol Kingdom, which doesn't exist in many history books on Korea.
Adjacent to the museum building is an outdoor exhibit of replicas of Korean
heritage.
This
geodesic dome, next to the Sangju Museum, houses the Solar Museum. It would be
more accurately described as an alternative energy museum because exhibits
covered wind and water, as well as solar. Adjacent to the museum is a
large array of solar panels (right)
Early in his career Gen. Chong served under Gen. Sin Rip. He defeated Japanese troops in Keochang, rescued Gen Cho Gyeong in the battle of Kumsan, successfully blocked the Japanese advance into the fertile Cheollo province, and recaptured Sangju, Hapcheong, Ulsan and Gyeongju in the 1597 offensive to drive the Japanese out of Korea.
Sangju
is the "Bicycle Capital of Korea". Its expresses its commitment to bicycle transportations with its investment
in bicycle infrastructure and using the bicycle as the theme in several pieces
of public art. The sculpture on the left is along Rt 25, the main
east-west highway in town, and the sculpture on the right is in a riverside
park. Sangju also host a big bicycle festival every year in the fall.
There
is a river across the north end of town and to the east of town. Both have
non-motorized trail facilities along them. In the sections shown here, one
is tree lined and the other is cosmos lined. I guess this means that we
were bicycling in the cosmos.
In
the center of town is the central market. The offerings are as varied as other
markets (fresh and dried fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, grain, nuts, canned
goods, dry goods, prepared food, etc.), but of particular note was the amount of garlic that was in stock.
An what you see in the photo is after a couple of trucks had pulled up, been
loaded and driven off. What is garlic suppose to ward-off?
The number of students using bicycles
is given as approximately 14,000. When the school day ends they flood the
streets heading in all directions. For more on bicycling in Sangju see
www.ibike.org/engineering/korea/index.htm#Sangju 
Fittingly, Sangju is also
home to a Bicycle Museum. Besides a variety of exhibits on the the history and
technology of bicycles, there are a variety of bicycle out in the front of the
museum that visitors can try for themselves.
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