KBS2 ‘Video Album: Mountain’
At 6:55 a.m. on the 7th, Episode 1017 of KBS2’s ‘Video Album: Mountain’ will air as ‘Painting the Light of Late Autumn - Chuwolsan in Damyang’.
Damyang in South Jeolla, a land of bamboo where mountains, vast plains, and lakes harmonize, has long been famed for its beautiful scenery. Among these, Chuwolsan (731 m), which rises while embracing Damyang Lake, forms the boundary between Damyang in South Jeolla and Sunchang in North Jeolla, and its dense forest and sheer rock walls create a mysterious landscape.
Chuwolsan is one of South Jeolla’s five great mountains and is included among the 100 famous mountains selected by the Korea Forest Service. With varied scenery such as fantastically shaped rocks, autumn foliage, and Damyang Lake, Damyang’s Chuwolsan shines even more as autumn deepens, and Korean painter Park Seok-shin sets out on a journey there.
The first stop is Juknokwon, one of Damyang’s representative attractions. Juknokwon, where bamboo forms a forest, is a fine place to enjoy a bamboo-forest bath while walking the 2.4 km promenade composed of eight themes. The feast of green refreshes the eyes, and listening to the wind in the bamboo grove brings peace to body and mind.
KBS2 ‘Video Album: Mountain’
Juknokwon, Gwanbangjerim, and the Metasequoia Road are adjacent, making them easy to see together. Gwanbangjerim, a forest created during the reign of King Injo to protect the embankments of the Damyangcheon stream, has about 200 old trees lined up over 2 km. Then the Metasequoia Road, turned crimson, comes into view. Following the leaf-strewn path, we walk into the landscape of late autumn.
After a short walk along the Yongmaru-gil beside Damyang Lake, we ascend Chuwolsan overlooking the water. The name Damyang uses ‘dam’, meaning pond, and ‘yang’, meaning sunshine, making it a land rich in water and sunlight.
Autumn leaves lit by sunlight delight the eyes, and the leaf-covered trail feels like walking on clouds. Park Seok-shin, a Korean painter who sketches nature while seeking out mountains and rivers nationwide, also finds inspiration here. ‘Hwandong’, the state artists aim for, means returning to a child’s heart. In the deep forest, one encounters the purity contained in nature.
After reciting a verse at the sight of late-autumn leaves swaying in the wind, the hike continues. Past steep stairs, an observatory offers a view of the Gangcheonsan ridgeline beyond the blue Damyang Lake. Then, scrambling over a gigantic rock leaves one out of breath, and Boriam, set on the edge of a sheer cliff, comes into view.
KBS2 ‘Video Album: Mountain’
Boriam is an ancient temple founded by Bojo State Preceptor Jinul during the Goryeo period, and a vantage point that offers a sweeping view of Damyang Lake and the Honam ridge. Before an unmissable landscape, Korean painter Park Seok-shin lifts his brush to capture nature.
It is said that the name Chuwolsan comes from how, when you look up on an autumn night, its rocky peaks seem so high they could touch the moon. As the name suggests, the lofty, rugged rocky path continues, but thinking of the view awaiting at the summit keeps one from stopping. At last, upon reaching the summit at Boriam, the vista opens wide: Damyang Lake winds as if a dragon were ascending, and the connected peaks beyond paint a magnificent panorama. Embracing the gracefully flowing Damyang Lake, Chuwolsan imbued with the mood of late autumn awaits on ‘Video Album: Mountain’.
◆ Cast : Park Seok-shin / Korean painter
◆ Route : Damyang Lake National Tourist Resort - Boriam - Boriam summit - Wolgye-ri / approx. 3.9 km, approx. 4 hours
KBS2 ‘Video Album: Mountain’ Episode 1017
