Yangdong Village
is near the road to Pohang, 17.5 kilometers east of Kyongju city.
At the junction to Angang
Town, the road crosses a bridge.
A small lane leads to the right, under the railroad track and
directly to the village of Yangdong.
In this village traditions
from the early Chosun Dynasty still remain strong and
unchanged.
However, during the past years many of the younger generation
have
left Yangdong Village so now the population is shrinking.
Unfortunately, because of its proximity to Kyongju, this
village has not attracted the attention it deserves. Few people
know about this village, but as a former tour guide,
I believe
this village is also a very attractive stop to visit while sightseeing
in and
around Kyongju.
Many Century-old homes can
still be seen in this small old-fashioned village hidden from the
main stream of progress. At the turn of the century there were over
300 traditional houses but now fewer than 50 remain. Three
larger traditional villas have been designated by the Korean government
as Listed Treasures.
Most of these traditional houses belong
to either Lee or Sohn families. Lee
Eonjuk, whose pen name was
Hoejae, was born here in 1491. He became one of the truly
great Confucian Scholars of the Chosun
Dinasty.
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