Imsil County is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Imsil County is a county in central South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is an area upstream of the Seomjingang River in the Noryeongsan Mountains, and there is a basin that runs southeast to Namwon. The county office is located in Imsil-eup, and the administrative district is 11 myeon, 1eup. It is approximately 30 minutes south of Jeonju by car or bus. Domestic Korean cheese was first produced in Imsil County. Imsil County encompasses several important towns, mountains and natural areas. Imsil-gun has 14 elementary schools and an English center.

History

Proto–Three Kingdoms period

Imsil belonged to the Mahan State, as New Wunsin State.

Three Kingdoms period

The County was Inghil-gun in Baekje.

Unified Silla Period

Imsil-gun belonged to Namwon-bu. Ingil-gun was renamed Imsil-gun in 759. The stone pagoda at Imsil Jingusaji Temple Site was also built during the Unified Silla period.

Today

The building was relocated in 2010.

Tourism

Imsil Cheese Village

Imsil Cheese Village is located near the town of Imsil (within the county of Imsil). It offers vacation programs for children and tourists to learn how to make cheese. The cheese produced there is called Imsil cheese, following the county name. Imsil cheese is the unusual mission legacy of a Catholic priest from Belgium who took the Korean name of Ji Junghwan. He arrived in the farming village of Imsil, in the mid-1950s, when the economy was still shattered from the Korean War. He started a farmers’ milk cooperative, which eventually became the Imsil Cheese Factory. The factory still exists today and produces high-quality cheese and yogurt for the Korean market. A pizza franchise using Imsil cheese has become a widespread business in South Korea since 2004, under the name of Imsil Cheese Pizza. Nearby livestock farms produce the dairy products required for the manufacture of the cheese.

Okjeongho Lake

Okjeongho Lake is an artificial lake created by the construction of the Seomjingang River Dam. There is a walking trail by the lake. In the upper reaches of the Seomjingang River, Okjeongho Lake has a large temperature difference between night and day, so fog rises.

Education

Yewon Arts University is located in Imsil.

Climate

Twin towns – sister cities

Imsil is twinned with: