노곡리 Nogok-ri is an obscure village to the west of Dasan, which is located across Nakdong river from Hwawon resort, western Daegu. Nogok got its name from the place with plenty of fertile rice field. Before the bridge linking Hwawon resort and Dasan about 20 years ago was built, the villagers, mostly farmers, used to cross the river by ferry for a long time. The new bridge has changed the villagers' lifestyle a lot in the past years. New residents from the city came to live in this village surrounded by the fresh air and natural environment. About 150 households lived in the village in the past. Now about 120 households remain. Most young people have left the village to study or get jobs in the big cities, as in the other Korean rural villages. So old men remain in the village and cultivate the soil.
A big zelkova tree over 460 years old stands alone on the top of the front hill of the village and a small chapel is nearby. There are some benches around the tree. Behind the hill, Nogok-ri village is crammed into the narrow space between two hills. The top of the hill offers a quiet and peaceful landscape of the rice field. There was a primary school at the foot of the hill, but the number of pupils had been continuously decreased, so the primary school was finally closed last spring.
Autumn is the best season in Korea. The rice fields turn yellow. It is getting close to harvest in Nogok-ri.
