Paljoryeong is a mountain pass in southeastern

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 ...

, lying between the peaks of Bonghwasan and Sangwonsan, which are both slightly over 660 meters high. The pass itself is slightly less than above sea level. It lies on the border of modern-day Daegu metropolitan city and Cheongdo,

Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

province. At one time it was the major overland route between Daegu and the region to its south. The north side of the pass is in Daegu, in Gachang-myeon, Dalseong-gun. The south side is in Cheongdo's Iseo-myeon. During the later

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

, the Great Yeongnam Road crossed over Paljoryeong, on its way from Seoul to Busan. Paljoryeong was the highest point on the route between Mungyeong Saejae and Busan.p. 39 in Choe (2001). With the construction of the Gyeongbu Line railroad in the early 20th century, this route fell out of use. Today, most traffic crossing Paljoryeong goes underground through the Paljoryeong Tunnel on Local Highway 30. However, a two-lane road still carries tourists over the top of the pass. Both sides of the pass ultimately drain into the

Nakdong River The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Er ...

. Water flowing north from Paljoryeong enters a stream called the Naengcheon, "cold stream," so named because of the cold mountain water. This goes on to join the Sincheon, which flows through the central Daegu to join the

Geumho River The Geumho River flows through North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and drains into the Nakdong River. It rises in the hilly area of western Pohang Pohang () is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport ...

and then the Nakdong. Water flowing south eventually joins the Nakdong via the Miryang River, passing first through the Daegokcheon which joins the Cheongdocheon in Iseo and finally meets the Miryang River in Sangdong-myeon.

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