Byeongsan Seowon sits above a bend of the Nakdong river, a few kilometres from the village of Hahoe and about fifteen kilometres from Andong, in the rolling, rural interior of North Gyeongsang province. The river curves around a cliff face called Buyongdae, and the academy looks across the water to the opposite cliff in a way that is almost a painting. Andong, a city of about a hundred and thirty thousand people, is the nearest place of any size.
A seowon was a private Confucian academy, a school and shrine for the study of the classics, founded in the Joseon period by scholars who wanted to keep away from the politics of the capital. Byeongsan was founded to honour Ryu Seong-ryong, the prime minister during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, whose memoir of the war, the Jingbirok, is considered a national treasure. The buildings are plain, low and handsome, made of dark wood with tiled roofs, set on terraces down the hill, and the finest is the pavilion called Manhyudae, a long open hall overlooking the river, where scholars sat to discuss poetry and philosophy. UNESCO included Byeongsan and eight other academies in its World Heritage list in 2019. Visit quietly, and take off your shoes when you enter any building.
The riding in South Korea's interior is better than its reputation. Roads are well surfaced, signposts are clear, speed cameras are everywhere, and traffic outside the cities is light, so a day among rice terraces, orchards and small mountains is easy. The roads along the Nakdong wind between hills and rice fields, with pretty villages of thatched and tiled roofs. Summers are hot and wet, with a monsoon season in July, and winters are cold and dry. The best months are late April to June and September to October, when the apple orchards blossom or the persimmons ripen.
Andong is the place for fuel and food. The local speciality is jjimdak, chicken braised with noodles, potatoes and soy, and the city is also known for salted mackerel and a famous distilled spirit, Andong soju. Hahoe village, nearby, is itself a World Heritage site, with a centuries-old clan village of tiled houses and a mask dance tradition. Yeongju and Mungyeong, further afield, have temples and bigger markets. Look for a small restaurant serving a set meal, with rice, soup and many little side dishes, and expect it to be generous.