Seochulji Pond

The story goes back to a royal procession on the 15th day of the first lunar month in 488, during the reign of King Soji, Silla's 21st monarch. A crow and a rat approached, crying out, and the rat spoke: "Watch where this crow goes." The king sent a general to follow it.

Reaching a pond in Yangpi Village, on the eastern slope of Mt. Namsan, the general lost sight of the crow. It's said that at that moment, an old man dressed in grass clothing suddenly appeared from the middle of the pond, holding an envelope, and said, "General, deliver this letter to the king." Thanks to that envelope, the king is said to have avoided disaster — giving this place its name, Seochulji, meaning "the pond from which writing emerged." Today, with its pond and pavilion set in quiet harmony, it's a lovely spot for a walk while turning the legend over in your mind.