Dr. Scott and the lucky umbilical cord
- Dr. Scott
- Jun 22, 2020
- 2 min read
It rained all weekend, but I still found an opportunity to visit a local historical site
Background
Saturday, June 13, 2020.
After five straight days of beautiful weather, the weekend was filled with thunderstorms and no sunlight. Given the conditions, I decided to stay at home and indoors in Ulsan. Surprisingly, there was about a three hour break in the rain late Saturday afternoon. Eager to spend some time outside, I took advantage of the break by checking out a local historical site. To be more specific, I was going to "Princess Gyeongsuk's Taesil and Stone Monument" located on a mountain side about 10-minute walk from my residence. I couldn't find any additional information about this site on Goggle, so I went into this with no expectations and somewhat skeptical if there was actually anything at the site
The Journey
I started walking on a back road leading out of UNIST campus until I reached a sign that literally said "Princess Gyeongsuk's Taesil and Stone Monument" in English. The path took me through a small rice field and what seemed like private property. Nevertheless, there were signs every 200 meters indicating the monument was further up the mountain. At this point in the journey, it was about 100% humidity, I was already sweating through my shirt, and I was starting to question whether this 30-minute trip was even worth this small of an effort
The Monument
On the summit of the mountain side, there was a large circular clearing with two monuments on each "end". One monument was clearly a stele, containing basic information such as a person's name and description in Chinese characters. The other mushroom-shaped monument definitely marked an actual burial site.
Next to one monument was a sign explaining the importance of the site. In short, the umbilical cord and placenta of a child is considered to be a symbol of life and connected to one's destiny. To ensure good fortune and luck, both items are washed, sealed in a porcelain jar, and buried in a mountain with good omens. For whatever reason, King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty chose this mountain in modern day Ulsan for his daughter Gyeonsuk.
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