Haneuljae (), also known as Gyerimnyeong () is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

in the

Sobaek Mountains The Sobaek Mountains (, literally mean little Taebaek Mountains) are a mountain range cutting across the southern Korean peninsula. They split off from the Taebaek Mountains and trend southwest across the center of the peninsula. They are tradi ...

of central

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. It runs between

Chungju Chungju () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city. The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Al ...

North Chungcheong North Chungcheong Province (), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region on the south-centre of the Korean Peninsula. Nor ...

province and

Mungyeong Mungyeong (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The local government, economy, and transportation networks are all centered in Jeomchon, the principal town. Mungyeong has a lengthy his ...

North Gyeongsang North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

province. Haneuljae rises to about above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, between the peaks of Poam Mountain (963 m) and Juheul Mountain (1106 m). During the

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

and

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

periods of Korean history, it played a role of critical importance, as the principal pathway between southeastern and southwestern

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and in particular between the valleys of the Han and Nakdong rivers. In the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period, this role was taken over by the pass of

Mungyeong Saejae Mungyeong Saejae () is a mountain pass in central South Korea. It lies on Joryeong Mountain between the main peak (1017 m) and Sinseon Peak (967 m). The pass itself rises to above sea level. Mungyeong Saejae connects Mungyeong City ...

, and Haneuljae fell into disuse. Today only a minor country road traverses the pass. Seo (2001) contends that the pass played a particularly critical role in the diffusion of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

into Silla from

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

. The first monks bearing Buddhism to Silla came by land from the north, and Haneuljae would have been their most likely route. In addition, the area around

Sangju Sangju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gye ...

; which would have been the first major city a traveler from the north would come to after crossing Haneuljae, became an early center of Buddhism, in contrast to the rest of Silla, which put up stiff resistance to the new faith. The Chungju side of Haneuljae is currently protected as part of

Woraksan National Park Woraksan National Park () is located in the provinces of Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Kor ...

References

Seo, Y.-i. (2001). 신라 육상 교통로 계립령 (Silla yuksang gyotongno gyerimnyeong / Gyerimnyeong, land transportation route of Silla.) In Mungyeong Saejae Museum (Ed.), ''길 위의 역사, 고개의 문화 (Gil wi-ui yeoksa, gogae-ui munhwa / The history upon the road, the culture of the passes)'', pp. 129–150. Seoul: Silcheon Munhak.

References

See also