Jincheon Nongdari Bridge

Nongdari crosses the Miho stream at Jincheon in a run of low stone piers - around a hundred metres of it, built from flat river slabs stacked into supports with more slabs laid across as a deck, no mortar anywhere, the whole thing held by weight and fit. Its date is uncertain and traditions put it as early as Goryeo; what is documented is centuries of repair, because floods take sections out and the village has always rebuilt them, which means the bridge is old as a structure and continually renewed as material. It sits just above the water, so crossing it puts you in the middle of the stream at ankle height, and the stones are uneven enough that people go slowly. There is a small park at the bank and an annual local festival tied to the bridge. It is free, takes twenty minutes to cross and look, and it is quiet.

What you actually see

• The stacked slab piers - dry stone, no mortar.
• The crossing - a hundred metres just above the water.
• The stream shallows - the Miho on both sides.
• The bank park - a small green area at the end.

When to go

April to June and September to November. After heavy rain the stream rises over the deck and crossing is unsafe; check before going.

Honest expectations

It is a bridge in a field - twenty minutes, no facilities, little interpretation. Sections have been rebuilt many times. The stones are uneven and wet in places.

Nearby

Cheongju and Sangdangsanseong are south; Jincheon's bell museum is in the town.