Mt. Geumgang beckons

By Lee Hyon-soo

The Korean Peninsula has many beautiful mountains, of which the most famous is Mount Geumgang. Many Koreans dream of visiting Mount Geumgang at least once in their lifetime. After the division of the peninsula in 1945, this dream remained unfulfilled for South Koreans due to the mountain’s location north of the 38th parallel.

The late Chung Ju-yung of Hyundai Group pulled off what was once considered unthinkable ― he struck a deal with the North Korean government to allow South Koreans to visit Mount Geumgang. Hyundai’s Mount Geumgang tour was launched in November 1998 and about 1 million South Koreans visited the mountain over a 10-year period. In July 2008, the tour was suspended as a South Korean tourist was shot to death by a North Korean soldier and the North Korean government neither apologized nor promised to prevent such incidents from happening again.

The suspension of the Mount Geumgang tour is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon. As I had the privilege of visiting Mount Geumgang, I would like to share my experience with those who have not had the chance to go see the peerless mountain.

I joined an incipient group of tourists who left Seoul by bus early in the morning and arrived at Donghae Port in the afternoon. We boarded a cruise ship which sailed through the night to arrive at Jangjeon Port in North Korea on the following morning.

Our ship anchored a short distance from the shore and we were ferried to the pier by a large boat. We walked into a makeshift government building where our papers were processed for us to "enter” North Korea.

Mount Geumgang comprises a multitude of ridges and valleys. It boasts many beautifully shaped peaks (allegedly 12,000 in total), waterfalls and ponds. Although there are many trails on Mount Geumgang, North Korea made only three available to Hyundai tourists at that time.

We spent two days touring Mount Geumgang. On our first day, we took the trail that led to the Guryong (Nine Dragons) Waterfall. This trail boasted a beautiful valley. We crossed many antiquated bridges over crystal clear streams. The trail we took on the second day commanded a magnificent view of countless pointed peaks. This trail was very steep and we climbed ladder after ladder to reach the peaks. On our way up (and down) we admired peculiar rock formations for which Mount Geumgang is famous. Collectively, these rocks are called Manmulsang (Ten Thousand Figures).

The timing of our tour was perfect. Although Mount Geumgang is beautiful in all four seasons, it is most beautiful in autumn. When we were there in late October, Mount Geumgang was ablaze in color, with leaves turned red or yellow, and the sky was extremely blue. We were overwhelmed by the picturesque scenery around us. The air could not have been cleaner.

The North Korean government did not want us to come into contact with their ordinary civilians and sealed off the section of Mount Geumgang which we visited. We only saw North Korean guides, guards and soldiers on duty. All of them were expressionless and I wondered what thoughts crossed their minds when they gazed upon well-fed, well-clothed and free-spirited South Korean tourists.

My visit to Mount Geumgang was a dream come true. I also appreciated the opportunity to catch a first-hand glimpse of North Korea, although what I saw ― poor infrastructure, malnourished people and primitive living conditions, to name a few ― saddened me profoundly. It will take a concerted effort and a large amount of money to bridge the wide gap between South and North Korea.

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Toronto, Canada. His other writings are posted on https://blog.daum.net/tom_hslee.