Cheongsong to Be Put on UNESCO Geopark List

Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang Province will be put on the UNESCO Global Geopark list, the second entry in Korea after Jeju Island.

Cheongsong was chosen in a meeting of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris on Monday afternoon, the municipality said Wednesday. The entire area of 845.71 sq.km includes 24 notable geological features like the bluffs in Mt. Juwang and Lake Jusan.

The list is made up of geological sites of scientific importance, rarity and beauty.

UNESCO officials visited Cheongsong in July last year for an on-site inspection. They found a deposit of lithium-bearing tosudite, a rare mineral that can be found in fewer than 10 locations in the world.

They also found a large deposit of spherulitic rhyolite, also known as flower rock, that can be found only in about 100 locations around the world.

The mineral-rich soil is also said to make the local apples taste exceptionally delicious.