Soyanggang Dam_ chuncheon trip
his is East Asia’s largest multi-purpose dam. Living up to its reputation, Soyangho (Lake) is called a continental ocean. It has beautiful natural scenery, as well as Cheongpyeongsa, a temple from the Goryeo Dynasty, and Obongsan (Mt.), making it a popular day-trip course.
History of Soyanggang Dam
The Soyanggang Dam is 123m high with a bank of 530m's long and a total reservoir of 2.9 billion tons. It is a sand gravel multi-purpose dam made with mud and rocks. The drainage area is 2,703�� and at the full level, the water surface area is 64.3��. The construction began in April 1967 and was completed in October 1973. Construction of a multi-purpose dam had been planned since the 1950s and the feasibility test was suggested in March 1960. The total construction cost was 31.87 billion won, while 4,600 households in 38 ri from six myeon in three city and guns such as Chuncheon city, Yangyang gun and Inje gun had to move because their neighborhood was about to be submerged. Furthermore, approximately 2,700ha of rice paddies and farms were submerged.
The dam supplies an annual 1.2 billion tons of waters for irrigation and household and industrial use. Its irrigation area is 7,500ha, the flood control quantity is 500 million tons, while the facility power generation capacity is 200,000�� with annual generation amount of 353Ghw. From the Soyangho Lake, which was created by the construction of the dam, boats can sail to Yanggu and Inje located at the 43.2�� point upstream, and a pleasure craft ride takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The scenery around the lake is so beautiful that it offers the chance to enhance national sentiment and a place of tourism and rest for the people. It also contributes to the local economic growth through development of inland fisheries.
Embracing the continental ocean
Soyanggang DamThe path going to the top of Soyanggang Dam is famous for its beautiful cherry blossom in the spring time. The Soyangho Lake protects the Soyanggang Dam all year-round and has unique beauties in every season. It is recommended to drive the road, especially in the spring for its cherry blossom that is as bright as the moonlight, and in the fall for its yellow gingko trees standing either side of the road.
The other statue of the Soyanggang virgin meets us at the top. It has a different ambience compared to the Soyanggang Virgin Statue on the riverside of Soyanggang. Does a different person imagine a different Soyanggang virgin? There is a large dam below the long road that can be seen afar. Access near the dam was controlled in the past but the most part of it now open to tourists. Along the road on the top of the dam is a small hill with a small pavilion, Suyeonjeong, which has an uninterrupted view over Soyanggang Dam.
Around the pavilion are a memorial monument, sculpture pieces and a fountain. Chill down the heat at the fountain that looks like trout will right jump up. Looking down at the Soyanggang Dam, you can not even figure out how big it is. It is hard to tell the blue skies from the blue waters of the lake. Scattered lands looking like islands that you can spot from the dam reminds you that you are not really in the ocean.
Take the inner path and you will arrive at a pier. Take a boat from here to Cheongpyeongsa Temple. Boats departure every 30 minutes so you should check the time before heading to Cheongpyeongsa Temple. There is also a pier for small craft nearby. If you want to feel the fresh air of Soyanggang on the river, you don't want to miss it. It feels like that silky blue river waters flow right into you.
A tour course of Soyanggang Dam and Cheongpyeongsa is a popular day trip. The valley path to Cheongpyeongsa Temple is a very popular walk among people from all walks of life. Obongsan Mountain that is home to Cheongpyeongsa Temple is a popular destination for hikers thanks to its grand mountain terrain and beautiful scenary. Soyanggang Dam, which is charming and good for sightseeing, will stay in many people's memories for a long time. Soyanggang Dam home to Hodori, the mascot of the Seoul Olympics in 1988 still in minds of many people has been giving unforgettable memories to many people so far.
