By Michael Breen
People who live in Seoul know Namsan, the hill that once protected the southern flank of the ancient city and which is now in the center of the modern capital. Some, especially hikers, are familiar with Mt. Bukhan to the north and Mt. Gwanak to the south.
But here’s a remarkable fact about people who live in Seoul: few of them know the names of the other hills in the city.
Try asking a Seoulite the name of the hill by the Dongnimmun Independence Gate or over by the Sheraton Walker Hill hotel (no, not the Walker Hill) and they probably won’t know. I lived for a year near Dongnimmun and I still don’t know the name of that one.
Or, make it easier and ask them to name the downtown mountain ― let’s call them mountains to emphasize their importance ― to the west of the Blue House and only one in five, according to my unscientific polling, will correctly identify Mt. Inwang. Ask them the name of the mountain directly behind the Blue House and most people residents of the city will either guess wrong or have no idea.
This is astonishing. It is rare to find a capital city anywhere in the world with such attractive and dramatic mountains as those which we have in Seoul. But the rocky defenders whose presence determined the selection of the site for the city in the 14th century are now forgotten and ignored. The city’s most magnificent natural assets have no brand recognition.
The citizens who do not know the mountain names are not stupid. Ask tough ones, like the daily question on the English radio station TBS eFM ― one this week was, which of the following is not an ocean: the Indian Ocean, the Antarctic, or the East Sea? ― and they’ll know the answer.
Knowing the names of some mountains is a matter of general knowledge. Most Koreans, for example, know that Mt. Baekdu is the highest peak on the peninsula and that Mt. Halla the highest in South Korea. Some people have a more personal interest. When I was a student, my two roommates and I were rock climbers and fancied a future in the Alps and the Himalayas. Often, a few minutes after we had gone to bed and put the lights out, someone would say, in a Jimi Hendrix accent, ``Chomolungma,” the Tibetan name of Mt. Everest. The theme would get picked up and, in the darkness, the names of the world’s 14 mountains over 8,000 meters would be called out in turn.
But, knowing the names of the mountains in your town and which you look at every day is not a question of general knowledge or special interest. It’s a matter of awareness. The failure to know them simply means that they are no longer points of reference.
Seoul’s mountains, in other words, are not talked about. During this rainy season, people might notice how a downpour seems to clear the dust and mist from the sky and bring the mountains startlingly close. But if this is discussed, it is only in general terms. A few may mention something about ``mountains,” but mostly their eyes and minds are focused on people or on what’s man-made.
The mountains have no personality, no significance, no meaning. People would only start asking about their names if they woke up one morning and found that President Lee had ordered that they be removed and replaced with canals.
This ignorance is a contradiction. Like many countries, Korea is prioritizing environmentalism. But can Koreans say that they really appreciate the city’s mountains? If this is the level of appreciation of the environment it is no wonder that no one complains when the city spends money creating parks with concrete.
Seoul’s residents should make their mountains relevant to their lives. A good first step would be to learn their names, starting with that one behind the Blue House, whatever it’s called.
Michael Breen is an author, former foreign correspondent and the chairman of Insight Communications, a public relations consulting company. He can be reached at mike.breen@insightcomms.com.
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