BOEUN GUN

To the east of Hakrim-ri, Boeun Eup, Boeun Gun, there is a mountain called Moonamsan 515m above sea level.
On a trail of the mountain valley, there is a rock called "Buk-bawi."

In the Three Kingdoms Age, the Boeun area was the borderline between Silla and Baekjae, and there were frequent battles between forces of the two countries, both of which tried to enlarge their territories. The base of Silla was Samnyeonsan Seong fortress (located in Eoam-ri, Boeun eup), and that of Backjae was Nogo Seong (located in Sanseong-ri, Boeun eup). The two forces frequently fought intense battles on the flat fields between them, and returned to their fortresses after battles.

The commander of the Baekjae forces was Yang Seo, big and smart general. Strangely enough, though, he always lost battles with the Silly forces. One day, after letting his forces eat enough, he and his troop came out of the Nogo Seong to implement the strategy he and others had devised for previous few days. The strategy was to seize by surprise the Samnyeonsan Seong with the life-and-death battle.

However, a betrayer in Baekjae forces had informed the Silla forces of the strategy escretly. While running toward the Silla fortress, the Baekjae forces were taken by surprise. General Yang Seo had no choice but to retreat to the Nogo Seong, taking his defeated soldiers. But, when he reached at the foot of his mountain fortress, he found out that the fortress had already been occupied by the Silla forces. He and his forces had nowhere to go. Behind him, he could hear shouting of the Silla forces pursuing his forces. He and his forces had to run away, and the triumphant Silla forces were going up the mountain to the Nogo Seong, giving up pursuing the defeated Baekjae forces.

General Yang Seo felt tired. He lay down feeling sorry for and miserable of himself. Suddenly, he felt angry, and he sprang up and drew his sword from sheath, and pushed it on a huge rock beside him to dispel his anger. The sword penetrated the rock to the hilt. Still angry, he rotated the sword more than ten times, which made a hole in the rock.

At that moment, dim sound of drum began to come out of the hole. The drum sound became louder and louder. At the repeated drum sound, all the soldiers sprang up. The sound seemed to urge them to attack Silla forces. Encouraged by the drum sound, depressed soldiers recovered their confidence, and climbed down the mountain and went up to the Nogo Seong fortress occupied by Silla forces, and recaptured it from them.

Thereafter, the rock was called the Bukbawi (Buk means drum in Korean language, and bawi is rock), legend says. Still now, when firewood gatherer hits the rock with a stick or his palm, it is said that he can hear drum sound.