Kŭmgangsan or
Mount Kŭmgang is one of the best-known mountains in
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
. It has a height of 1638 metres and is located on the east coast of the country, in
Kŭmgangsan Tourist RegionThe Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region is a special administrative region of North Korea. It was established in 2002 to handle South Korean tourist traffic to Kŭmgangsan ....
, formerly part of
KangwŏnKangwŏn is a province of North Korea, with its capital at Wŏnsan. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Kangwŏn and its South Korean neighbour Gangwon-do formed a single province that excluded Wŏnsan.-History:...
Province (38.58N, 128.17E). Kŭmgangsan is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the
Korean peninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two...
. The name means Diamond Mountain.
Kŭmgangsan has a name for each season. Its name is Kŭmgangsan (금강산, 金剛山,
Kŭmgangsan,
Geumgangsan) in
springSpring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Its days are close to twelve hours long with increasing day length, as it occurs near the time of an equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, spring runs from March into May, and in the Southern Hemisphere it...
, Pongraesan (봉래산, 蓬萊山,
Pongnaesan,
Bongnaesan) in
summerSummer is one of the four temperate seasons, marked by the time of year with the longest days, and lies between spring and autumn. The seasons are popularly considered to start on different dates in different cultures based on astronomy and regional meteorology. When it is summer in the southern...
, Phung'aksan (풍악산, 楓嶽山, 楓岳山,
P'ung'aksan,
Pung-aksan) in
autumnAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in March or September when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their seasons, but temperature lag Autumn (also known as...
, and Kaegolsan (개골산, 皆骨山,
Kaegolsan,
Gaegolsan) in
winterWinter is the coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring.-Meteorology:Meteorological winter is the season having the shortest days and the lowest average temperatures. This corresponds to the months of December, January and February, which have the coldest weather and, especially in the...
.
Kŭmgangsan has been known for its scenic beauty, since antiquity.
Kŭmgangsan or
Mount Kŭmgang is one of the best-known mountains in
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
. It has a height of 1638 metres and is located on the east coast of the country, in
Kŭmgangsan Tourist RegionThe Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region is a special administrative region of North Korea. It was established in 2002 to handle South Korean tourist traffic to Kŭmgangsan ....
, formerly part of
KangwŏnKangwŏn is a province of North Korea, with its capital at Wŏnsan. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Kangwŏn and its South Korean neighbour Gangwon-do formed a single province that excluded Wŏnsan.-History:...
Province (38.58N, 128.17E). Kŭmgangsan is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the
Korean peninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two...
. The name means Diamond Mountain.
Kŭmgangsan has a name for each season. Its name is Kŭmgangsan (금강산, 金剛山,
Kŭmgangsan,
Geumgangsan) in
springSpring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Its days are close to twelve hours long with increasing day length, as it occurs near the time of an equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, spring runs from March into May, and in the Southern Hemisphere it...
, Pongraesan (봉래산, 蓬萊山,
Pongnaesan,
Bongnaesan) in
summerSummer is one of the four temperate seasons, marked by the time of year with the longest days, and lies between spring and autumn. The seasons are popularly considered to start on different dates in different cultures based on astronomy and regional meteorology. When it is summer in the southern...
, Phung'aksan (풍악산, 楓嶽山, 楓岳山,
P'ung'aksan,
Pung-aksan) in
autumnAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in March or September when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their seasons, but temperature lag Autumn (also known as...
, and Kaegolsan (개골산, 皆骨山,
Kaegolsan,
Gaegolsan) in
winterWinter is the coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring.-Meteorology:Meteorological winter is the season having the shortest days and the lowest average temperatures. This corresponds to the months of December, January and February, which have the coldest weather and, especially in the...
.
Kŭmgangsan has been known for its scenic beauty, since antiquity. It is covered in forest; the area around Kŭmgangsan is one of the wettest in Korea.
The mountain consists almost entirely of
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
and
dioriteDiorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
, weathered over centuries into a wide variety of shapes, including over 12,000 picturesque stone formations, ravines, cliffs, stone pillars and peaks.
Kŭmgangsan is commonly divided into three areas: Inner Kŭmgang, Outer Kŭmgang, and Sea Kŭmgang, each with different geological and topographical features.
- Inner Kŭmgang is noted for its views. The Manpok ravine is popular with tourists.
- Outer Kŭmgang is noted for the large number of peaks. Chipson Peak (rock of ten thousand forms) is known for its many waterfalls.
- The Sea Kŭmgang area is known for the lagoons and stone pillars.
There are many old temples around Kŭmgangsan, some in poor condition. Among the best known are
Changan-sa and
Maha-yon. Other features include: Sea Manmulsang, Kŭmgang Gate, Samil Lagoon, Piro Peak, the Manpok ravine, Myongyong rock, the Paektap ravine, Manmulsang, Kuryong pond, the pools of Upper Pal, Sujong Peak, Ongnyu ravine, the Hanha Stream, and the Sibi waterfalls.
Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region
Since 1998,
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
n tourists have been allowed to visit Kŭmgangsan, initially travelling by cruise ship, but recently more commonly by
coachIn British and Australian English, the term coach is used to refer to a large motor vehicle for conveying passengers. To differentiate from other types of bus, a coach has a luggage hold separate from the passenger cabin...
. In 2002, the area around the mountain was separated from Kangwŏn Province and organized as a separately administered Tourist Region. The land route was opened in 2003. A rail link exists on the North Korean side up to the border, but no tracks are laid between
GangneungGangneung is a city in Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 229,869 . Gangneung is the economic centre of the Yeongdong region of eastern Gangwon Province. Gangneung is a national tourist destination, offering good bathing facilities in the Sea of Japan...
and the border in South Korea.
In 1998 there were 15,500 tourists in November and December, in 1999 there were 148,000, and in 2000 213,000. In 2001 tourist numbers dropped to 58,000 amidst disagreements over the access over land. By 2002 almost 500,000 have visited the Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region. Tourist numbers have since established themselves at about 240,000 a year. In June 2005
Hyundai AsanHyundai Asan is an arm of the Hyundai Group and a major investor in North Korea. The company manages a number of projects, including the Kumgang-san tourist resort and road/rail building operations...
announced the 1 millionth South Korean visit to the area
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200506/kt2005060721034510220.htm.
The Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region is thought to be one way for the North Korean government to receive
hard currencyHard currency or strong currency, in economics, refers to a globally traded currency that can serve as a reliable and stable store of value...
from abroad. Therefore the official currency of the tour is neither the
South Korean wonThe won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates.-Etymology:...
nor the
North Korean wonThe wŏn is the currency of North Korea. It is subdivided into 100 chŏn. The wŏn is issued by the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.-Etymology:...
, but the US Dollar. Since 2003 food and services to South Korean tourists are provided by some North Koreans. But most of the staff in the hotels are, surprisingly, Chinese citizens with some Korean heritage and Korean language skills. The area is developed by Hyundai Asan, who have plans to expand the site with a proper ski resort to complement the current sleigh course, and complete golf courses. Many plans for expansion, however, are in their earliest stages.
On the morning of July 11, 2008, a 53 year old South-Korean tourist was shot and killed while walking on the resort's beach. The woman entered a military area by crossing over a sand dune and was shot twice by North Korean soldiers. North Korea claimed that sentries had no choice but to shoot her because, despite their order to stop, she ran away. South Korea demanded on-the-spot survey but North Korea declined it, saying all the facts were clear and all responsibilities were the victim's and South Korea's. Due to the shooting, South Korea temporarily suspended all trips to Kŭmgangsan.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200807/200807140019.html
See also
External links