What Is the Most Wished-for Blessing at Uiryeong Sotbawi Rock?

Floating Bridge at Sotbawi Rock Open from October 2 to 5

‘Health’ Wishes Dominate Rich Wish Tree

At Sotbawi Rock in Uiryeong, where people visit to receive the "energy of wealth," visitors prayed for the health and harmony of their families.

Mothers wished for the health of their children, while sons wished for their mothers' well-being.

On October 2, the opening day of the 5th Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival, tourists flocked to Sotbawi Rock—renowned as a special place for making wishes—from early in the morning.

Sotbawi.
Photo by Joo Soeun

When the floating bridge granting access to touch Sotbawi Rock opened at 10 a.m. that day, visitors took turns placing their hands on the rock and making personal wishes.

Bae Kyunghyo and Kang Kyungsook, a married couple from Busan, left home at 7 a.m., three hours before the floating bridge opened.

Wanting to be the first to visit and greet Sotbawi Rock, the couple became the very first official visitors of the day.

Both of them, the first to place their hands on the rock, wished for only one thing: health.

The couple said, “Health is the most important thing,” as they prayed for their family’s health, adding that they also hoped for the well-being and prosperity of the nation.

On the 2nd, the opening day of the 5th Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival, 78-year-old Kwon Suja is seen placing her hand on Sotbawi rock with her family to pray for health.
[Photo by Uiryeong County]

Seventy-eight-year-old Suja Kwon was accompanied by her two sons and daughters-in-law to visit Sotbawi Rock.

The wish Kwon made, placing her hand on Sotbawi Rock, was not for her own health, but for the health and harmony of her children.

“It’s my greatest wish that my children are healthy and live harmoniously,” Kwon said.

Her two sons responded, “Our wish is for your good health, Mother.”

For Youngsook Yoo, who traveled from Changwon, her wish was for her two-month-old grandchild.

“I hope my grandchild grows up healthy and never gets sick,” Yoo wished as she touched Sotbawi Rock.

On this day, the ‘Rich Wish Tree’ set up around Sotbawi Rock was also filled with wish tags, the majority expressing hopes for the health of family members, parents, and children.

O Tae-wan, Mayor of Uiryeong County, and his wife Bae Minju are placing a donation into the pot lid donation box set up in front of Sotbawi Rock on the 2nd.
[Photo by Uiryeong County]

O Taewan, the mayor of Uiryeong County, wrote “Everything prospers as you wish” on a wish tag and hung it on the Rich Wish Tree.

Mayor O said, “Above all, I prayed for the health of all Uiryeong County residents,” adding, “I also wished that the good energy of wealth from Sotbawi would spread throughout South Korea, so that all citizens may live in abundance and happiness.”

Meanwhile, the 5th Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival will run until October 5 at Uiryeong County Citizen’s Park and the surrounding Sotbawi Rock area.

This year’s event features various experience programs, including the “Buja No. 1 Theme Center” made up of nine zones, as well as the AI Rich Condition, Rich Family Olympics, Rich Boat Tour, and more—all centered on the theme of the “Senses of Wealth.”

At Sotbawi Rock, visitors seeking the energy of wealth ultimately wished for nothing more than the health and harmony of their families.

The simple phrase “health is the most important thing” encapsulated the dream of what it truly means to be rich for everyone who came.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.