Paljoryeong is a mountain pass in southeastern

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, lying between the peaks of Bonghwasan and

Sangwonsan Sangwonsan is a mountain in the county of Jeongseon, Gangwon-do in South Korea. It has an elevation of .An 2003, p.241. See also * List of mountains in Korea The following is a list of mountains in Korea: List of mountains in North Korea ...

, which are both slightly over 660 meters high. The pass itself is slightly less than above sea level. It lies on the border of modern-day Daegu metropolitan city and

Cheongdo Cheongdo County (''Cheongdo-gun'') is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is connected to the national transportation grid by the Gyeongbu Line railroad and the Daegu-Busan Expressway. The seat of government is located in the ...

Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

province. At one time it was the major overland route between Daegu and the region to its south. The north side of the pass is in Daegu, in

Gachang-myeon Gachang-myeon is a ''myeon'', or township in rural southeastern Daegu, South Korea. Part of Dalseong County, it is separated from the urban center of Daegu by the ridgelines of Yongjibong and Apsan. These two mountains are separated by the n ...

, Dalseong-gun. The south side is in Cheongdo's Iseo-myeon. During the later

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

, the

Great Yeongnam Road The Great Yeongnam Road, or Yeongnamdaero, was one of the principal roads of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910. It ran between Hanseong (modern-day Seoul) and Dongnae (in modern-day Busan). More generally, it served to connect the Gye ...

crossed over Paljoryeong, on its way from Seoul to Busan. Paljoryeong was the highest point on the route between

Mungyeong Saejae Mungyeong Saejae (Hangul: 문경새재) is a mountain pass in central South Korea. It lies on Joryeong Mountain between the main peak (1017 m) and Sinseon Peak (967 m). The pass itself rises to above sea level. Mungyeong Saejae conn ...

and Busan.p. 39 in Choe (2001). With the construction of the

Gyeongbu Line The Gyeongbu Line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu ...

railroad in the early 20th century, this route fell out of use. Today, most traffic crossing Paljoryeong goes underground through the Paljoryeong Tunnel on Local Highway 30. However, a two-lane road still carries tourists over the top of the pass. Both sides of the pass ultimately drain into the

Nakdong River The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Korea's Three Kingdoms Er ...

. Water flowing north from Paljoryeong enters a stream called the Naengcheon, "cold stream," so named because of the cold mountain water. This goes on to join the Sincheon, which flows through the central Daegu to join the

Geumho River The Geumho River flows through North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and drains into the Nakdong River. It rises in the hilly area of western Pohang, flows west for 116 kilometers before its meeting with the Nakdong in western Daegu. It drain ...

and then the Nakdong. Water flowing south eventually joins the Nakdong via the Miryang River, passing first through the Daegokcheon which joins the Cheongdocheon in Iseo and finally meets the Miryang River in Sangdong-myeon.

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