The Hantan () is a river flowing from Pyonggang County, 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. Many migratory birds use this area as a wintering place because warm water gushes from the ground in winter and surface waters do 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 and the marshlands and grasslands became important feeding and resting areas for migratory birds.
History The infectious agent Hantaan virus was first identified in the Hantan River area by Ho Wang Lee and others, and was named for the Hantan river, where the disease vector (a rat) was found.Lee Yun-ho, Zoom in Biology, Gungri, 2008, page 56 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.
The construction of the Hantangang Dam began on its lower course in 2007 and was completed in mid-2015. The sole purpose of the dam is flood control. It was also a battleground in the Korean War, but the riverside is beautiful, so the Hantangang River National Tourist Resort was established.
Geography and geology The Hantan 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 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.Kim Gwi-gon, Wetlands and Environment, Academy Books, 2006, pp. 544 – 545
Tourism and leisure An old scenic spot on the Hantangang River is , where Jinpyeong of Silla built a pavilion.Hyeon-kyung Yoon, It is everywhere in Korea, Samsung Publishing, 2007, p. 81 Recently, the Hantangang River basin has been in the spotlight as a rafting location.Shim Chang-seop et al., Leisure Sports Roadmap Book, Hong Gyeong, 2008, page 132 As a leisure facility, there is the Hantangang River National Tourist Site.Choi Ki-jong, Korea Tourism Geographic Information, Gimunsa, 2007, page 92
Natural monuments along the river
Pocheon Hantangang Basalt Canyon and Bidulginang Waterfall
Jiktang waterfall
Gallery
See also Rivers of Korea
References
External links Comprehensive Water Quality Management Plan for the Imjin River Basin (includes map)