Ripe pears at Maecheon, Yeongdong-eup in North Chungcheong Province.



By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter

Some Koreans say April is the cruelest month, but in Yeongdong, North Chungcheong Province, it's a month where fruit trees start to bear fruit. Simple white pears, beautiful pink-hued apricots, apples that smell so sweet as to invite a bite ― these products blanket the Yeondong area this time of the year alongside grapes and plums. Because of the huge temperature difference between day and night, the region is ideal for growing fruit. Naturally, it hosts fruit-themed festivals throughout the year. From Aug. 22-26, Yeongdong holds a grape festival during which visitors can pick grapes and participate in winemaking ― the area produced the wine that was served at the inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang in October 2007.



Yeongdong also boasts of being the homeland of Korean classical music. It was home to one of Korea's three best traditional music composers, Nangye Park Yeon (1378-1458). The other two are Wang Sanak (Goguryeo period) and U-Reuk (Silla period). Park Yeon, a musician during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) created the measure of the twelve-tone system. To honor the musician, Yeongdong hosts the Nangye Korean Classical Musical Festival annually. It is home to Nangye Classical Music Museum, Nangye Korean Classical Instruments Production Village, and Nangye Educational Center for Korean Classical Music Instruments ― where visitors can directly take part in making Korean traditional instruments. For more information on travel to Yeongdong, visit ¢Æ¢Æ¢Æ ¿µµ¿±º ȨÆäÀÌÁö¿¡ ¿À½Å°ÍÀ» ȯ¿µÇÕ´Ï´Ù ¢Æ¢Æ¢Æ or call (043) 740-3051.

shim@koreatimes.co.kr