🎧 Yul's Korea Audio Guide
Hallasan, Jeju
Narrated in English with Korean phrases by YUL of KVIBE IDOLS.
🎵 Background music: Letter on the Wind (바람의 편지) — KVIBE IDOLS · Listen to the full song →
Full transcript
Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here, and today we're going up. Way, way up. This is Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea, at 1,947 meters. Hallasan isn't just on Jeju Island. In a way, Hallasan is Jeju Island! It's a huge shield volcano, that built most of the island.
At the very top, there's a crater lake called Baengnokdam, which means white deer lake. Legend says that beings from heaven came down to play with white deer by the water. So if you spot a white deer up there, take a picture and send it to me!
Now the twist. Hallasan isn't alone. Around it, the island is dotted with about three hundred sixty small volcanic hills called oreum. Baby volcanoes around the mother mountain! And is Hallasan still dangerous? An old history book, the Goryeosa, records an eruption in 1007, but geologists think the last eruption was at least two thousand years ago. So, relax. Mostly.
Hallasan became a national park in 1970, and it's one of the three parts of Jeju's UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. About one thousand eight hundred kinds of plants grow here.
Yul's tip! Only two trails reach the summit: Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa. They're long, so start early in the morning, and check in advance, because the summit trails use a reservation system. For an easier hike, Eorimok and Yeongsil have beautiful views but don't reach the crater. Bring water, snacks and warm layers.
Next, we go from the top of the volcano to deep inside the earth, into a giant lava tunnel. Kaja!
