Seungsan in Jisu-myeon located east of Jinju is known as “the Village of the Rich.” Founders of Korea’s leading chaebols including LG, GS, and Hyosung were all born in this village. Some 600 years ago in the early Joseon period, majority of village residents were related as they shared the same last name, Huh, of Gimhae Huh’s clan. One of them later founded the GS Group. 300 years later, a man from the Koo family of the Neungseong clan joined the Huh family by marriage, forming a solid bond between the two families. Later, the Koo family founded the LG Group. The Huh and Koo families were well-known as wealthy families even in the Joseon period, so people started to call Seungsan the village of the rich. The two families together owned 50,000 seok, which made up the majority of the wealth that the entire village had then. Thus, there is a saying “Not all know Jinju, but everybody knows Seungsan,” and many people started to visit the village as if it were a sacred place with auspicious spirits. Theorists of geomancy as well as tourists visit Seungsan and walk about the geomancy of the village. Today, Seungsan is viewed by many as Korea’s No. 1 auspicious birthplace where many leading entrepreneurs were born.

Although Seungsan’s reputation is attributed largely to these founders of the two major chaebols, many geomancy believers argue that the village has the energy of the rich according to the theory of geomancy. Geographically, Bangeoan Mountain surrounds the village and Boyangsan Mountain, a branch of the Simbangsan Mountain Range, stands behind the village. Beyond the mountains, Namgang River meanders around. It is a typical geomancy formation of “a mountain in the back and a river in the front.” As the village was kept well-hidden by the surrounding mountains, the birthplaces of the great entrepreneurs were well-preserved during the Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War.
In addition, water is a key element in Seungsan’s geomancy. According to Injasuji, a geomancy classic, water controls wealth; the deeper and more abundant the water is, the more men of wealth will likely be born in the place. Water abounds in and around Seungsan as water flows from around into Namgang River and Jisucheon Stream. On the other hand, the exit through which the water flows out is narrow, which means that wealth continues to flow in and does not run out easily according to geomancy. Theory of geomancy aside, the land through which Jisucheon Stream flows is fertile, creating a vast area of farmland where people could grow crops. Back in the old days, more crops translated into greater wealth. The chaebol founders born in Seungsan Village planted a special tree named “the Tree of the Rich” on the playground of Jisu Elementary School. If you ever get a chance to visit Seungsan, make sure you visit the school and check out the tree. Believe it or not, they say simply taking a photo of the tree can make you a rich person.