Gwongeumseong, Seoraksan, South Korea
After exiting the top cable car station, we turned right and walked ("easy" level) for about 15 minutes, along a gradually ascending unpaved flat road, then a rocky path, to the base of the 690-meter-high brown rock summit with a few red pine trees and two rocky peaks (the smaller one on the left and the larger one on the right) - this is Gwongeumseong.
Some sources state that during the Goryeo period in the thirteenth century, two men – Kwon and Kim – built a stone fortress or castle on this site to protect their families and village from the invading Mongols. Don’t be disappointed, some 800 years later, today you won’t find any remains of the fort (except perhaps piles of rocks and stones that serve as a resting or seating area for some visitors). Still, like most tourists, we came for the panoramic views. Indeed, when we reached the fort, the mountain opposite the fort greeted us with such a majestic look and momentum that we were amazed! When you reach the top of the mountain and look to the left, you will see the granite Wanfanxiang Peak right in front of you, as well as towering peaks such as 1275 Peak, Luohan Peak (1298m), Sejong Peak, Ruxiantai, Jiangjun Peak, Quanhangling, and Huangchu Peak (1381m). Behind the peak of all things. Once at the top, I was rewarded with an incredible 360-degree uninterrupted view of the outside or east and the inside or west, Seoraksan consisting of the aforementioned peaks and others, the forested slopes, Cheongbuldong Valley, Ulsan Rock, Heungdeok Rock, Sokcho City, the East Sea, Gwongeumseong Fortress as a whole, and the fall foliage on the mountain. What a magnificent and breathtaking sight!
When we got there late morning on a weekday, there weren't many tourists so there was plenty of space for everyone to move around. However, be careful not to get too close to the edge of the rocky cliffs.
#Japan and Korea Spring Destinations #Overseas Travel #Korea #Gangwondo