I climbed Mount Gwanak hoping to gain 'good energy'

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I climbed Mount Gwanak hoping to gain 'good energy'

Published: 07 Apr. 2026, 13:33 Updated: 07 Apr. 2026, 16:11

WOO JI-WON
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hikers crowd Mount Gwanak’s Yeonjudae on April 5. [WOO JI-WON]

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Spending a weekend hiking has always felt like a questionable decision — which is why finding myself at the base of Mount Gwanak on a Sunday morning felt almost surreal.

And yet, there I was, tying the laces of my leather Nike sneakers that had no business being on a mountain to start my first hike in nearly a decade. Add in a 20,000-won ($15) T-shirt, a water-resistant polo jacket and some out-of-trend Adidas leggings, and it was pretty clear I was not someone who hikes regularly.

So what got me there?

A viral promise of "good energy" said to live on Mount Gwanak has, in recent months, been drawing crowds of young people to the rocky mountain in southern Seoul. Coincidence or not, the presence of Seoul National University — widely regarded as Korea’s most prestigious university — at its base made the idea all the more convincing.

Feng shui expert Park Sung-joon recommends people to visit Mount Gwanak when life isn't going your way during an appearnace on talk show "You Quiz on the Block" (2018-) [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The whole buzz began in late January, when well-known feng shui expert and fortuneteller Park Sung-joon appeared on the popular talk show "You Quiz on the Block" (2018-) and recommended climbing Mount Gwanak as a simple solution for when life isn't going your way.

"The mountain is known for its jeonggi [strong energy], and the energy is so good that there's even a saying that if you make the same wish three times here, it will come true," Park said on the show.

In the Chinese practice of feng shui, mountains are not seen as mere formations, but as sources where energy originates and gathers. Among some feng shui experts, Mount Gwanak has long been considered powerful in energy with its high proportion of rocky terrain and its continuous ridgelines.

The interest in Mount Gwanak is visible in the data as well. According to Google Trends, searches for "Gwanaksan" in March reached around 80,000, 60 percent more than the 50,000 recorded in the same period last year.

So, why not give it a try? Lately, I've needed all the help I could get.

Still, I wasn't about to commit my entire day to hiking. Four hours, max — that was all I could give.

My starting entrance near Seoul National University [WOO JI-WON]

From the moment I arrived at the entrance, the mountain felt way different from what I remembered from the last time I hiked seven years ago. I had never seen the hikers look this young. Clusters of hikers in their 20s and 30s moved in pairs and groups, weaving past older, more seasoned trekkers.

Mount Gwanak [WOO JI-WON]

Wardrobe-wise, from sweatpants to denim jeans, summer dresses to long padded coats and sneakers ranging from Nike Air Forces to Vans slip-ons, all kinds of outfits filled the trail.

This made it clear that many weren't seasoned hikers, but people like me drawn by the same promise of good energy. And, in a way, that realization felt a little sad, seeing just how many of us seemed to need it.

Stone carins built on a large rock [WOO JI-WON]

Hikers placing little stones on top of already-built stone carins [WOO JI-WON] [WOO JI-WON]

Along the trail, small stone cairns appeared everywhere — some just a few rocks high, others stacked into meter-long towers. Many young hikers paused to add stones, while some clasped their hands for a quiet wish.

Park Pu-reum, who came with her colleagues, placed a stone and shouted, "Come to me, good energy!" She said she wished things at work would go well. "I want to get Gwanak's good energy," she said.

I did the same, picking out the tiniest stone I could find and placing it on a three-tier cairn with a wide, stable top so it wouldn't fall. The last thing I wanted was to cancel out all that good energy with one poorly placed rock. I also hoped the stones would stay intact long enough for the wishes behind them to linger just a little longer.

Lots of people are climbing down the stairs, so I had to wait sometimes [WOO JI-WON]

The path to the peak was less forgiving. There was no clear trail, just a stretch of bumpy rocks that had, over time, turned into steps from countless footsteps.

About an hour and a half in, I was finally just 500 meters (1,640 feet) away from Yeonjudae. From there, the climb eased up, with a small blessing of actual stairs. But just before reaching the platform, I ran into something unexpected. A long line.

People were lining up just to take photos with the summit marker, something that, not long ago, didn't require a wait at all.

People queing in line to take a photo with Mount Gwanak's summit marker. [WOO JI-WON]

I didn't even bother trying and skipped the line.

Even without the line for the photo, the whole Yeonjudae platform was packed.

I searched for a decent spot on the large rock and finally managed to squeeze an area among people unpacking everything from gimbap (seaweed rice roll) to instant ramyeon.

Sitting next to me was Lee Yoon-jae, who had come with three friends and was unpacking samgak (triangle) gimbap.

"Honestly, I lost all my energy getting up here," Lee said with a laugh. "But I came because people say the mountain gives you good energy, and since I made a wish, I hope it works."

People crowd at Mount Gwanak's Yeonjudae [WOO JI-WON]

Some regular hikers were not enthusiastic about the mountain's recent boom. "There are just too many people now," said a man surnamed Lee, who stated he visits the mountain often. "Everything changed after it appeared on TV."

Last week, Madang Rock, a famous rock located along the hiking trail, had been vandalized with yellow spray paint reading, "There's no Gwanak luck for you. Melong." Melong is a Korean expression for sticking your tongue out. It has now been removed.

Climbing down was much easier than the way up, though a steady stream of hikers was still making their ascent. In total, I had spent more than three hours on the mountain.

Mount Gwanak [WOO JI-WON]

By the end of the trip, I realized that these people don't actually care that much about the good energy. Their attitude felt more like — if it comes, great; if not, oh well. At the very least, it gave people like me — an unmotivated athlete — a reason to do a seasonal workout.

Whether it's just hype or something real, only time will tell. But for now, three days later, I haven't felt much of a difference.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]