Abstract
Background and objective: This study aimed to identify the management motivation of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i>, located in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, which distinguishes it from other Gugok Gardens, and examine what characteristics and meaning it has in terms of landscape.Methods: The research method was a combination of literature analysis and field survey. Through analyses of old maps and literature, the establishment background and landscape elements of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> were determined, and the changes from the original landscape were comparatively examined through field surveys. These field surveys were conducted a total of four times, and the changes and status of the <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> landscape were recorded with drawings and and photographs. Based on these, the landscape composition and characteristics of each <i>Gok</i> (area around a bend of meandering streams) were determined. Moreover, historical landscape relics including related pavilions and seowons (Confucian academies) distributed around <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> were surveyed and reflected in the study.Results: Boosa Seong Yeo-sin set a total of nine Goks (<i>Gugok</i>) along the Geumcheon Stream by matching the scenery of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> with that of Zhuzi's <i>Mui-Gugok</i>. Boosa recited the inspiration felt in each Gok as <i>Gugoksi</i> poems, which reveal the various landscape elements that make up the traditional landscape in the scenery of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i>. The total stream length of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> is 14 km, making it one of the longest of the Gugok Gardens in Korea. The distance between each Gok is irregular, ranging from about 0.5-3.5 km, and the nine Goks were established in a top-down order according to the flow of the mountain streams. Boosa created Busajeongsa and Bangujeong Pavilions in Gok 7 and used them as a base for academic research. The original landscape of each Gok of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> has been damaged over time and due to urbanization. By establishing and managing <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i>, Boosa sought to soothe the hearts of the people in the devastated village after the wars, and create an ideal place for life.Conclusion: What makes the management of <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> notably different from that of other Gugok Gardens is that it contains the idea of coexistence, "helping each other and living in harmony." Boosa developed <i>Dongyak</i> (village codes) as an institutional device to create an ideal village, and managed <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> as a public framework to realize this. He also installed libraries next to pavilions in <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i>, and operated an educational curriculum as a practical method to cultivate future talents. As such, Boosa's practice is the outcome of the idea of coexistence for everyone, not just one family or clan. <i>Geumcheon-Gugok</i> is a very valuable landscape relic as the only Gugok Garden managed by the orthodox Nammyeong School in the right region of Gyeongsang-do. However, since the original landscape is being damaged by rapid urbanization, a proper management plan should be sought.
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