Andong Gunja Village (Ocheon Historic Site)

About this place

This village was formed 500 to 600 years ago when Nongsu Kim Hyo-ro of the Gwangsan Kim clan settled here. Its name, 'Gunja Village' (Village of the Noble Man), originates from a remark by Hangang Jeong Gu, a magistrate of Andong, who said, 'In the single village of Ocheon, there is not one who is not a noble man.' When the Andong Dam was built, the houses, pavilions, and other structures of the old village were moved intact to its present location in Ocheon-ri, Waryong-myeon, Andong-si, about 2 km from the former village, and it is thus also called the Ocheon Historic Site. Having continuously produced many scholars since the early Joseon period, Gunja Village exudes a refined and dignified atmosphere befitting its reputation. About twenty old houses—including the Hujodang, head house of the Gwangsan Kim clan; the old house of Kim Yu, author of the 'Suun Japbang'; and the Takcheongjeong—are well preserved in their original form, and the Takcheongjeong stands out as the representative cultural property of the Ocheon Historic Site. Registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Takcheongjeong is a pavilion attached to a house built by Kim Su in 1541 (the 36th year of King Jungjong); it is the most beautiful of private pavilions, with a hipped-and-gabled roof measuring seven kan across the front and two kan on the side, and it bears a plaque by the master calligrapher Han Seok-bong. Along with these, the old documents held by the head house of the Yean branch of the Gwangsan Kim clan (Treasure), the classical texts held by the same head house (Treasure), and the relics of the Hujodang (Tangible Cultural Property of Gyeongsangbuk-do) are well preserved, and the Sungwongak relic exhibition hall displays hundreds of ancestral relics, old documents, and books. The Hujodang also operates a hanok-stay old-house experience. ◎ Travel information for encountering the charm of Hallyu — In the drama, Hwawonjae is where everything began, when Gusan-yeong received the daenggi (a traditional hair ribbon) left behind by his father. The Hujodang head house of Andong Gunja Village, which served as the setting for Hwawonjae, is an old house with a history of some 600 years. We recommend feeling Korea's antique beauty and staying in an old house among the villagers who have lived here for twenty generations.