A legend clings to Deokjinyeon, the pond at the heart of Deokjin Park: it's said that Gyeon Hwon, in order to manage the geomantic energy at the northern edge of his capital, had a marsh dug out and turned into a pond. Whether or not the story is literally true, it reflects how a kingdom like Later Baekje thought about defending and governing its own capital — as much through geomancy as through walls. The pond itself formed naturally sometime during the Goryeo dynasty and wasn't formally developed into a city park until 1978.
What draws crowds to this lake today is a stand of red lotus flowers planted long ago. Every July, deep pink blossoms rise above a surface blanketed in green lotus leaves, making it one of Jeonju's signature summer destinations. But standing beside this peaceful lotus lake is a monument from an entirely different era: a statue of General Jeon Bong-jun, who led the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894. A pond a king once dug to protect his capital, and, nearly a thousand years later, a statue of a peasant leader who rose up against the ruling order — a ruler's geomancy and a commoner uprising, facing each other across the same water. Travelers who come for lotus photos in summer and happen to pause in front of that statue walk away realizing Deokjin Park is more than just a seasonal photo destination.