Chongsokjong is at the seaside of Thongchon county town in Kangwon Province.
Chongsokjong has been called one of the eight scenes in the Kwandong area since olden times as the shape of stone columns standing in clusters or separately by taking their roots in the crystal-clear seawater is singular and mysterious.
It was formed through the cooling and condensing of basaltic rock which had been spouted up to the surface by a volcanic action and had been split into hexagonal or octagonal ones before being washed and cut for a long time by the seawater and weathering.
In the area, hexagonal or octagonal basaltic columns stand imposingly along the shore in a section extending for a thousand metres.
Locals call Chongsokjong “Kumgang in Thongchon” and petrels and murres inhabit the gaps of the rock columns and cliffs.
A legend has it that competent stonemasons worked hard for a long period to trim rocks and erected them in bundles or in groups, hence Chongsokjong.
There are Sason Peak where four spirits are said to have enjoyed themselves once upon a time, a stone bridge which people say they attempted to build up to the Dragon’s Palace by cutting the stone columns of Chongsokjong but stopped halfway fascinated by its beautiful scenery and different shapes of other rocks.
The sunrise in Chongsokjong and its nocturnal view featured by the silver moonlight constitute enchanting views.
A scenic attraction on the east coast, the Chongsokjong area is used as a holiday resort.
(Pyongyang Times - November 28, 2020)
