A supernatural ice gorge in Miryang freezes water into ice, attracting escapees from summer heat

Icicles at Eoreumgol in Miryang in summer

an you imagine a place where water is naturally frozen into solid ice in summer? Eoreumgol near Miryang City is such a place where you can find natural ice in the summer time. So this summer, if you want somewhere cool, you had better check this place out for your cool escape from hot asphalt roads on the city. Miryang City is located in the northeast of South Gyeongsang Province in the southern region of the Korean Peninsula and half way between Busan and Daegu. The Gyeongbu Railroad Line passes through the northeast part of the city and national highways No. 24 and No. 25 run through the center of the city, connecting the adjacent cities of Changwon and Masan and Ulsan to Miryang.

Located in the suburb of the city is Cheonhwang Mountain which has “Eoreumgol,” a small gorge where ice is formed even in the dog days of summer over an area of about 9,000 square meters. In Korean, “Eoreum” means ice and “Gol” a gorge so that Eoreumgol stands for an ice gorge. The gorge itself boasts of unparalleled scenic beauty. The gorge is hence tagged “the Mystery of Miryang” and draws a large number of summer vacationers as a piquant sightseeing place.

Of late, a university research team from Busan conducted some research projects to look into what lies behind the supernatural phenomenon at Eoreumgol. After intensive field work, they found some clues to the reason why ice can be made in Eoreumgol in summer. Cold underground air and water are the main factors to form a sub-zero environment while Eoreumgol is located in the middle of a line of seven mountains.

Therefore, once cold air flows into this cold zone, it is not easy for the cold air to move out to another place since it is stranded by these mountains. On the contrary, warm air cannot enter this area due to influences of the blocked cold air. The surface of the land at Eoreumgol is filled with broken stones by weathering. Cold air go down to the underground though chasms among the stones. Then, cold air has been accumulated and gotten bigger and colder. Finally when water comes in the zone, the cold air freezes the water into ice.

In terms of tourism values, the Miryang Municipal Government is actively expediting a plan to promote this icing place as one of its major tourism attractions, in particular, for the summer season. According to the master plan, the city will build a big tourism complex with cable cars, an ice museum, a golf course, a sled ground and a ski resort with the construction of a highway connecting Daegu, Miryang and Busan and a tunnel between Miryang and Ulsan.

In addition to Eoreumgol, Miryang offers some other places worth visiting to tourists. First of all, Pyochung Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Korea and the biggest temple in Miryang. The stately temple was founded by Monk Wonhyo in 653 with its original name of Jukrim Temple. The temple became more famous when the third son of King Heungdeok was successfully cured of his malignant dermatitis with mineral water in the temple. Some genuine sarira of Buddha, which Monk Hwangmyeon brought in 829, was enshrined in this temple as well. The temple was renamed Pyochung Temple by the government to the memory of the loyalty of patriotic Monk Samyeong who fought against the invading Japanese army.

The invisible value of the temple weighs as the temple exceptionally shows new flexibility of the Korean temple system in which Buddhism and Confucianism were successfully integrated and mingled. In preservation at the temple are such local cultural assets as Cheongdong Hameun Hyangwan (bronze incense burner with inlaid silver decoration of Pyochung Temple), a three-storied stone pagoda, Daegwang Hall and others, 25 buildings and structures and some 300 relics and remains of Monk Samyeong.

Another place of significance is Yeongnamnu Building which has a grandiose structure with a V-shaped roof and each front wall span of five chambers and side wall span of four chambers and soaring height of columns. Originated from a minor pavilion of the Silla Dynasty's Yeongnam Temple, Yeongnamnu Building tops among the three best pavilions that remain in the country. It was remodeled by then County Magistrate Lee In-Jae in 1844, and features a wing formation deployment of Neungpa Hall and Chimnyu Pavilion on each side of the main pavilion.

For those who like stage plays, Miryang Drama Village is a place to check, too. A closed school building was turned into a drama performance hall in the countryside by drama producer Lee Yun-Taek and his Yeonhuidan Georipae Troupe. The drama troupe members nested in the village in October 1999 and have since been producing and performing dramas and even musicals in every weekend evening. Their repertoires extend to a wider range to include newly developed dramas of their own creation and invitation performances, drawing a large audience every Saturday from Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Ulsan and other regions.

By Steve Lee
BusinessKorea staff reporter