Mount Baegak to fully reopen to public after nearly six decades
Seoul’s Mount Baegak will open its final restricted trail section Saturday, linking historic city-wall routes and scenic sites.
The photo shows a major viewpoint along the Mount Baegak trail, which has been restricted to the public for nearly 60 years and will reopen on Oct. 17.
KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE
Mount Baegak, also known as Mount Bugak, behind the Blue House in central Seoul will be fully open to the public around the clock starting Saturday, completing the third and final phase of reopening hiking trails that had been off-limits for nearly six decades.
A 1.32-kilometer (0.82-mile) trail along the southwestern slope of Mount Baegak, a designated scenic site, will fully open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) announced Wednesday.
The mountain was named Baegak in 1396, when it was designated the principal mountain of Hanyang, the capital of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). In modern times, however, it has become more commonly known as Mount Bugak.
Access to the mountain was restricted following the Jan. 21, 1968, incident, when armed North Korean commandos attempted to raid the Blue House. Ironically, the decades of restricted access helped preserve some of the most intact sections of the Hanyang Doseong, which is known as the historic Seoul city wall.
The mountain was reopened in stages, beginning with a 2.2-kilometer trail along the northern section of the city wall in 2020, followed by a 3-kilometer section through the forest on its southeastern slope in 2022. The final 1.32-kilometer stretch, located behind the Blue House toward Cheongun-dong in Jongno District, central Seoul, will now open to the public.
The newly opened trail begins at Dolphin Rest Area, the first rest stop along the route from Changui Gate to the summit of Mount Baegak. It passes viewpoints overlooking Mount Inwang, Mount Namsan, the Blue House and Gyeongbok Palace before reaching Mansedongbang spring, where a rock bears an inscription wishing the king a long and healthy life.
The route also leads to a pine tree that still bears bullet marks from a firefight between North Korean commandos who infiltrated Seoul to attack the Blue House in 1968 and South Korean military and police forces during the Jan. 21 incident.
The KHS said the final phase of the reopening will link the mountain's major hiking trails. The connected sites include the historic Hanyang Doseong, Buaam Rock, Samtaeseong Rock, Mansedongbang spring, Chotdae Rock, Malbawi Rock, Baegak Shrine, the source of Cheonggye Stream and the former site of Beopheung Temple.
“Mount Baegak’s natural landscapes and historical and cultural heritage sites can now be explored along a connected route," KHS said.
Four new scenic rest areas have also been established along the newly opened section.
A ceremony marking the final phase of the reopening will be held near Changui Gate along the Hanyang Doseong on Mount Baegak at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
BY KANG HYE-RAN [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
