The River That Flows North
A river that goes its own way Korea’s rivers mostly do what they are expected to do: they head west or south toward the Yellow Sea or the South Sea, draining the mountains in the obvious direction. The Boseong River (보성강, 寶城江) does not. Rising in the mountains of Jangheung-gun (장흥군) in South Jeolla Province, it turns north — and flows for over a hundred kilometres before reaching the Seomjin River (섬진강) at Aprok (압록) in Gokseong-gun (곡성군). The Seomjin itself, one of Korea’s last great clean rivers, eventually meets the sea near Hadong. The Boseong has travelled a long, unusual road to join it. ...