Hantan River

Hantan River
Hangul	한탄강
Hanja	漢灘江
Revised Romanization	Hantan-gang
McCune–Reischauer	Hantan'gang

Hantan River
(near Goseokjeong (고석정))
Hantan River
Location
Country	South Korea (KOR), North Korea (PRK)
Provinces	Gangwon (KOR), Gyeonggi (KOR), Pyonggang (PRK)
Physical characteristics
Source	Pyonggang (PRK)
Mouth	Imjin River
Length	136 km (85 mi)

The Hantan (Korean: 한탄강) is a river flowing from Pyonggang, North Korea across the border through Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces in South Korea. It is a tributary of the Imjin River, which eventually joins the Han River and empties into the Yellow Sea. The Hantan River is a popular site for white-water rafting.

Cheorwon Plain

Cheorwon Plain is an area along the river basins of the Imjin River and Hantangang River and was formed by volcanic activity. One reason why many migratory birds use this area as a wintering place is because warm water gushes from the ground in winter and does not freeze, making it easy to find food.

The plain was a fierce battleground in the Korean War, and with the ceasefire in 1953, it was designated as a civilian control area. With no humans permitted to use it, the area reverted to grass and shrubland. With marshlands and grasslands it became an important feeding and resting place for migratory birds.

History

The infectious agent Hantaan orthohantavirus was first identified in the Hantan River area by Dr. Lee Ho-wang and others, and was named for the Hantan river, where the disease vector (a rat) was found. Because the original publication transliterated the river's name as "Hantaan," this spelling remains associated with the "Hantaan virus." The name is also applied to the virus genus Orthohantavirus (formerly Hantavirus), as well as its family Hantaviridae.

In 2007 construction of the Hantangang Dam began on its lower course. It was expected to be complete in mid-2015. The sole purpose of the dam is flood control. It is also a battleground in the Korean War, but the riverside is beautiful, so the Hantang River National Tourist Resort was established.

Geography·Geology

The Hantangang River passes through a mountainous area where there was volcanic activity in the Cenozoic Era and Quaternary, and Canyons and Cliffs are developed. In the past, volcanic activity occurred in this area and a large amount of basalt covered the Hantangang River area, forming the Cheorwon-Pyeonggang lava plateau. Later, the Hantangang River waters eroded the basalt, creating the deep canyons and basalt cliffs that exist today. The Hantangang River has tributaries such as Namdaecheon, Yeongpyeongcheon, and Chatancheon, and along with the Imjin River, it is a flat river with a gentle slope and has well-developed sandbanks. The minerals that form the ground in the canyon caused by volcanic activity in the Chugaryeong Rift Zone include porphyritic metamorphic gneiss, Proterozoic Yeoncheon metamorphic sedimentary rock, Mesozoic Era Jurassic granite flow and porphyritic granite, Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Shindong Formation Group, etc.

Tourism and Leisure

An old scenic spot on the Hantangang River is Goseokjeong, where Jinpyeong of Silla built a pavilion. Recently, the Hantangang River basin has been in the spotlight as a rafting location. As a leisure facility, there is the Hantangang River National Tourist Site.

Natural monuments along the river

• Hantangang River Daegyocheon Basalt Canyon
• Pocheon Hantangang Basalt Canyon and Bidulginang Waterfall
• Pocheon Auraji Pillow Lava
• Jiktang waterfall

Gallery

• 
  Goseokjeong
• 
  Basalt canyon Natural monument
• 
  Jiktang falls
• 
  Pocheon Pillow Lava

See also

• Rivers of Korea

External links

• Comprehensive Water Quality Management Plan for the Imjin River Basin (includes map)