Boseong County (Boseong-gun) is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Boseong is famous for its green tea leaves, with 26.71 hectares of land dedicated to its production.

History

In the Samhan era, Boseong belonged to the Mahan confederacy and later became Bokhol County (伏忽郡) under the rule of the Baekje dynasty. The name "Boseong" was given in Unified Silla.

Geography

Large areas consist of mountains such as Mangil-Bong, Jonje Mountain and Joowol Mountain. The Boseong River flows through the center of Boseong. The multipurpose Juam Dam was built on the Boseong River in 1990.

Climate

Boseong is one of the rainiest places in South Korea. It has a moderate climate. The average annual temperature is 12.6 °C. The average temperature in January is −0.5 °C and the average temperature in August is 27.8 °C. Annual mean precipitation is 1,450 mm.

Administrative district

Boseong consists of two towns-Boseong town and Beolgyo town. In both towns, the population has gradually decreased.

  • The town of Boseong is the seat of a county office. It is also a major transportation hub since 1930 and the distribution center of agricultural products. The largest tea gardens in South Korea are in the southern part of the Boseong County.
  • Beolgyo is also major transportation hub. It had flourished since the Japanese occupation but it has somewhat declined in recent years.

Boseong Green Tea

Boseong Green Tea is a special product of the Boseong district.

Boseong County, also called DongguyeojI-Seungnam (meaning "tea house" in the Joseon Dynasty), Almost one third of all tea farmland is located in Boseong, and nearly half of all green tea production in Korea comes from the area. This status has been carefully crafted in recent decades, partly due to the long history green tea has with the area. Nearly two hundred years later, historical records indicate that green tea seeds were planted at the foot of nearby Jirisan Mountain.

Boseong Green Tea passed the strict quality inspection of the Russian Medical Biology Lab, and was officially recognized as a beverage suitable for an astronaut's special diet.

Transportation

National Road No. 2 goes through Boseong, and the Gyeongjeon Line transits several towns. There are mainly five stations including Boseong station, Dukryang Station, Yedang Station, Joseong Station and Beolgyo Station. Coastal region has well-connected transportation. However, inland of Boseong has a poor transportation because of mountains.

Notable people

  • Philip Jaisohn (Seo Jae-pil) (1864–1951), a Korean independence activist
  • Paik Hak-soon, a writer on inter-Korean relations and analyst of North Korea
  • Park Ra-yeon (b. 1951), a South Korean poet
  • Cheong Yang-seog (b. 1958), a South Korean politician in the People Power Party
  • Baek Ji-heon, a K-pop singer from the group Fromis 9

Twin towns – sister cities

Boseong is twinned with:

  • Gangnam-gu, South Korea
  • Gangbuk-gu, South Korea
  • Yeonje-gu, South Korea
  • Buk-gu, South Korea
  • Sujiatun, China

<gallery widths=215 heights=165>

File:Korea-Boseong-Green.tea-01.jpg |Green tea field

File:Korea-Boseong-Green.tea-06.jpg |Green tea field

File:Korea-Boseong-Green.tea-07.jpg |Green tea leaves

File:Korea-Boseong-Green.tea-09.jpg |Green tea field

File:20150808태백산맥문학관DSC01661.jpg|Jo Jeong-rae museum

</gallery>

References

  • Boseong County government home page
  • The Green Tea Plantations of Boseong