Temple story · Traditional attribution
The Pine Given a Minister's Rank
The legend of Jeongipumsong
Encyclopedia of Korean Culture: 'Jeongipumsong Pine in Songni, Boeun', 'Beopjusa on Songnisan'; Korea Heritage Service portal: 'Jeongipumsong Pine in Songni, Boeun'
When Sejo said, 'The palanquin will catch,' the pine lifted its branches so that the king could pass safely, it is said.
In 1464, when King Sejo was travelling to Beopjusa, his palanquin was about to catch on the drooping branches of this pine, and Sejo is said to have remarked, 'The palanquin will catch.' The pine then lifted its branches so that the palanquin could pass safely, and Sejo, the story goes, granted the tree the Senior Second Rank, equivalent to a minister's rank today. So it came to be called Jeongipumsong, the 'Senior Second Rank Pine,' and another story says that Sejo sheltered from the rain beneath it. The village in front of the pine, Jinheo, is said to take its name from the soldiers escorting Sejo who set up camp there. Once neatly shaped like an open umbrella or a conical hat, the pine lost a large western limb to a gale in 1993, and its form was badly damaged. It stands on the road into Beopjusa, before you reach the temple, so look for it on your way in or out.