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Mt. Museong (613.5m above sea level)
surrounds the east of Magoksa Temple around Sagok-myeon
and Useong-myeon. Mt. Museong stretches for 15km
in linear distance from the north to the south. Yugu
Magok is situated at the center of the mountain. The
mountain itself is not very high, but it has several
layers of green forests. There is no doubt this
place is one of the blessed lands of Korea.
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Sa Go Nam, a scholar and prophet of
the mid-Joseon Dynasty, chose 10 blessed lands that
are completely protected from the three disasters (war,
illness, and famine). They are: Punggi Geumgyechon
beneath Mt. Sobaek, Yugu Magok of Gongju, Chunyang of
Andong, Jeongdong of Yeongwol, Mt. Songni of Boeun,
Mupung-dong of Muju, Mt. Duryu (Mt. Jiri) of Unbong,
Byeonsan of Buan, Geumdang-dong of Yecheon, and Mansu-dong
of Seongju. This proves that Yugu Magok has preserved
clear waters and clean mountains as it has not been
easy to approach.
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On top of Mt. Museong is the remains of a fortress
that tells us the legend of Gil Dong Hong. The fortress remains
as piles of rocks, but we can clearly see how it used to stand.
It is unknown when and why this fortress was built. However,
the local people have spread a story via words of mouth telling
that it used to be the Fortress of Gil Dong Hong. It is said
that there used to be a rock cave which was Hong’s home on the
cliff to the southwest, but it is currently inaccessible.
Mt. Museong has huge rocks here and there. Some
of them even have big, old pine trees on the top to create beautiful
sceneries. It would be a special experience to hike up to
Magoksa Temple, appreciate the renowned propitious points, view
the noted mountains of Chungnam, and visit Gil Dong Hong’s fortress.
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