Gatbawi, is a natural

Sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

and

Tafoni Although various definitions can be found in the scientific literature, tafoni (singular: tafone) are commonly defined as small (less than ) to large (greater than ) cavity features that develop in either natural or manmade, vertical to steeply s ...

formation found on the shore of

Mokpo Mokpo (; ''Mokpo-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed train services to Seoul, and is the terminus for a number of ...

's east harbor, near the mouth of the

Yeongsan River The Yeongsangang River is a river in south-western South Korea. It has a length of 129.50 km, and covers an area of 3,467.83 km2. It runs through Damyang, Naju, Gwangju and other regions and eventually flows into the Yellow Sea at Yeo ...

South Jeolla Province South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Name

The name of this formation, Gatbawi (

gat #REDIRECT GAT {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...

is a hat, bawi is a rock), means a rock shaped like a hat, specifically, a traditional Korean costume item worn like a hat resembling a Satgat, or a traditional Korean conical bamboo rain hat. The two individual formations are named Jeongbawi and Satgatbawi, also the larger rock is called the "father" and the smaller one is called the "son".

Geology

Gatbawi is a natural tafoni (small cave-like features found in granular rock such as sandstone, with rounded entrances and smooth concave walls) formation between 6–8 meters/20–26 feet in size.

Legends

There are two folk

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

s surrounding the origins of the rock formations that compose Gatbawi:

First Legend

"A long time ago, a young man lived with his sick father and sold salt. Though he was poor, he was a kind man who would do anything to help his sick father. He worked as a farm hand for a rich house to save money to cure his father's illness. He did his job well but, in the end, his master didn't pay him. When he returned home after one month, he found his father’s body was already cold. He regretted that he had been foolish in not caring for his father for a month. The least he could do was to try to make him comfortable in the afterlife. Unfortunately, as he was moving his father’s body, he slipped and dropped the coffin into the sea. He felt awful about his father’s underwater burial. To make amends, he remained in that spot, wearing a bamboo hat until his death so that he too could not see the sky. Some time after his death, two rocks rose up at Gatbawi."

Second Legend

"Another story of the rocks tells that when Buddha and a disciple traveled across the Yeongsan River, they took a rest in this place. They continued on their journey leaving behind their hats. It is said that their hats became the rocks making them to be known as the monk rocks."

Natural Monument

Gatbawi is one of the "8 famous spots of Mokpo" and was designated Natural Monument Number 500 in April 2009.

Bohaenggyo Bridge

Boyaenggyo Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that leads out over the sea surrounding Gatbawi. Prior to the bridge being built in 2008, Gatbawi was only accessible by ferry. Since the addition of the bridge, visitors can visit Gatbawi on foot.

Gallery

File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01713.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01715.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01717.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01718.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01719.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01720.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01722.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi File:Korea-Mokpo Gatbawi 11-01734.JPG, Mokpo Gatbawi

References

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External links

Video slideshow

Video slideshow
Mokpo Landforms of South Jeolla Province Tourist attractions in South Jeolla Province Landforms of South Korea Rock formations of Asia