PHOTOS Paektu: Korea's most sacred mountain

Mount Paektu's crater lake, seen from above from the side of China's Jilin province, remains frozen on June 13. Standing at 2,744 meters with 16 peaks, Mount Paektu was approved as a UNESCO Global Geopark on April 10 by the UNESCO Executive Board. The designation aims to preserve and manage areas of significant geological value. Last year, China registered the Chinese portion of the mountain as the “Changbaishan UNESCO Global Geopark.” With the recent inclusion of the North Korean side, the entirety of Mount Paektu is now recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Tourists crowd the northern slope area of Mount Paektu’s crater lake in China's Jilin province, June 11. Visitor numbers have surged following the recent designation of the entire mountain as a UNESCO Global Geopark. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The northern slope of Mount Paektu as seen from the western trail of China's Jilin province, June 12. Due to the mountain’s unpredictable high-altitude weather, the crater lake is only visible for about 100 days a year. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The crater lake of Mount Paektu remains frozen as seen from the western slope in China's Jilin province, June 12. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

People in North Korean territory walk in the eastern slope area of Mount Paektu’s crater lake, seen from China's Jilin province, June 12. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul