Best friends in a mountain village at 800m altitude: The life of Guk-hwa, a companion dog of 14 years, and Lee Bong-woo

At the foot of Sudosan Mountain in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, in a mountain village at an altitude of 800m, live a companion dog named 'Guk-hwa' and her owner Lee Bong-woo, who have maintained their bond for 14 years. According to the video from KBS Animal TV : Animal for You animal4u's 'Animal Theater: Best Friends' (broadcast on June 10, 2023), they spend their peaceful daily lives as best friends sharing their souls within the embrace of the mountains.

14 years together: Companion dog Guk-hwa and a date in the mulberry field

Lee Bong-woo lives while cultivating mulberry in a high mountain village near Sudosan Mountain in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do. In the video, Lee leads a busy daily life harvesting mulberry leaves by car from late May to the month of June. Originally, mulberry is known to have no waste as the roots, fruits, and leaves are all highly useful. Around February or March, Lee performs pruning, crushes and dries them, and even extracts essence. On the day of the first mulberry leaf harvest this year, 14-year-old companion dog Guk-hwa is by Lee's side.

Guk-hwa, who has been together for 14 years this year, shows a very active appearance for her age. Looking youthful enough to make her age of 14 seem irrelevant, Guk-hwa has enough physical strength to run excitedly following the direction of the filming drone. Lee expressed his affectionate feelings for his pet, saying, "Since Guk-hwa is a flower, I want to be the foundation and the mountain where Guk-hwa can bloom." During a short break while harvesting mulberry leaves, the two enjoy a date in the field, sharing water mixed with mulberry juice and kibble. While Guk-hwa showed some reluctance toward the water mixed with mulberry juice, she showed a delicious appetite, wagging her tail when given kibble.

During the harvest, the two also enjoy playing hide-and-seek. When Lee says, "Guk-hwa, shall we play hide-and-seek?" and gives the signal "Koka (hide)," Guk-hwa runs without looking back and hides her body in quite a secretive place. Lee spends a joyful time pretending not to see Guk-hwa even though she is right in front of him.

A sanctuary prepared at the foot of Sudosan Mountain at 800m altitude

The home of Lee Bong-woo and Guk-hwa is located at an altitude of 800m. Lee, who moved here two years ago after staying at Sudosan Recreational Forest for 14 years, chose his current house, drawn by the gentle scenery surrounded by mountains on all sides. Lee mentioned that the conditions around 700–800m altitude are good for humans to live. The house is situated at an altitude of 880m, the midpoint between the summit of Sudosan Mountain, which is at 1,300m, and the base.

Inside the house, there is a tea room that Lee prepared separately to enjoy tea. This space, filled with pretty teacups on shelves, is the optimal place to appreciate the scenery outside the window with Guk-hwa on rainy days. Guk-hwa's dedicated space is a cozy spot to the left of the tea room, located in a prime spot where the sun rises first every morning. The yard was left empty so that Guk-hwa can run around to her heart's content, and Guk-hwa spends peaceful time here looking at the mountains.

Walking Danjibong Peak and healing provided by wildflowers

Lee and Guk-hwa frequently go for walks to the nearby Danjibong Peak. In places where there are people, he carries Guk-hwa, but when they arrive at places without people, he lets Guk-hwa off freely. Guk-hwa, who loves the mountains so much that she is usually walked on a leash, enjoys freedom on the deserted mountain paths. Lee explains that the act of walking in the mountains helps stabilize the mind and body. He says that just walking through the forest can change brain waves to those of meditation, stabilizing the mind.

In particular, Lee enjoys looking at wildflowers blooming in the mountains, and the video introduces 'Keunhaengcho,' a precious plant that grows only natively in Korea. Characterized by deep pink flowers, Keunhaengcho shows its flower stalks growing long at high altitudes. Lee enjoys the beauty of the mountain, mentioning that the name of this flower is similar to his companion dog's name, 'Guk-hwa.'