Danyang County in North Chungcheong Province is struggling after an Encyclopedia entry that introduced Jeong Do-jeon, a key founding contributor of the Joseon Dynasty, as being born in "Danyang, North Chungcheong" was corrected to "Yeongju, North Gyeongsang." The foundation of the tourism marketing linked to Jeong Do-jeon, centered around the region's top landmark "Dodam Sambong," has been shaken.

According to Danyang County and other sources on the 21st, the Academy of Korean Studies' Encyclopedia of Korean Culture modified the Jeong Do-jeon entry during a final revision on the 7th, changing his birthplace from the previous "Danyang, Chungcheong-do" to "Yeongju, Gyeongsang-do."

The correction of Jeong Do-jeon's hometown stems from continuous objections raised by the Sambong Jeong Do-jeon History and Culture Promotion Foundation (the Foundation).

Jeong Byeong-do, chairman of the Foundation, has argued that objective historical records exist, such as the record "Gusan-sangjae-eup" (龜山桑梓邑) in Jeong's collected writings, Sambongjip, which refers to the Gusan Mountain area in Yeongju as his hometown.

The Foundation claims that Jeong's pen name, "Sambong" (three peaks), is also unrelated to Dodam Sambong in Danyang.

Chairman Jeong stated, "Sambong refers not to Dodam Sambong, but to Baegundae, Insubong, and Mangyeongdae, the main peaks of Bukhansan Mountain. The folklore regarding Jeong Do-jeon collected during the oral literature surveys of the 1980s was simply solidified as established theory through academia, and there are no documentary grounds connecting Jeong Do-jeon to Danyang."

The Foundation even staged one-person protests around the Dodam Sambong area in Danyang and in front of the Korea Heritage Service to demand that history be set straight.

With Jeong Do-jeon's hometown changing, Danyang County—which has actively utilized stories of Jeong for tourism promotion by establishing the Sambong Story Museum and a statue of Jeong around the Dodam Sambong area—has fallen into deep concern. This is because the region practically lacks clear historical records or heritage that can refute the Foundation's claims.

An official from Danyang County stated, "Aside from the folklore passed down regarding Dodam Sambong, there is no cultural heritage related to Jeong Do-jeon remaining in Danyang. We understand that there are no separate ruins or documentary materials."

Currently, Danyang County's guide texts for Dodam Sambong are inconsistent. The official Danyang County website introduces that when Jeongseon demanded taxes for Sambong, "a young boy in Danyang" used his wits so that they did not have to pay taxes. On the other hand, the major tourist attraction introduction on the "Danyang County Water Leisure Sports Website" still lists the protagonist of the same anecdote as "the young boy Jeong Do-jeon." Decisions regarding the replacement of on-site guide signs and whether to modify the direction of tourism promotion related to Jeong Do-jeon have not yet been made.

The Korea Heritage Service has also partially revised the explanatory material for the scenic site "Dodam Sambong" on its National Heritage Portal. This was also in response to a civil complaint from the Foundation requesting the modification of content related to Jeong Do-jeon.

A Danyang County official said, "Internal discussions are currently underway among relevant departments. We plan to prepare future response measures while comprehensively monitoring data reviews and modification statuses by specialized research institutions and the Korea Heritage Service."

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