Manseokbo Site (Dongjeong Weir Site)

About this place

This is the site of Manseokbo Weir, built by Gobu County Magistrate Jo Byeong-gap, located between Manseokdaegyo Bridge and the embankment. A 'bo' (洑) is a place where a dam is built and stream water is collected in order to supply water to rice paddies. Downstream of the bridge crossing the Dongjin River at the point where the Sinnaein-Gobu road crosses, traces of the weir embankment remain. Around it stretches the wide and fertile Baedeul Plain. This vast plain could reportedly yield as much as ten thousand seok (mal-seok) of rice, hence the name 'Manseokbo' (Ten Thousand Seok Weir). Yet it also harbors the accumulated anger of peasants who were starved and exploited. Originally, on the upper reaches of the Jeongeup stream, there was a 'minbo' (民洑) weir built voluntarily by the farmers. However, in 1893, Jo Byeong-gap — appointed as the Gobu county magistrate — built Manseokbo below the minbo, forcing farmers to labor without compensation and using large trees without their owners' permission. After the weir was built, he collected heavy taxes under the pretext of water fees. In 1894, farmers burdened by Jo Byeong-gap's tyrannical rule and excessive taxation destroyed Manseokbo. This became the trigger for the Donghak Peasant Revolution, and in 1973 a commemorative stele was erected here. Nearby attractions include the Manseokbo Hyeokpabi memorial, Jeongto-sa Temple, Jeongeup Sintaein Market, and the Malmok Marketplace and Persimmon Tree.